Mayfield House Kindergarten

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 18/09/2003 Inspector Name Anne Georgina Phillips

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Mayfield House Kindergarten Setting Address 275 Marlpool Lane Kidderminster Worcestershire DY11 5DA

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Heidi Munday and Erica Munday Address 275 Marlpool Lane Kidderminster Worcestershire DY11 5DA

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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

Mayfield House Kindergarten opened in these premises in 1991. It is privately owned and managed and operates from a house in it's own grounds within walking distance of the town centre and on the edge of the Marlpool area of Kidderminster. There are separate areas for babies, toddlers, and pre-school children. It has a large garden and tree house. There is some parking for parents dropping off and collecting children. The kindergarten serves a wide local area including a majority of professional working parents. There are currently fifty-five children from birth to eight years on roll. At the time of inspection this includes four nursery education funded three year olds and one nursery education funded four year old. The group supports children with special educational needs (SEN) and those with English as an additional language (EAL). Children aged from five to under eight years attend occasionally but formal

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Information about the setting

out-of-school care is not provided The group opens Monday to Friday all year round between 8:00 and 18:00 and early starts can be accommodated by arrangement. Half and part day sessions are available. Three full-time and ten part-time staff work with the children and manage the setting. With half of the staff having relevant early years and childcare qualifications and nine have relevant first aid training. Aspects of Montessori and High Scope approaches are deployed when teaching the children. There are opportunities for children to experience outdoor exploratory play, to join activities outside the kindergarten, and experience other languages as well as English. Healthy eating is encouraged. The setting receives support from a mentor teacher from the Early Years and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP), is working towards the Growing Together Quality Accreditation Award, and belongs to the Wyre Forest Play Forum and a nursery

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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 Mayfield House Kindergarten provides satisfactory care. The Kindergarten is clean and spacious. It is attractive to children and welcoming to parents. There are good opportunities for children to enjoy fresh air, exercise, and play outdoors. Separate areas are well laid-out and resourced to match children's development so that they gain confidence and skills in small secure groups. The staff are mature, experienced and knowledgeable. They work closely with the children so that they settle well, but sometimes there are not enough staff working directly with the youngest children to ensure effective communication with parents and other staff. Staff use the comprehensive resources and equipment to stimulate children and

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How good is the Day Care?

provide interesting activities that children enjoy. Although younger children are not always able to choose their own activity or readily access attractive books and images of diversity. Careful consideration is given to children's health and safety when carrying out activities, playing outdoors, caring for animals and on outings. Staff support children in developing good hygiene practices. Some aspects of safety and security were identified for review to ensure that children are safe even in unlikely circumstances. Children enjoy freshly prepared, nutritious, healthy and wholesome snacks and meals, which are often made using fruit and vegetables from the garden, and which meet their individual dietary needs. Children are cared for in small groups and make good progress through experiencing a range of varied and exciting activities. Children under two years are cared for in two groups, which meet their developing needs. Babies are nurtured

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How good is the Day Care?

with warmth and gentleness, and with careful consideration to their existing routines. Active toddlers experience a secure, stimulating environment so that they develop their mobility and communication. Appropriate arrangements are in place to support children with special needs.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the following actions were raised: "Ensure there is an operational plan which is available to parents. The operational plan should include details of how staff, space and resources will be deployed". "Ensure there is an effective key-worker system in place" Both actions have been addressed. An operational plan is in place which reflects the way the setting is organised but areas of the plans' effectiveness at different times of the day were identified for improvement at this inspection and a recommendation raised about deployment of staff.

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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 A key worker system is in place but the effectiveness was difficult to judge following re-organisation as a large number of children have just left the setting to go to school. However, staff work closely with the children in small groups so that they know the children well and build good relationships with parents on a daily basis. In addition, parent meetings now take place each term for older children and these are being considered for younger children too. Effectiveness to be further checked at the next inspection.

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What is being done well?

• The environment is attractive and welcoming to children and parents. • Children are cared for in small groups so that they are secure and develop confidence and high self-esteem. • There are stimulating and exciting opportunities especially for older children when visiting the forest school, sell items at the local Farmer's Market, learn about other countries and languages. • Children enjoy healthy, nutritious food supplied regularly and in good quantities. • Children behave very well in response to sensitive support from caring staff.

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What needs to be improved?

• the records kept about staff; • the effective deployment of staff at all times especially when children are arriving or sleeping; • the accessibility to younger children to toys and materials, including attractive books and resources that reflect diversity; • the systems for managing access to the whole premises; • the time taken to deal with identified risks; • the procedures for admitting children with reduced immunity; • the availability of staff who know about the requirements of the Code of Practice for the identification and assessment of Special Educational Needs (CoP); • the procedures for sharing and recording information about children's needs with parents and keeping them confidential at all times.

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Outcome of the 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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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 1 ensure that staff records are maintained and updated and are available for inspection; 2 review deployment of staff to ensure the safety, welfare and development of children at all times; 5 improve younger children’s access to toys and materials including attractive books and those that promote diversity; 6 review systems for managing access to the whole premises to ensure that they are effective in all circumstances; 6 review risk assessments regularly drawing up time scales identifying action to be taken and timescales; 10 ensure that at least one member of staff knows the requirements of the Code of Practice for the identification and assessment of Special Educational Needs (CoP); 12 improve procedures for sharing and recording information about children’s needs with parents and ensuring they are kept confidentially.

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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?

Mayfield House Kindergarten offers good nursery education where children make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Children are eager, enthusiastic and motivated to learn. They listen well and question staff. They are developing increasing skills of independence and are confident to share their ideas in groups. Children learn the basic concepts of reading, writing and mathematics through a variety of stimulating and fun activities. Regular outings to the forest school, gymnastic sessions and the local farmers market extends their development particularly in the areas of physical, creative and personnel, social and emotional development. The children's knowledge and understanding of the world is excellent. Teaching is very good with some missed opportunities. Children behave very well in response to calm, positive and sensitive support of staff and consistent boundaries.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The setting is well resourced and space well planned. Role play areas are particularly well thought out. Activities are planned and assessments completed to allow the children to move through the stepping stone stages towards the early learning goals. However not all the staff have a comprehensive knowledge of these stages and are sometimes unable to expand or alter activities to suit individual children and circumstances. Leadership and management are generally good. The nursery is owned and managed by a committed and knowledgeable individual. This knowledge needs to be cascaded down to staff to allow the whole team to be able to support children in all areas. The setting takes part in a quality assurance scheme and the staff work hard to continuously improve the setting. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are welcomed on a daily basis and good relationships are established. Formal events allow working parents to become

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What is being done well?

• Children are making very good progress in all areas of learning due to a varied and stimulating range of activities. • Activities outside the nursery setting provide the children with further opportunities to extend their experiences and development. • Children's behaviour is very good; they are able to share, take turns, and have a good understanding of right and wrong. • Relationships with parents are very good. Information about their child’s activity is shared both on a daily basis and by arranging opportunities for

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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 parents to see the full range of experiences on offer.

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What needs to be improved?

• staffs understanding of the stepping-stones leading to the early learning goals; • the formalisation of the role of the SENCO, once her training is completed.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection. The setting was asked to formalise the children's assessment in line with the early learning goals. An effective assessment system in now in place, which takes children through the stepping stone stages towards the early learning goals. However, not all staff have a working knowledge or are involved in the planning and assessment process.

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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 making very good progress in personal, social and emotional development. They form good relationships with others, are eager, enthusiastic and motivated to learn. They are well-behaved and developing independence, working well on their own and as part of a team.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in communication, language and literacy development. They communicate well with each other and adults, sharing ideas and experiences. They understand that the written word has meaning and are able to access a good variety of reading material. Many of the children show emergent writing skills with older four year olds able to write their own names and other familiar words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in mathematical development. Children are able to count and recognise numerals. They can add and subtract in a meaningful way and use mathematical concepts to solve problems.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world. They have an excellent knowledge of time, place and the world around them. There are extensive opportunities both inside and out of the nursery for them to explore investigate and observe their environment and for them to design and make things. They use information technology to expand their learning.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good A variety of opportunities for the children to develop their physical skills lead to very good progress in this area. They have opportunities to climb, balance and move in very different environments. They develop skills of dexterity using tools and equipment. They understand the concept of healthy eating and personal hygiene.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in creative development. They attend weekly music sessions with a music teacher and some form of musical activity is introduced into each day. Role-play areas provide children with the opportunity to extend their imaginary play. They compare and explore materials to extend their creativity.

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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 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: • Ensure staff have a working knowledge of the way children progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. • Ensure that the role of the SENCO is established. 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 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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