Newfield Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/12/2003 Inspector Name Shirley Ann Jackson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Twin Gables Day Nursery Ltd Setting Address 102 Eastern Avenue Gloucester GL4 4LW

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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

Twin Gables Day Nursery opened in 1975. It operates from six rooms in a large, detached property in a residential suburb of Gloucester. The nursery is privately owned. It serves the local area. There are currently 70 children aged from nine months to four years on roll. This includes 27 funded three-year-olds and no funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery currently supports three children with special needs and no children who have English as an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 08:00 until 18:00. Fifteen full and part-time staff work with the children. Less than half have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2. One member of staff is currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The group receieve support from the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

The quality and standard of day care is satisfactory. Children are cared for in groups according to age/stage of development. Core staff remain constant in rooms ensuring consistency of care. However, half of all staff working with children, including those working with babies, are not qualified. Registration arrangements are not always accurate, making it difficult to determine how many staff are present. Children are cared for in premises which are clean, bright and well maintained. A wide range of resources, which are well maintained are available. However, children's access is restricted to what staff make available. Some resources in the baby room have been made at the nursery. But, there is no domestic style furniture in the baby room. Staff are aware of fire procedures and of their responsibilities. Appropriate

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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 for monitoring sleeping children. However, risk assessments are brief. Most areas for promoting children's health are satisfactory, though parents are not asked to sign records of medicines administered. Care for babies is good. Staff interact well with the children, talking, smiling and cuddling them. New plans have recently been implemented in the baby and toddler groups following training. All children are offered a range of activities to aid their development, play and learning. However, staff fail to use observations to show what children have achieved and how they will be helped to move to the next stage in their development and learning. Staff are acceptable role models for the children and

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How good is the Day Care?

behaviour is generally good. However, staff are inconsistent in their approach to behaviour management. Parents are given a prospectus booklet when their child first starts. This contains policies and procedures. Parents in the baby room complete a "home to nursery profile" which contains details of their individual needs and routine. This is updated every few months as each child's needs change.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the nursery was asked to ensure children couldn't leave the garden un-noticed. The nursery have met this in full by adjusting and fixing the gate lock on the outside gate.

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What is being done well?

• Care for babies is good. Staff interact well with the children, talking, smiling and cuddling them. New plans have recently been implemented in the baby and toddler groups following training. • All children are offered a range of activities to aid their development, play and learning. • Premises are clean, bright and well maintained. • A wide range of resources are available. These are well maintained. Some resources in the baby room have been made at the nursery.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of staff to ensure half of those working with children, including babies, are suitably qualified; • the arrangements for ensuring everyone on the premises is marked on the register; • the procedures for ensuring that staff use observation and assessment, in all groups, to show how they are moving children on to the next stage in their development and learning; • the arrangements to ensure that children have opportunities to choose

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What needs to be improved?

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 resources for themselves and are given time to explore them freely; • the arrangements for ensuring that domestic style furniture is available in the baby room; • the procedures for ensuring that risk assessments identify all risks and staff take measures to minimise them; • the arrangements for parents to acknowledge when medication has been administered; • the procedures for ensuring that behaviour management strategies are consistently applied by all staff.

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 2 Develop and implement an action plan detailing how at least half of all childcare staff, including those working with babies, will hold a level 2 qualification in childcare. 09/01/2003

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 5 ensure children have access to a sufficient choice of equipment to allow them to develop their own ideas; 5 providing domestic style furniture to assist babies in developing mobility and to continue normal life experiences; 11 ensure behaviour management strategies are consistently applied by all staff.

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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?

Children's progress towards the early learning goals has significant weaknesses in some areas of learning. Children's progress in personal, social and emotional development is very good and it is generally good in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Children are confident individuals, who communicate well. They demonstrate personal independence and use mathematics within routine activities. Support of children with special needs is appropriate and individual education plans have been agreed. Improvement is needed to further children's development in the other three areas of learning. Teaching has significant weaknesses. Staff lack a clear understanding of the foundation stage of learning and associated developmental stepping stones. They plan a broad range of activities but assessment of children's progress is not routinely used to inform planning to help children progress to their full potential. Some

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How effective is the nursery education?

activities lack challenge. Time is not used well, limiting opportunities for children to play freely, explore and investigate within their environment and carry out activities at their own pace . Leadership and management is generally good. The owner and manager are both appropriately qualified and experienced in early years care and education and are committed to improvement. Support of staff delivering the foundation stage curriculum has been limited and methods used to monitor and evaluate the nursery education are in their infancy. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents speak highly of the nursery and staff. They are made aware of forthcoming topics and staff give verbal information to parents about their children's progress. Written information given to parents does not include information about the foundation stage of learning and there are no set arrangements for sharing records of children's progress with parents but plans to

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What is being done well?

• Children separate from their main carer with confidence. They talk freely about their home and family and many are confident to initiate interactions with other people. Children demonstrate personal independence with personal hygiene, serving food, pouring drinks, putting on coats and shoes and tidying away activities. They are patient, take-turns and follow adult instructions. • Children are confident to talk. Three and four-year-olds confidently talk to people other than those who are well known to them. Three-year-olds ascribe meaning to marks. Some four-year-olds can write their own name. Four-year-olds link sounds to the letters of their names and also those of the names of others.

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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 • Children count confidently to ten. Many four-year-olds can count up to 20 objects and can recognise many numerals. Children are keen to problem-solve. Four-year-olds and more able three-year-olds can undertake simple calculations. • Children are confident movers. They run, jump, attempt to hop, climb and move freely with pleasure. Children demonstrate increasing skill and control in the use of mark-making implements, jigsaws and 'small world' activities. They use knives and forks safely.

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What needs to be improved?

• Teaching skills, to improve staff interaction, avoiding over-direction or interrupting children's play and to extend children's knowledge by using the developmental stepping stones of the Foundation Stage to offer better challenges to those who learn quickly. • Organisation making the best use of time, limiting waiting between activities, giving greater access to books, writing materials, tools and physical play equipment, role-play and role-play resources. • Children's opportunities to examine and explore objects, to gain awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others, to operate simple equipment and use mathematical ideas such as ordering by length or weight, sequencing and re-creating simple patterns. • Children's opportunities to use their imagination in role-play and craft activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since the last inspection is limited. No Key Issues were identified at the last inspection but a point for consideration was to continue to support the good work of the nursery by extending planning of the educational programme to include session plans which identify the desirable learning outcomes children should learn from the activities. This will enable all staff to develop a more secure knowledge and understanding of the desirable outcomes for the six areas of learning. The desirable learning outcomes are no longer applicable, having been replaced by Early Learning Goals. Although the goals are used in planning, clarity of learning aims is still needed within the nursery's plans.

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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 separate from their main carer with confidence. They talk freely about their home and family and many are confident to initiate interactions with other people. Children demonstrate personal independence with personal hygiene, serving food, pouring drinks, putting on coats and shoes and tidying away activities. They are patient, take-turns and follow adult instructions.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children understand that print carries meaning. They are confident to talk. Three and four-year-olds confidently talk to people other than those who are well known to them. Three-year-olds ascribe meaning to marks. Some four-year-olds can write their own name. Four-year-olds link sounds to the letters. Children have limited free access to books and to undertake writing for different purposes.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count confidently to ten. Many four-year-olds can count up to 20 objects and can recognise many numerals. Children are keen to problem-solve. Four-year-olds and more able three-year-olds can undertake simple calculations. Children lack opportunities to order by length or weight, to put things in sequence or re-create simple patterns.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children show interest in the lives of people familiar to them and are beginning to differentiate between past and present. They do not freely examine and explore objects; look at differences and similarities between features of objects, materials and local environment. They have limited opportunities to gain awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others and lack enthusiasm to design and construct using the resource materials offered. Opportunities to use the computer unaided are also limited.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children are confident movers. They run, jump, attempt to hop, climb and move freely with pleasure. Children demonstrate increasing skill and control in the use of mark-making implements, jigsaws and 'small world' activities. They use knives and forks safely. Children's opportunities to use tools such as scissors are limited and planned physical activities do not offer challenge.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children join in with songs and clap along to music. Many children can sing simple songs and remember associated actions. Children have few opportunities to use their own ideas within planned craft activities. They have limited access to the role-play area and resources and imaginative play is often inhibited by the presence of an adult. Children have few opportunities to explore colour and textures freely using their different senses.

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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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Improve teaching skills, to make staff interaction better, avoiding over-direction or interrupting children's play and to extend children's knowledge by using the developmental stepping stones of the Foundation Stage to offer better challenges to those who learn quickly. • Plan making the best use of time, limiting waiting between activities, giving greater access to books, writing materials, tools and physical play equipment, role-play and role-play resources. • Create more opportunities for children to examine and explore objects, to gain awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others, to operate simple equipment and use mathematical ideas such as ordering by length or weight, sequencing and re-creating simple patterns. • Encourage children to use their imagination in role-play and craft activities. 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

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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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