St Leonards Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/06/2003 Inspector Name Trudy Scott

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name St Leonards Nursery Setting Address St Leonards Church Hall Everingham Road Sheffield S5 7LE

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

St. Leonards Nursery is a privately owned day nursery which first opened in 1995. It operates in self contained rooms in the St. Leonards Church building in the Longley area of Sheffield and serves the local community and wider Sheffield area. Children are cared for in two rooms with children under two years in one room and children aged two to five years in another room. A fully enclosed area is available for outdoor play. Registration is for 20 children under five years. There are currently 18 children on roll aged between six months and five years. This includes three funded three year olds and seven funded four year olds. Currently there are no children attending who have special needs or who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens all year, except for weekends and bank holidays, between 07:30 and 18:00. Five staff work with the children, all of whom have early years qualifications. The

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Information about the setting

setting receives the support of a community teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and also from a development worker from the National Day Nursery Association

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How good is the Day Care?

St Leonards Nursery provides satisfactory care overall for children aged six months to five years. The proprietor and senior staff work well together to support staff. Regular staff meetings and a system of appraisal are successful in promoting good teamwork, however there are no effective induction procedures in place to help staff become familiar with policies and procedures. All relevant paperwork is in place although some lacks necessary detail. Appropriate procedures are in place to keep children safe. Children are well

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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 supervised and are helped to understand safety rules with discussion and explanation. Lunchtime at the nursery is a pleasant social occasion. Children enjoy a freshly cooked meal prepared by staff who hold food hygiene certificates. Children are cared for appropriately in two rooms, one for children under two years and one for children aged two to five years. Warm, homely surroundings and a good variety of experiences contribute to the very good care provided for children under two years. Children are happy, secure and well behaved and enjoy good relationships with the staff. An interesting range of activities are provided for all children although the activities are not always appropriate or achievable for children

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How good is the Day Care?

aged two to three years. Partnership with parents is good. Good quality information is shared with parents in a variety of ways. This will be further improved by making the complaints procedure available. Parents are encouraged to share information about their children to enable staff to care for them according to their parent's wishes.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Nineteen actions to improve the provision were identified at the last inspection. Many actions were relating to policies and procedures. All relevant policies and procedures are now in place although not all information contained in the operational plan is up to date. There is still no clear induction system in place to ensure staff are familiar with these. Five actions related to the care of babies and children under two years. The provision for this age group has improved and is now very good. Communication with parents has improved. There are appropriate systems in place for sharing information and relationships between staff and parents are good. A policy is in place for the care of children with special needs. The proprietor has recently begun training to improve her knowledge of how to support children in this area. An equal opportunities policy is in place although it still lacks some detail, for

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What has improved since the last inspection?

example consistent methods for dealing with racist or discriminatory remarks.

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What is being done well?

• Care of children under two years is very good. Children enjoy a good range of appropriate activities and experiences. The layout of the under twos room enables children to move around and explore independently and safely. (Standard 3 and 4) • Children's relationships with staff are good. Staff interact well with children, talk and listen to them and involve themselves in their play. (Standard 3) • Appropriate procedures are in place to keep children safe. Children are well

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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 supervised and are helped to understand safety rules with discussion and explanation. (Standard 6) • Lunch time is a pleasant social occasion. Children enjoy a freshly cooked meal in the company of their friends and staff. Alternatives are provided for children on special diets or for those who don't like what is offered. (Standard 8)

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What needs to be improved?

• the system for ensuring the operational plan is up to date and that staff are familiar with the information contained; (Standard 2) • the use of assessments of children to ensure that activities provided for children aged two to three years are age appropriate and achievable; (Standard 3) • procedures for securing written parental consent for administering medicines; (Standard 7) • the equal opportunities policy to include procedures for dealing with racist or discriminatory remarks; (Standard 9) • the information for parents on how to make a complaint. (Standard 12)

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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 operational plan to ensure policies and procedures are up to date and establish a clear induction system to ensure staff are familiar with the policies and procedures 3 use information from assessments to plan age appropriate and achievable activities for children aged two to three years.

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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 7 ensure written parental permission is obtained before administering medication to children 9 review the equal opportunities policy to include procedures for responding to racist and discriminatory remarks. 12 include the role of Ofsted in the complaints procedure and make this available to parents

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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?

St. Leonards Nursery provides a friendly environment where children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children enjoy their play and are confident, enthusiastic and motivated to learn. Teaching is generally good. Staff are familiar with the early learning goals and plan a variety of interesting activities for children to extend their development in all six areas of learning. There is less focused use of learning opportunities within freely chosen activities. Staff engage effectively with children to help them become confident and fluent speakers. Children behave well and are encouraged to share, co-operate and take turns. A good range of resources are provided to support children's learning particulary in developing physical control in using smalll equipment and extending their designing and making skills. The presentation and organisation of some resources, particularly in the book corner and home corner,

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How effective is the nursery education?

does not encourage children to select from the full range. Staff know the children well and complete regular assessments and observations to record their progress. However this information is not used consistently to plan the next steps in children's learning and provide challenge for more able children. Appropriate systems are in place to support children with special needs. Leadership and management are generally good. Staff are well supported with regular meetings and appraisals although this has not been fully effective in helping staff understand their role in supporting children in free play activities. Several staff have attended relevant training courses and this has improved the quality of the educational provision. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive a variety of good quality information about the provision and are well informed about their children's progress. Parents are encouraged to share what they know about their children and to be

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What is being done well?

• Children speak clearly, fluently and confidently as a result of the staff's interest and engagement in their play and conversations. • Behaviour of the children is good. Children share, co-operate and take turns. • The well resourced creative workshop is used effectively by the children to select from a variety of tools and materials to design and make their own models. • A good variety of physical play activities enables the children to develop increasing skill and control in using a range of small equipment such as scissors, balls and hoops.

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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 • Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are given variety of good quality information about the children's activities and are invited to see and comment on the children's development records.

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What needs to be improved?

• the use of freely chosen activities and daily routines to extend children's learning, particularly in mathematics and to observe and practice writing for different purposes. • the use of information gained in observations and assessments to plan the next steps in individual children's learning, in particular to provide challenge for more able children. • the organisation and presentation of resources to enable children to choose and encourage them to make best use of the good range of learning materials provided.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made on the key issues for improvement identified in the last inspection. Children's progress in communication language and literacy is generally good. Medium term and weekly plans now cover all six areas of learning, ensuring children have access to a balanced curriculum. Children use a range of resources with positive images of people with different abilities, culture and gender in their freely chosen activities. Children have access to climbing equipment and are developing good skills in this area.

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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: Generally Good Progress is generally good. Children are confident, interested and motivated to learn. They enjoy and participate in a good range of activities although more able children are insufficiently challenged in some activities. Behaviour is good with children co-operating, sharing and taking turns. They are well supported by staff in using language to resolve conflict. Children relate well to each other and are confident in seeking help from staff.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Progress is generally good. Staff engage with children successfully to help them develop very good speaking skills and use language confidently. Many children recognise their own name. Some write their names and make other letter like marks. They have insufficient opportunities to practice writing for different purposes. Children enjoy stories in group times although the organisation of the book corner does not encourage children to select books independently.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Progress is generally good. Children are developing good counting skills, many count reliably beyond ten. They are interested in numbers and recognise some written numerals. When using construction materials, such as bricks, they regularly use the language of size correctly. Opportunities for children to explore mathematical ideas and solve simple problems in freely chosen activities and daily routines are limited.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Progress is generally good. Children's observation and exploration skills are successfully fostered in well planned activities, such as growing plants from seed. More able children would benefit from additional challenge in some activities. The well resourced creative workshop is used effectively by the children to design and make their own models using a variety of materials and tools. Children are developing an interest in technology and learning to use the computer with help from staff.

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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: Generally Good Progress is generally good. Children successfully negotiate space inside and outside, and are considerate of the personal space of others. They are developing confidence and skill in their movements in physical activities, such as throwing, catching and balancing. Opportunities to construct with large materials would increase the challenges for children. Hand eye co-ordination is effectively nurtured through a range of opportunities for using tools and small equipment.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Progress is generally good. Children express their ideas and feelings well through using a variety of media and materials. They use paint and explore colour in a good variety of ways and talk imaginatively about their pictures. Access to resources for children to extend their imaginative play is limited. Children enjoy participating in group activities and games and show enthusiasm in a variety of ways, using language, facial expression and whole body movements.

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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

• develop the use of freely chosen activities and daily routines to extend children's learning, particularly in mathematics and to observe and practice writing for different purposes. • use the information gained in observations and assessments to plan the next steps in individual children's learning, in particular to provide challenge for more able children. • organise and present resources to children in ways that will enable them to choose and encourage them to make best use of the good range of resources available.

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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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