Jigsaw Curzon House Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 01/09/2004 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Jigsaw Curzon House Nursery Setting Address Curzon House, Wrexham Road Eccleston Chester Cheshire CH4 9DQ

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Claire and Michael Doyle Address Jigsaw Day Nursery, Curzon House Wrexham Road, Eccleston Chester Cheshire CH4 9DQ

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ORGANISATION 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

Jigsaw Curzon House Day Nursery opened in January 1999. It operates from a two storey building, and new pre-school single storey room situated within the grounds of the Holiday Inn Hotel, in the Eccleston area of Chester. Children are accommodated within seven rooms, according to age. There are currently 130 children from 3 months to 5 years on roll. This includes 20 funded 3 year olds and 7 funded 4 year olds . Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports a number of children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week for 51 weeks of the year, between the hours of 07:15 and 18:15. 17 full-time and 11 part-time staff work with the children. Most of the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Six members of staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. As the nursery is in receipt of funding for nursery education, they have access to a

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Information about the setting

Foundation Stage teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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?

Jigsaw Curzon House Nursery provides high quality education which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six learning areas. The quality of teaching is very good.The adults have friendly,close relationships with the children and act as good role models.They manage behaviour well, dealing with issues sensitively. They plan,assess and record well,and organise the curriculum and resources so that effective learning takes place,though occasionally the structure of large groups is not effective for concentration for three-year-olds.All staff are familiar with the early learning goals and stepping stones and use them effectively in assessment and planning. The staff provide challenging and interesting activities,which often build on the children's interests.They communicate well with them, and their questions and comments help to motivate the children and extend their interest and enthusiasm.A

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How effective is the nursery education?

pre-school teacher provides specific learning activities to develop numeracy and literacy skills. The leadership and management of the nursery is very good.The manager is fully involved in the nursery and has developed a staff team committed to providing good quality education.She motivates staff well, and supports them to attend interesting courses to help develop curriculum. She delegates responsibilites well,and the whole team is keen to improve and evaluate planning, teaching and care of the children. The partnership with parents is very good.The parents clearly value the care and education their children receive.They find staff approachable and value the easy access to the manager and the key workers.The children's records are readily available and parents do appreciate being able to keep in touch with their children's learning and development.The parents are able to support the children's learning at

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How effective is the nursery education?

home as they receive information about current topics,with suggestions to extend learning.

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What is being done well?

• The teaching is very good as children are encouraged to be curious, to experiment, investigate and explore in their environment.The staff provide an interesting, varied and challenging programme of activities to support this, and are skilled at using stimulating language and vocabulary, for example when following the children's interests in the planets. • Relationships between staff and children are fostered very well through a caring, friendly approach. They deal sensitively with issues of behaviour, understanding in particular the needs of the three-year-olds.

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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 • Communication is a strength in the nursery. Children talk enthusiastically about what they are doing and learning. They develop new vocabulary through themes such as Night and Day. Enjoyment of stories and books is a strong feature in the nursery. • Assessment and planning clearly supports the children's learning. The staff regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their planning. Their knowledge of the stepping stones and early learning goals is clearly evident in the way in which they plan for individual children. • The manager of the nursery is fully involved in the day to day running of the nursery and is a very good role model. The staff are all encouraged to attend local Sure Start courses, such as Outdoor Play and Children's Behaviour in order to develop the curriculum. • Parents are kept very well informed of their children's progress, and what

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What is being done well?

they are learning. The regular topic sheets 'Activities at Home' encourages the parents to be practically involved in their children's learning They have easy access to records, and are able to talk informally with the staff and manager about any concerns.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of large groups within the new pre-school room

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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: Very Good This is a very good programme. The children are lively, interested, excited and motivated to learn, demonstrated in their role play and when observing a baby owl. They generally concentrate very well, though sometimes the younger children find it difficult in the large groups. They are confident, eager to talk to adults and to each other, and are able to discuss feelings. Children behave well and have good personal independencee. There is a positive sense of community in the nursery.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are enthusiastic in their conversation, and listen eagerly to each other.The children use a wide range of vocabulary, which adults extend through interesting activities.They clearly enjoy books and stories, listening with rapt attention and making up their own delightful stories.The children learn effectively about the purpose of writing in the post office role play area.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are developing skills of counting to ten as they count the number of cups and plates for snack. They count, measure and compare the size of tomatoes which they grow. They learn that coins have different values as they use money in the post office. Computer programmes offer challenging opportunities for matching, sorting and sequencing shapes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children investigate, explore and examine the extensive outdoor area, and delight in seeing a baby owl in the trees. They observe what happens when ice melts, and learn how bread is made. They compare different aspects of night and day, experimenting with shadows, and learning about planets. They learn about different cultures when they celebrate Christmas in the Bahamas and Chinese New Year.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities to develop skills of balance and coordination as they manage the parachute. The climbing frame offers challenges as they crawl, climb and swing over, under and through the equipment. Planned activities teach skills of throwing and catching. The children use paint brushes, pencils, rollers and cutters, and even chopsticks with increasing control. Healthy eating is encouraged as they learn about food from around the world and taste different fruits.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children draw on their experiences and develop imagination as they play in the post office and with small world figures. They make up delightful imaginative stories stimulated by familiar books. Music is fostered well during the weekly Rhythm Time sessions as the children sing and experiment with different sounds. Children explore colour, texture and shape through painting, collage, drawing and making models.

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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 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: • Continue to review and monitor the organisation of the large groups within the pre-school room

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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