Puddleducks Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/01/2005 Inspector Name Jill Hunn

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Puddleducks Setting Address 30a High Street Croughton Brackley Northamptonshire NN13 5LT

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

Puddleducks day nursery opened in March 2002 and operates from a single storey building in the centre of the village of Croughton in the extreme south of Northamptonshire. A maximum of 34 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 8:00 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 57 children aged under 5 years on roll. Of these 21 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend from Croughton and surrounding villages. The nursery employs 13 staff. Nine of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the Northamptonshire Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance (PSLA).

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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?

Puddleducks provides good quality nursery education which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals and very good progress in some areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff are generally aware of the Foundation Stage and how children learn. They plan a worthwhile range of imaginative activities which engage children well and there are few gaps in the curriculum. However, children do not always count spontaneously during activities or sufficiently compare numbers or solve simple number problems. Older and more able children are not always fully challenged to further develop their independence, mathematical and some physical skills. Staff are friendly and caring and develop warm relationships with the children. They generally make good use of questioning to make children think and help them move on in their learning. Staff encourage children and set them clear guidelines and children learn what is expected of them.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Staff organise their time, space and resources effectively to promote children's learning although children are not always able to select from a range of books during their play. Staff assess aspects of children's progress but observations are not carried out regularly and the information gained is not always used to plan the next stage in learning for all children. The leadership and management of the nursery is generally good. The owner has a clear vision to provide high quality care and nursery education for the children. The staff and management generally evaluate the provision and their practice. They are very committed and work together as a strong team. The partnership with parents and careers is generally good. A range of good quality information is available to parents about the nursery and curriculum. Parents are generally well informed about their children's progress but are not always given

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How effective is the nursery education?

suggestions of how to support children's learning at home.

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What is being done well?

• Children are sociable and make good relationships. They work together in groups, sharing their experiences and skills. Older children consider the needs of others and assist younger children during activities. • Children successfully develop their early writing, early reading and speaking skills. Children interact freely and confidently and some children begin to form more complex sentences. Children recognise letters and some words and attempt writing for different purposes, such as to name their work and to make shopping lists during role play activities. • The curriculum includes a variety of interesting opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. Children learn

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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 about mini-beasts, see what happens to ingredients during cooking and how tape recorders work by recording their singing. They learn to value and appreciate other people as they sample other cultures and beliefs, for example, by listening to Indian stories, speaking French words and learning about the Jewish faith and customs. • Staff give children time and space to take part in a variety of well-developed role play activities based on children's first hand experiences. Children act out their own ideas as they play together in groups, visit the opticians, French restaurant, market stall and hairdressers.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to count spontaneously, compare numbers and solve simple number problems during activities • opportunities for older and more able children to further develop their independence, develop an understanding of the concepts of addition and subtraction and use equipment to further progress their physical skills • the system of observation and assessment of children's progress through the stepping stones so that observations are made regularly for all children, information gained is used to inform parents about their children's progress and how this may be supported at home, and assessments are used to plan the next stage in learning for all children.

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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: Generally Good Children are interested and motivated to learn. They confidently take part in activities and older children express their needs and feelings. Children form strong relationships with adults and peers. They play together co-operatively, learn to take turns and share. Children are aware of the boundaries set within the nursery and some children begin to manage the behaviour of others. Children are developing their independence but older and more able children do not always operate independently.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children speak easily and confidently. They listen well, respond to questions and what they have heard. Children successfully link sounds to letters and older children recognise their names and some other words. Children share fiction and factual books but are not always able to choose from a range of books during their play. Children use their emerging writing to make marks and older children write recognisable letters, with some writing all of their name with some letters correctly formed.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing their number skills to ten but they do not always count spontaneously during activities. Children use words to describe size, shape and position. They recognise shapes and discover the properties of shape with construction materials. Children investigate capacity with sand and water play. They weigh and measure objects and create patterns. Children do not sufficiently compare numbers, solve simple number problems or develop their understanding of addition and subtraction.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children investigate an interesting range of objects and materials using all their senses. They learn about living things, how things change and why things happen. Children competently use technology to support their learning. Children begin to differentiate between the past and the present. They find out about their local environment and the wider world. They begin to know about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.

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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: Generally Good Children move with confidence and coordination and experiment with different ways of moving. They learn to control their movements as they dance and take part in activities, such as musical statues and ring games. Children show respect for other's personal space during activities and develop an awareness of how to keep healthy. They successfully use a range of tools and equipment but older and more able children are not sufficiently challenged to refine and develop their skills using equipment.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children express their creativity using a variety of interesting materials and textures. They work in two and three dimensions and explore what happens when they mix colours. Children sing a repertoire of songs and action rhymes. They use musical instruments to make sound patterns and tap out rhythms. Children dance and respond to music and listen to different styles of music. They make connections in their learning as they successfully take part in sustained role play activities.

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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 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

• make sure that observations of children's progress towards the early learning goals are made regularly, that the information gained is used to advise parents about their children's progress and how this may be supported at home, and is used to plan the next stage in learning for all children • develop the use of spontaneous counting during practical activities and opportunities for children to compare numbers and solve simple number problems • increase the range of opportunities for older and more able children to be challenged to further develop their independence, mathematical and physical skills.

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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