Footprints Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 23/09/2004 Inspector Name Anita Bartram

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Elim Day Nursery Setting Address Elim Christian Centre Hall Street Chelmsford Essex CM2 0HG

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Ministers of Elim Day Nursery 251549

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name The Ministers of Elim Day Nursery Address Elim Christian Centre Hall Street Chelmsford Essex CM2 0HG

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and 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 of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and 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

Elim Day Nursery opened in 1979. It operates from a suite of rooms on the ground and first floor, within Elim Christian Centre, in Chelmsford. The nursery serves both the wider and local area. There are currently 152 children from birth to five years on roll. This includes 45 funded three year olds and 3 funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports a small number of children who have special needs or who have English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week all year. All day sessions are from 07.45 until 17.45. Morning sessions are from 07.45 until 13.00. Afternoon sessions are from 13.00 until 17.45. Alternative sessions available are 09.00 until 11.30 and 13.30 until 16.00. A total of 33 part and full time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Six members of staff are currently

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Information about the setting

working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP)

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How good is the Day Care?

Elim Day Nursery provides good care for children. Overall the organisation of the setting is good, although organisation in the babies' and toddlers' rooms sometimes limits staff in fully meeting the individual needs of children. Staff are deployed appropriately to work directly with the children. Staff ensure a warm and welcoming environment through bright wall displays of children's work, posters and notices. There is a fully enclosed paved garden for children to use. Most documentation is in place. Staff provide a secure environment for children. All staff are aware of the children's safety and measures are suitably in place to minimise hazards. Effective working

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How good is the Day Care?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 procedures are in place on outings. Several staff have current first aid certificates. Children are able to try a variety of foods at snack time and dinner menus rotate on a six-week rolling programme to offer a varied and balanced diet. All staff are appropriately aware of their child protection responsibilities. Staff provide a warm and caring environment. Staff get to know children's likes and dislikes through the key worker system and liaising with parents. Staff follow effective working practices to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. There is a valuable range of displays and resources to promote positive images of diversity to children. Staff have good planning systems in place to provide

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How good is the Day Care?

meaningful activities to cover the six areas of learning or the birth to three framework. Overall children's behaviour is good, they appreciate right from wrong and staff have a good understanding of the reasons behind children's unwanted behaviour. Staff are readily available to speak with parents at either end of the day. Written record sheets are given to parents to keep them informed of their child's routine through the day. Parents are welcomed into the group at any time and are invited to special days in the group's calendar such as Christmas and Harvest celebrations.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the provider agreed to; expand the outings procedure, ensure Ofsted's telephone number is included in the complaints procedure and obtain written permission from parents to administer medication or seek emergency medical advice or treatment. This has all been completed.

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What is being done well?

• The key worker system is effective. It enables staff to get to know the individual children's personalities, likes and dislikes. Through the written observations staff carry out on the children whilst they play, they monitor each child's achievements. This information is transfered into individual development records and staff make good use of this information when children move rooms. •• There is a valuable induction process that new staff complete. This ensures that staff have the necessary basic skills and knowledge to work with the children. All staff are encouraged to keep up-to date in their childcare knowledge through effective support systems by senior management. • Staff are motivated and work coherently as a team. Staff at all levels show enthusiasm for their job, and this has a positive impact on the care they give to babies and children. • The premises are safe and secure. Effective written risk assessments are

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What is being done well?

done to ensure that hazards to children are either eliminated or minimised. Access to the premises is monitored and managed effectively. Visitors to the

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 centre have no contact with the children unless accompanied by a senior member of staff.

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What needs to be improved?

• the written statement of the procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing or lost • the organisation of sleeping babies, to enable them to sleep peacefully at the same time as non-sleeping babies are playing • the organisation of whole grouptimes in the toddler room, to enable staff to tailor activities that accommodate the children's wide and varied ages and stages of development.

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 2 Review the organisation of the baby room to allow babies to sleep more peacefully, and the organisation of group activities in the toddler room to meet the differing needs of the children. 14 Formalise the verbal lost child procedure into a written statement to ensure all staff and parents are well informed of the action that would be taken.

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by the time of the next inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

Provision for nursery education at Elim Day Nursery is good. It enables children to make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development, and generally good progress in creative development. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff interact positively with the children. As a result, children are keen and curious to learn and this promotes effective relationships between children and staff. Staff manage the children's behaviour very well. Consequently children play and work in a calm but busy atmosphere where they feel confident to explore and try out all the varied activities on offer. The senior member of staff in the pre-school has a very thorough knowledge of the foundation stage. She is a valuable role model for less experienced staff and leads her team by example. Comprehensive planning of activities is in place although this

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How effective is the nursery education?

does not always contain sufficient detail to enable all staff to appreciate fully the learning outcomes behind activities. Some whole group activities restrict staff in tailoring teaching to meet the varied stages of development of the large group of children in the room. The leadership and management of the nursery is thorough and robust. Staff professional development is given a high priority and all staff are well-motivated. Most staff have a generally good understanding of the curriculum. However, their skills in using open-ended questioning to tease out the intended learning outcomes for children in each activity are not yet fully developed. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with a wealth of information, both specific to their own child and the curriculum as a whole. Two-way communication books help parents and staff provide consistency of care for the children.

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What is being done well?

• More-able children's understanding of number. For example, children enjoy making up their own number problems with little construction pieces. They count out some pieces onto the table and then add more on or take some away, fully realising that the total amount will change. They correctly count on as they add more and pose simple questions to adults such as, how many now? • Many children are very aware of letters and the purpose of writing. They refer to letters by their sound and are starting to use the sounds to write their names correctly. Children recognise letters around them on the wall displays and pick out particular ones for their name. Children enjoy 'writing' in role-play. They make lists or receipts whilst they shop in their imaginative

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 games. • There is a clear and effective hierarchy of management. Senior management place a high emphasis on the professional development of all the staff. A very high proportion of staff have a core childcare qualification. Staff are supported more directly through a combination of the wealth of experience the senior manager has, and the deputy's sound knowledge of the foundation stage. • The management of the children's behaviour is positive. Staff consistently provide the children with clear behavioural boundaries. They use praise and rewards for good behaviour and children respond positively. As a result, very little unwanted behaviour is seen and this creates an atmosphere where children can learn effectively.

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What needs to be improved?

• the detail in planning to ensure all staff are aware of how to meet the specific learning outcomes of an activity and how children are grouped so teaching can accommodate different children's levels of understanding.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in implementing the action plan drawn up to address the three key issues identified at the previous inspection, resulting in valuable improvements being made to the educational programme. Planning now identifies learning intentions closely related to the six areas of learning and the stepping-stones. Development records kept on each child are also linked to the six areas of learning. Staff carry out tracking observations to reinforce their judgements when assessing each child's achievements. Information gained through assessment is fed back into planning to cover any gaps in children's knowledge or skills. This provides a rigorous curriculum for the children. Children's awareness that writing can be used for different purposes is now good. Opportunities are given for them to write notes and lists in the role-play area and children are assertive and keen to write their own name independently on their work.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident and have high self-esteems. They are developing a valuable sense of identity, for example, they use the puzzle, which has different races of children on, to positively talk about the differences and similarities between them. Many children enjoy the challenge of being independent. All children operate independently in the nursery, using the bathroom, putting on coats or shoes or helping to tidy away. Children and staff are forming valuable and trusting relationships.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children use language for a wide variety of purposes. They question, voice their needs, resolve disputes and 'read' stories to themselves. Many children enjoy books. More-able children's early reading skills are excellent. They recognise letters around them or recall stories, reassuring friends that the scary story has a happy ending. More-able children's awareness of the purpose of writing is sound. They independently write their names on drawings and write out receipts and notes in role-play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's understanding of size is excellent. They comment that construction pieces are too big and why. They deftly use scissors to cut paper to the size they want for their design. Overall children's number skills are sound. Younger children willingly try counting. Some more-able children enjoy solving simple problems with number. Children's knowledge of shape is progressing well. They accurately make spheres in playdough to make snowmen or use 2D floor shapes to make tessellating patterns.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's skills in designing and making are substantial. Most keenly use scissors and glue to make things. More-able children have clear ideas what they are making and what they need. Children's use of the computer is productive and more-able children act as role models for younger children. Access to the computer is very good, which enables all children to practice and develop their skills frequently. High quality software impacts positively on children's early number and literacy skills.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have a very good sense of space. More-able children negotiate their pathways skilfully with trikes and line up competently behind each other. Children move freely and with confidence. More-able children are starting to use their bodies to represent animals, waving their arms for elephant's trunks or jumping around the garden like kangaroos. All children use movement to express their feelings, jumping and skipping with excitement or frowning and turning away when disgruntled.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good More-able children eagerly explore different media and materials. They sort bricks by colour and understand that different materials can be combined to make an end result. They enjoy singing. Younger children request favourite nursery rhymes and older children ask for the new song they have started to learn for Harvest. Children keenly join in, moving rhythmically to the beat. Children enjoy role-play, although staff preparation is not always thorough enough for children to make full use of it.

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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and 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

• increase the detail in planning to ensure all staff are aware of how to meet the specific learning outcomes of an activity and how children are grouped so teaching can accommodate different children's levels of understanding.

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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 Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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