Under 5's Project

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/12/2004 Inspector Name Mandy Mooney

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Under Five's Creche Project Setting Address St. Marys Church Greenlaw Street London SE18 5AR

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Under Fives Creche Address Greenlaw Street Woolwich London SE18 5AR

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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

The Under Five's Crèche Project has been registered since 2002. It is a voluntary, committee run group and receives funding from Sure Start and various other charities. It is located in Woolwich and offers a service for children from the local area. The group is based in a self-contained area to the rear of St Mary's Church. It has good transport links and is close to local shops and facilities. The group opens five days a week for 44 weeks a year. Opening hours are 09.15 to 11.45 and 12.30 to 14.30. Children attend various sessions a week and children with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language are fully supported. There are currently 34 children on roll, of these 3 three year olds and 1 four year old receive government funding. The nursery implements a curriculum based on the Foundation Stage for the older children and Birth to Three Matters for the younger children. Three full time and four

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Information about the setting

part time staff work directly with the children and all staff have early years qualifications to level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

The Under Five's Crèche Project provides satisfactory care for children. Children are provided with a satisfactory range activities aimed at addressing their individual needs. The environment is well maintained and stimulating. There is a wide variety of well maintained and good quality toys available to the children. Policies and procedures are available for inspection, however these require reviewing and updating to ensure they comply with current guidance and legislation. There are well thought out precautions in place to minimise risks to children in the nursery. Children are supported in developing good personal hygiene practices.

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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 They are provided with a varied range of healthy snacks. Practices regarding administering medicines are unsatisfactory. These require improving to ensure the practice is reflective of the written procedure within the group, as do the procedures for reporting child protection issues. There is clear equal opportunities policy, which is consistently applied. Wall displays promote positive images of different cultures, religions and disabilities. Named staff are responsible for co-ordinating the care of children with special needs and staff have experience of working closely with parents and with other professionals. Behaviour management within the group is at times inconsistent and practices require reviewing to ensure staff are clear about effective strategies to implement

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How good is the Day Care?

with the children. Staff offer a warm welcome to parents and carers and take time to exchange information. The group have developed good systems to ensure parents are valued and feel part of their child's day.

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What is being done well?

• The premises are bright, welcoming and well maintained. The children's art work is displayed around the room and this creates an attractive place for the children to be. • There is a wide range of good quality play materials and resources to support children's play. The group has acquired good resources to support children with additional needs. • Children identified as having special educational needs are supported effectively. The group work closely with other agencies to meet the needs of the children. • The group have very strong links with parents and actively support parental involvement. Parents are happy with the service provided. They find staff friendly, supportive and approachable and value the ongoing support given to their children.

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What needs to be improved?

• systems for recording medication administered to children and written consent from parents before administering medication to children • consistency in managing children's behaviour and staff's knowledge and understanding about effective strategies for dealing with children's behaviour • the child protection procedure to ensure it is reflective of current guidance and that staff are familiar with it and are able to effectively put the procedures in place

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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 • policies and procedures for the safe management of the provision to ensure they are reflective of current guidance and legislation and so that all staff and parents are fully aware of them.

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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 7 Obtain written permission from parents before administering medication to children and keep a written record, signed by parents, of medicines given to children. 02/12/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 11 Ensure that adult handling of behaviour is consistent and developmentally appropriate, respecting individual children's level of understanding and maturity. 13 Review the child protection procedures to ensure they are in line with current legislation and known by staff and parents and that staff are able to put the procedures into practice. 14 Review the policies and procedures in place for the efficient and safe management of the provision to ensure they are reflective of current guidance and legislation.

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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?

Under Five's Crèche Project offers generally good quality nursery education where children enjoy learning through a range of activities which help children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The teaching has significant weaknesses. Staff show knowledge of the early learning goals. They use their knowledge to plan and provide a curriculum that includes a generally good range of challenging and interesting practical activities and experiences. However planning does not include clear learning intentions and is not effectively evaluated to inform future planning, nor does it reflect differentiation to ensure the needs of all children are met. On occasions, staff do not effectively allow children to express themselves freely in activities and a review of the deployment of staff and of the routine would encourage children to take part in small and large group activities. Varied planned activities are used to help children progress,

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How effective is the nursery education?

however further development is required in the areas of communication language and literacy, mathematical and creative development. The assessment of children's learning has weaknesses. Staff use their observations to complete each child's assessment records, however this is in it's early stages. The partnership with parents and carers is generally good. They are provided with a wide range of information about the provision and parents are encouraged to be involved with the group. Children are cared for according to parents wishes. Staff have develop various systems for involving parents such as a book and video loan scheme. Leadership and management are generally good and there is clear leadership within the setting. There is a strong commitment to ongoing staff development and improving the nursery education.

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What is being done well?

• Children are provided with and enjoy opportunities to develop their imaginative skills through role play. Resources to support this are easily accessible and children confidently use them. • Children are provided with a wide variety of good quality resources to support their learning and play. • The partnership with parents is strong and staff work very hard involve parents in the life of the nursery and care for children according to parents' wishes. • The leadership and management are effective and help support good teamwork and a commitment to constant development of the quality of service.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• Arrangements for maths so that resources are presented in interesting ways to encourage use and opportunities for children to count, estimate and calculate during everyday activities. • Presentation of resources for writing and drawing, so that they are organised and easily identifiable and accessible, encouraging and promoting pencil skills and mark making. Opportunities for children to become more familiar with and learn about letters and to link letters to sounds. • The organisation of activities to allow children to be freely creative in art and crafts and music to further develop their creativity in a variety of ways. • Review the planning of activities to show learning intentions, how the children will be grouped and how staff will be deployed. Show how the activity can be adapted to suit children of different ages and those with particular needs. Ensure the evaluation of activities is effective and that this informs future

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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 Children are sociable and confident, they enjoy playing and have a sense of belonging. They show care for others and are developing a good understanding of the need for fair play. Children generally share well. They know things have a place and feel secure with familiarity. Children show increasing independence, although opportunities to practice these skills are sometimes restricted.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children have opportunities to engage in conversation with their peers.They enjoy self-selecting books for pleasure. There are too few opportunities for children to make marks on paper, write their names or attempt writing for a variety of purposes. Children do not have sufficient opportunities to link sounds to letters, name or sound out letters of the alphabet.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children have access to a range of resources for maths but show limited interest. They have opportunities to see numbers, however little support or opportunities are provided to encourage progress in this area. Children count when they build and have spontaneous opportunities to explore shape and size in construction activities. There are missed opportunities for counting and calculating during routine activities although children show interest in estimating when exploring sand and water.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children have a range of opportunities to explore and learn about cultures and nature. Although there is a computer available, this is not easily accessible and too few opportunities exist for children to learn about and use technology.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have a good sense of space and negotiate around activities when walking and running. At times this is restricted due to the lay out of the room. Children show developing control and co-ordination when using paint brushes, drawing and writing tools.

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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: Generally Good Children take part in and enjoy learning experiences where they can use all their senses. They engage confidently in role-play and make-believe activities and use a good range of resources that reflect diversity and promote positive images of differences. Too few opportunities exist for children to be freely creative in music and art activities.

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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

• Review the provision for mathematical development to encourage regular use and create opportunities for children to count, estimate and calculate during everyday activities. • Organise resources for writing and drawing and make these identifiable and easily accessible to children. Provide opportunities for children to use write for different purposes and to use letters and start to link letters to sounds. • Review the organisation of activities to allow children to be freely creative in art and crafts and music. • Improve the planning and evaluation of activities to ensure the needs of the children are being fully addressed and that learning intentions are clearly identified. Ensure that children are grouped appropriately to enable them to experience a variety of learning opportunities.

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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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