Abbey Fields Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 22/06/2004 Inspector Name Carol Eaman

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care, Sessional Day Care, Out of School Day Care Setting Name Abbey Fields Nursery Setting Address Unit 4c, Selby Business Park Bawtry Road Selby YO8 8NB

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The partnership of Abbey Place Nursery 4651769

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Abbey Place Nursery Address Abbey Place Day Nursery 1 Church Avenue Selby North Yorkshire YO8 4PG

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ORGANISATION 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

Abbey Fields Nursery is a newly built 'Neighbourhood Nursery', set up in partnership with North Yorkshire Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. It is situated in a two storey building on Selby Business Park close to Selby town centre and serves the local community. The nursery has an entrance hall and a large open play room on the ground floor that is divided into separate areas. There is direct access from the play room to a fully enclosed outdoor play area. On the second floor there is a separate playroom and sleeping area for children under two years.

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Information about the setting

The nursery provides day care for a maximum of 54 children between 4 months and 5 years and currently has 66 children on roll. There are 15 funded children, one of whom is four years old. The nursery is open throughout the year, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 closing for statutory bank holidays and one week at Christmas. There are four members of staff working with funded children and all have appropriate childcare qualifications. The nursery is not presently supporting any children who have special educational needs or who use English as an additional language. Advisory teacher support is received from the Early Years Childcare and Development Partnership.

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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?

Abbey Fields Day Nursery provides high quality education where children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. Children learn in a caring environment which is well organised and encourages their independence. Teaching is very good. Staff have a very secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and a clear sense of purpose in their teaching. They skilfully interact with children to make the most of learning opportunities and good relationships are fostered. Staff work well as a team, they are well deployed, have excellent ratios to children and make good use of time and resources. They plan together in detail for the long, medium and short term to provide a range of stimulating activities and plans are adapted to meet the needs of individuals. Staff know the children well and carefully monitor their progress. The feelings and beliefs of all children are valued

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How effective is the nursery education?

and good behaviour is promoted. Leadership and management are very good. The owner and senior nursery nurse work closely together to give excellent direction for the care, education and management of the children. There is a strong team spirit which has a positive effect on children's learning and the working practise of the nursery is of a high standard. Staff regularly attend training and realise that self-evaluation is the key to continuous improvement. They identify areas for development such as the garden and welcome advice and support from other professionals. The nursery has established a very good partnership with parents who have daily contact with staff. They are made very welcome and are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning by supporting topics or sharing assessment records. They receive good quality information about the education programme but this is not to detail in the nursery's welcome brochure. Parents feel that their children are well

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What is being done well?

• The leadership of the group and the close team work ensures that clear aims and strong emphasis on learning through play are promoted effectively. • Children are making very good progress in all six areas of learning through well planned activities and access to a wide range of appropriate resources. • The quality of teaching is of a consistently high standard and thus challenges the children increasing their thinking and skills. • There is excellent emphasis on the development of reading and writing skills and the expression of imaginary ideas through role-play. • Children thrive in a learning environment in which their thoughts, feelings and

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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 achievements are highly valued. They are well behaved and respectful towards each other and adults.

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What needs to be improved?

• the information for parents on the six areas of learning for the Foundation Stage • the use of the outdoor area to meet the needs of different age groups, promoting physical exercise all year round and an understanding of the natural world.

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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: Very Good Children are interested, confident and motivated to learn. They play well together inspired by stimulating resources and show excitement as they experiment with water tubes or run under a parachute. They express their views clearly and listen with interest to others and their self-esteem is promoted through staff's positive praise. Resources are selected independently to write, paint or pour drinks and they are good at taking turns. Behaviour is excellent and children are sensitive to others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children interact well, speaking confidently and clearly and they learn new vocabulary developing their knowledge and understanding. They quickly find and read their name cards and say letter sounds such as 's' for sun as they write. They often select books for information and show obvious enjoyment when listening to stories. Children concentrate as they write in diaries or on postcards, making marks and letter shapes and older children are able to write their names more accurately.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count with confidence and increasing skill at register time and they begin to recognise numerals 1-10 on a number line. They eagerly investigate size when comparing lengths of water tubes and confidently identify mathematical shapes such as circles and squares in craft activities. They competently send a programmable floor toy forwards and backwards and solve problems as they match pictures to boards. Number songs are used very effectively to develop an understanding of subtraction.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children explore features of living things such as snails as they carefully examine them under a magnifying glass. They notice change as they freeze water to make ice-cubes and compare patterns on sea-shells. They independently operate their listening station and headphones, using technology in their learning and question how a water wheel works as they successfully connect tubes. Children vividly re-call adventures of their travelling teddy and enjoy finding out about other people and places.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move with confidence and control as they travel along an obstacle course, using skills of jumping and balancing. They show awareness of each other as they ride on bikes or spread out around a parachute They handle a wide range of objects competently and persevere to fasten straps developing their hand-eye co-ordination. They begin to realise that exercise makes them tired and frequently drink water. Children dance imaginatively and regularly enjoy music and movement sessions.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children experience a wide range of textures and learn colours as they print on fish and make animal masks with spaghetti, glitter and foil. They use their imagination to design hot air balloons and handle playdough tools well. Children perform action songs with joy and regularly play instruments. They eagerly engage in role-play sharing ideas as they plan journeys in their boat. Their sensory awareness is developed as they taste bagels and cream cheese and feel smooth and rough sea-shells.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following; • increase information on the six areas of learning for parent's • continue with current plans to develop the outdoor area ensuring that the needs of different age groups are met as the nursery grows and develops.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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

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

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