St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/05/2004 Inspector Name Miriam Sheila Brown

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Polly's Day Nursery Setting Address Brownshill Road Brownshill Stroud Gloucestershire GL6 8AS

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Polly's Day Nursery Address Brownshill Road Brownshill Stroud Gloucestershire GL6 8AS

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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

Polly's Day Nursery has been open for 14 years and serves the rural area of Chalford, Bussage and Brownshill, near Stroud. The nursery operates out of a converted house in a residential area and is open from 08.00 to 18.00, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. Polly's has three playrooms situated on two floors, providing separate play areas for different age groups of children. The garden is to the rear of the property and has an impact absorbing surface throughout. There are 8 full time members of staff and 2 part time staff. Five staff are qualified to National Vocational Qualification level 3, in Child Care and Education, or equivalent, and other staff are working towards relevant level 2 or 3 qualifications. All staff are first aid trained. There are 85 children on roll, of these 35 are funded 3-year-olds and 23 funded 4-year-olds. The group receive support from the early years advisor and

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Information about the setting

the area special educational needs co-ordinator.

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How good is the Day Care?

Polly's Day Nursery provides good care for children. The nursery is privately owned and well established in the area. The operational plan is clear, well written and provides a good working document for the nursery. Polly's is bright, clean and welcoming and offers well planned provision for children. The range and balance of toys and resources, in all rooms, are easily accessible to children and meet their needs effectively. Safety issues are well addressed throughout the nursery and the use of close-circuit cameras assist the staff in protecting children. Basic hygiene routines are generally well addressed and accident and medication records are well kept. Children enjoy a varied and well planned menu of meals and snacks and details of dietary requirements are clearly documented. Staff have a good awareness of all aspects of child protection. Staff organise a wide range of activities to support children in all areas of their

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How good is the Day Care?

development. Topic work is planned with a common theme for all ages and adapted

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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 appropriately for each group of children. The day is well planned to enable all children good use of the garden where they enjoy exploring and experimenting through a choice of structured and free-play activities. The nursery resources support all aspects of equal opportunities and children are encouraged to acknowledge and celebrate their differences and similarities. There are effective procedures in place to meet the needs of children with special needs. Children's behaviour is very good and staff provide positive role models. Parents are offered good information about the nursery. Parents receive newsletters outlining topic work and daily informal feedback about their child's care and play. Regular assessments and half-yearly parents evenings offer good information about

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How good is the Day Care?

children's progress. Parents views about the nursery are sought regularly and surveys strongly support all aspects of the care provided.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the nursery agreed to review many aspects of their paperwork, develop their multi-cultural resources and address some minor safety issues. The management team have reviewed and up-dated all paperwork and policies which now offer staff and parents much clearer information about all aspects of care and organisation within the nursery. Each of the playrooms have a good range of multi-cultural resources and displays that assist the children in their growing awareness of different cultures and lifestyles. Electrical wiring is now inaccessible to children or if an electrical item is being used in play, for example the computer, it carefully monitored by staff.

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What is being done well?

• Nursery meal times are very good. Children are provided with a varied and nutritious menu of snacks and meals which are carefully prepared and effectively meet the children's individual needs. Staff sit with the children at meal times and encourage them to develop their social skills. • Use of the outside areas of the nursery is well planned throughout the day to enable each group of children to extend their play to the garden. They enjoy caring for the new plants and watching their development, drawing and imaginative play, as well as climbing, balancing and using wheeled toys. • The balance and range of activities for all children each day, is very good and effectively assists in their ongoing development. • The partnership with parents is very positive and they are provided with very good information about the day-to-day activities within the nursery and their child's progress and development. They have many good opportunities to

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What is being done well?

comment about the provision and are encouraged to take an active part in nursery life.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

The nursery owners and management team have devised and written a very comprehensive and effective operational plan. It comprises of a number of working

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

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 documents that cover all aspects of nursery organisation, including policies and procedures, staff development, ongoing assessments of strengths and weaknesses and parent feedback. The plan demonstrates the team's commitment to providing care of a high quality and how this will be achieved both in the short and long term.

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What needs to be improved?

• attention to minor detail of hygiene in room for three-year-olds.

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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 7 Ensure hygienic hand drying facilities are available at all times.

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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?

Polly's Day Nursery provides high quality nursery education. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in each of the six areas of learning. Children are keen to explore and learn through well planned structured and free-play activities. Teaching is very good and teamwork excellent. Staff have a very good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and early learning goals and how these are used to assist in children's learning. Staff support the children effectively at all times although there is scope for them to develop support for some children in letter formation. Staff plan the day and use of resources well, providing a wide range of learning experiences that are based on monthly themes such as 'about me'. There is a good balance of adult and child-initiated activities although staff occasionally are overly involved in child-led play. Staff have received training to enable them to support children with

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How effective is the nursery education?

special needs. They use excellent behaviour management techniques and are calm and consistent in their approaches to the children, and provide positive role models. Assessments and observations are used well to inform planning and to highlight and meet individual needs. The leadership and management of the nursery is very good. The staff team work well together and are committed to ongoing improvement. Long term nursery development plans and short, medium and long term curriculum plans reflect this commitment. They regularly assess their own strengths and weaknesses through staff meetings, feedback from parents, and outside agencies. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good information about the setting through regular newsletters and policy documents. They are well informed about their children's progress through informal discussion and parents evenings. Feedback from parents offer strong support for all aspects of

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What is being done well?

• Leadership and management of the nursery and ongoing support for the staff is very good. The strong team ethos enables strengths and weaknesses to be identified and addressed positively. • The individual programmes for all six areas of learning are very strong, offering the children excellent learning opportunities through their play. • The planning and assessment system is very effective. It offers parents clear information about children's activities and progress and assists staff in providing a balanced range of activities in all areas of learning. • Parents are warmly welcomed to the nursery and are offered very good, clear information about all aspects of care and their children's learning.

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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 • The well planned use of outside areas to extend learning opportunities.

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What needs to be improved?

• minor aspects of support for children who are starting to form letters • the level of adult interaction in child-led play.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in addressing the key issues identified in the previous inspection report. These required the nursery to improve the children's understanding of mathematical language and numerals and to use posters and artefacts to underpin children's understanding of different cultures. The staff have developed maths areas in each playroom and use everyday routines to reinforce children's number awareness. They use appropriate language to describe things and encourage the children to do the same by asking relevant questions such as, is it bigger or smaller, what shape is it. Posters and displays around the nursery effectively increase children's awareness of different cultures and beliefs. Children have made contact with a child in Uganda and have talked about his home and the things he likes to do. A good range of resources such as role-play items, support their developing awareness through

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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 keen to explore and show interest and involvement in all activities. Many children are able to concentrate for extended periods of time. They relate well to each other and demonstrate concern for others and their immediate environment, enjoying tidying up and setting tables for meals. Children are well behaved and understand the rules for daily routines. Topic work and visitors to the nursery assist children effectively in their growing awareness of their place within the community.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are keen and confident to communicate with each other and nursery staff who develop children's vocabulary well. Children understand that print has meaning and enjoy using the brightly coloured displays to support their initial sound awareness. All children enjoy making marks in their play using the well-resourced writing areas. Some children are starting to write their names using correctly formed letters, others demonstrate dexterity using one-handed instruments such as pencils.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good All children have a very good awareness of number which is reinforced throughout daily activities and routines such as meal times when they set tables with correct number of place settings. Many children relate numbers to numerals using number displays made by themselves. They have a good knowledge of basic shapes and use this to solve problems when making three-dimensional models. They have a developing knowledge of mathematical language and use this appropriately in their play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Planned activities help children notice changes that occur, for example growing plants in the garden and studying snails. They explore using everyday technology such as torches, calculators and the computer. Children have a good awareness of time which is supported by group routines. They have made maps describing their journey's to nursery and a wide range of multi-cultural resources support their awareness of the wider world effectively. They enjoy talking about a boy they support in Uganda.

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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 are confident using a wide variety of apparatus to climb, balance, throw and catch. They understand the rules for group play in restricted spaces and work collaboratively using the parachute. Children are starting to understand the importance of being healthy and how to achieve this for example, using sun creams, drinking plenty of water and washing hands. They are dexterous in their use of tools and small toys and are developing good hand to eye co-ordination.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy using the sensory area exploring straw and water, soil, shaving foam and sawdust. They have good opportunities to use musical instruments and have regular planned music and movement sessions. Role play areas inside and in the garden enable children to extend their topic work into imaginary play. Children are encouraged to use their senses in their play, describing items that they have not seen, whispering to each other and observing living things.

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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: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • the level of staff involvement in child-led play to ensure that it is appropriate • the assistance offered to children who are beginning to write recognisable letters, to ensure they are correctly formed.

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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 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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