Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/02/2005 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery Setting Address 166 St. Annes Road East Lytham St. Annes Lancashire FY8 3HP

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Helen Turpie and Lisa Taylor Address Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery 166 St. Annes Road East Lytham St. Annes Lancashire FY8 3HP

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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

The nursery offers care for children age 0 to 5 years set in a large Victorian detached house close to Lytham and St Anne's. The care is provided in four small units, a baby unit for under ones, a toddler unit for one year to two years, a two years unit and in a separate building there is pre-school unit. There is an enclosed outdoor play area which has some fixed equipment. The pre-school operates with experienced staff including an early years teacher.

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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?

Shepherd Lodge Day Nursery provides high-quality nursery education which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is very good. All areas of learning are promoted very effectively by an imaginative well-planned programme of activities and children make very good progress in them. Personal, social and emotional development is given high priority and is a strength of the nursery. Children are well-behaved and they benefit from a caring, secure environment. Staff have adapted an enthusiastic approach and are good role-models for the children. Staff skillfully develop children's language by maintaining a dialogue with them and by asking questions which encourage them to think and talk about what they are doing. Children are grouped and challenged appropriately. Children are developing their mathematical understanding very well, however staff do not use the metric system when weighing ingredients. The nursery

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How effective is the nursery education?

benefits from a secure, comfortable and well resourced facility. Staff assess children's learning against the stepping stones and use this information to plan what children should do next. The leadership and management of the nursery is very good. The owner and managers, together with a capable staff team are very committed to the children and maintain a high standards of care and educational provision for them. A very good relationship with parents and carers has been formed as they are encouraged to share in their children's learning. Staff invite parents to meetings and keep careful records informing them of their children's progress.

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What is being done well?

• Children benefit from an experienced Early Years Teacher and a committed staff team who provide an imaginative programme of activities to introduce them to Early Years Education. A good balance of structured activities and free choice enables children to make steady and good progress towards the early learning goals. • Communication, language and literacy is very good. Children talk confidently in a variety of situations and staff encourage children for whom English is an additional language to develop their understanding of the English language outstandingly well. Children's reading and writing skills are well-developed. • Children's personal, social and emotional development is a strength of the nursery. Children enjoy coming to the nursery and are forming close relationships with adults and friendships with each other. Children are developing a clear understanding of their own culture and other cultures 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 • All children including those with Special Educational Needs benefit from a happy, secure and caring environment. The leadership and management is very good and the nursery pre-school occupies a purpose built building which is very welcoming and comfortable. Children's work is attractively displayed and promotes their self-esteem. • A very close partnership has been formed with the parents and carers and this has a significant impact on the children's progress. • The programme for knowledge and understanding of the world is very good, as children develop an awareness of the world in which they live.

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What needs to be improved?

• ensure children learn to weigh ingredients in grams as they participate in baking activities • opportunities for children to recognise the changes that happen to their bodies when they are active.

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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 enjoy coming to nursery and are interested and motivated to learn. They are settling well into daily routines and are well behaved. Children's listening skills are well developed and they sit quietly and enjoy story and circle-time. They show independence by choosing activities and working happily on their own, as they create a heart-shaped collage. Children are enthusiastic, show care and sensitivity for others and their environment. They celebrate Christmas and Diwali amongst others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are given many opportunities to develop early writing skills and some children are confident in writing their name. All children are encouraged to recognise their name as they arrive each day and this they do well. Children are given good opportunities to link sounds to letters and words. They use books appropriately and a commercial reading scheme has successfully been introduced. Children enjoy conversation with staff and visitors and their language skills are well developed.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children say and use numbers in a familiar context as they count the number of cakes in the tin, some children count confidently up to ten and some up to nineteen. They enjoy a wide range of counting songs as they participate in 'Ten Green Bottles' and this encourages them to develop an understanding of subtraction. Children learn to weigh ingredients as they make cakes. They learn to compare and sort as they use plastic small world toys.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children happily talk about their families and homes as they share their news. They participate in a topic about the weather and enthusiastically talk about the type of clothes to wear on a cold day.There are photographs of the children as they measure the rainfall in the garden. Children celebrate 'Chinese New Year' and choose and select materials to make a Chinese Dragon.Children are developing well their confidence and understanding in the use of information technology as they use a computer.

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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 show increasing control and co-ordination over their bodies and an awareness of space as they move around their environment. They participate in vigorous play during planned activities as they enjoy parachute play. Children are developing skills such as climbing and balancing very well; however they do not always recognise the changes that happen to their bodies when they are active. Children's manipulative skills with pencil, chalk and paintbrush are well-developed.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have a wide range of opportunities to explore colour, texture and form using all their senses. Their drawings and paintings show imagination and detail, as for example a child drew a picture of a heart and flowers. Children use a range of materials as they work in two and three dimension and create a 'Cockerel'. Children are developing well their senses as they are regularly introduced to baking activities, play dough, sand and water. They enjoy musical experiences and explore sound.

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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 improve the following: • provide opportunities to enable children to develop their understanding of the Metric System as they weigh ingredients • ensure that children are encouraged to recognise the changes that happen to their bodies when they are active.

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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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