Sunnyside NurseryOfsted inspection, 20 Oct 2004

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 20/10/2004 Inspector Name Rebecca Elizabeth Khabbazi

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Sunnyside Setting Address 192 Merton Road South Wimbledon London SW19 1EG

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

The Sunnyside Nursery has been registered since 1970. It is situated in a Territorial Army building and its premises consist of a lobby and large hall with kitchen and toilet facilities. It is located on the main road, close to South Wimbledon tube station. There is no outside play area. The nursery serves the local community. There are currently sixteen children aged from two to under five years on roll. This includes four funded three and four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs. The nursery opens five days a week for forty eight weeks a year. Sessions are from 9am to 1pm. One full time member of staff, the manager, and five part time members of staff work with the children. Five members of staff are qualified and two of these are undertaking further training. One member of staff is unqualified. The setting receives

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Information about the setting

support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and the Merton Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

Sunnyside provides good quality nursery education that helps children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of their development. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff work hard to create a welcoming environment for children. They have a secure understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and the expected goals for children's development. They plan a variety of interesting activities and are clear about what children are expected to learn from them. Written plans cover all areas of learning, but do not clearly show how a wide variety of activities to support children's physical development will be included. Staff have positive relationships with children. They engage in their play, respond to their interests, and use questions to encourage children to talk about what they are doing. Regular assessments are made of children's progress and staff use these

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How effective is the nursery education?

well to develop individual plans for children's next steps. Planned adult-led activities are presented in a lively and enthusiastic manner and are effectively adapted to meet the needs of individual children. However, sometimes opportunities are missed to extend children's learning by enabling them to have independent access to resources. The organisation of some resources and activities does not always sustain the interest of all children, particularly due to the age range of the children now attending. Leadership and management is generally good. There is good support for staff to develop their skills and knowledge through training. The manager is committed to development and improvement. There is not yet a rigorous system in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching. There is a good partnership with parents. Parents spend time talking informally to staff and also have opportunities to attend meetings to review their child's progress.

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How effective is the nursery education?

They kept well informed about forthcoming events.

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What is being done well?

• Children are confident and settled within the setting. They have good relationships with staff, which supports their progress in all areas of learning. They are keen to take part in activities and motivated to learn. • The setting benefits from a well-established and committed staff team. Staff are enthusiastic and work well together. They make sure that activities are fun for children and that everyone can take part. • There are positive relationships with parents. They are welcomed into the setting and encouraged to spend time at the nursery on a regular basis.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • There is a strong commitment to continual development and improvement of the provision.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to access materials and resources freely, especially to enable them to explore and investigate materials independently and to develop and extend their imaginative play • the organisation of the book corner in order to encourage children to enjoy books independently • the planning and organisation of story and small group activities, in order to make sure other distractions are minimised at these times • the planning for physical development, to make sure children have regular access to a wide variety of activities and equipment to practise new skills.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Not applicable. This was the setting's first inspection of their nursery education provision.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make good relationships with each other and adults in the setting. They develop confidence and settle in quickly. Children learn to co-operate to complete activities, take turns and share. Staff offer support to encourage children to persist with difficult tasks. Children gain in independence, for example when finding their own lunchbox and unwrapping their food, but they do not always have opportunities to select their own resources and materials across all areas of learning.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are keen to communicate and they use language to start conversations and talk about their experiences. Children enjoy using the writing area and confidently make marks using a variety of materials. Some children recognise their name and form some recognisable letters. Children enjoy listening to stories but sometimes other distractions prevent their full participation. The current organisation of the book corner does not fully encourage children to freely use books on their own.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children use their knowledge to join in with number songs and work out how many sausages are left when one goes 'bang!' Staff encourage children to compare groups of objects and find out how many there are altogether. Children find out about shape, size and measure when completing puzzles or pouring water from beakers into a larger container. They do not always have opportunities to fully explore the available resources and solve practical problems for themselves.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children talk about their lives and families and show an interest in the lives of others. They find out about their environment through discussion, topic work and outings, such as when making a map of the local area. Children learn about the uses of everyday technology when playing with the telephone or cash register. They enjoy making models with construction sets but opportunities to freely access tools and materials to design and make things for themselves are not always fully exploited.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move freely and with developing control. They peddle bikes and use scooters confidently, manoeuvring successfully around obstacles. Children show developing co-ordination when using scissors, stacking cubes or squeezing and shaping the play dough. They have access to a range of equipment on a daily basis, but plans do not clearly show how a varied range of skills and experiences are supported.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children join in with singing sessions enthusiastically, and know the words to familiar songs from memory. Children paint and draw freely using a range of media. Children enjoy role play activities and act out stories from their imagination and experience. Opportunities to extend their imaginative play by allowing free access to some materials are not always fully developed, for example, by letting children continue to use materials independently following an adult led activity.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Provide more encouragement for children to access a wider range of resources and materials freely, in particular, to encourage independent exploration and investigation and to enable children to extend their imaginative play • Evaluate the organisation of the book corner and of small group and story times, in order to consider ways to foster children's interest in books and minimise distractions • Continue to develop the planning for children's physical development, in order to make sure children have regular access to a wide variety of activities and equipment to develop and practise new skills.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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