Keir Hardie Infant School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 23/06/2003 Inspector Name Christine Robinson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Ashford Play Nursery Setting Address 43 Albert Road Ashford Kent TN24 8NU

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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

Ashford Play Nursery opened in 1971 and is one of a chain of three privately owned nurseries. It is registered to provide care for 44 children from two years of age. Overnight care is not provided. It operates from the ground floor of a large house in central Ashford. Downstairs, there are four main play rooms, cloakrooms, a kitchen and office/staff room.There is a large level well equipped garden available for outside play. There are currently 62 children on roll; this includes 15 funded three year olds and 21 funded four year olds. Children attend a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and two children have English as an additional language. The nursery opens five days a week for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 08:00 (by arrangement) or 08:30-5:30. Apart from the owner, six staff work with the children and all hold early years qualifications. One member of staff is training and

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Information about the setting

three are going to do further training in September.

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How good is the Day Care?

The nursery provides good quality care for children. Children play within a warm and homely environment and the conservatory, which is used for messy play, is bright and airy and looks out over the large, level well equipped garden. Children are able to play with a wide range of equipment and resources. Most of the required paper work is in order and records are well organised. There is a general awareness of health, safety and hygiene issues but there are no formal systems of risk assessment and the use of communal towels in the cloakrooms presents a risk of cross-infection. Children enjoy the benefit of a home cooked lunch and any special dietary needs are catered for. The statement for child protection and special needs lacks sufficient detail. The nursery supports children with special needs but although the individual needs of children are met, there are insufficient resources for those who have English as an additional language.

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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 Children enjoy a good range of interesting activties and the nursery is generally well organised although there are too many children grouped in one room for snack time.Staff manage children's behaviour well through praise and encouragement. Staff make parents welcome and parents can speak freely to staff about their children's achievements.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection and a subsequent additional visit, six actions were imposed: to ensure that parents are aware of the daily plan, to ensure all staff have checks, to ensure that there is a qualified, experienced deputy, to implement a key worker system, to provide a system of contact books and to follow the environmental health officer's requirements. The first three actions have been completed satisfactorily.The last action has been met although a different issue of cross infection from the use of communal towels has arisen. The owner has not implemented the other two actions. She does not feel that a key worker system is necessary as there are regular staff and a homely environment. Similarly, staff make contact with parents on a daily basis and the owner feels that written contact books would be a burden on staff time.

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What is being done well?

• The nursery is set in the owner's own home and provides a warm and welcoming environment. Children have plenty of space in which to play and the conservatory has a particularly pleasant aspect over the large garden. (Standard 4) • Children enjoy a hot lunch that is freshly prepared on the premises. The cook caters for any special dietary needs and menus are displayed for parents to see. (Standard 8) • Staff are friendly and approachable and make parents feel welcome. Parents are offered a flexible service and are kept informed about the nursery through a new prospectus and welcome pack. (Standard 12)

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What needs to be improved?

• the accuracy of the registration system; (Standard 2) • the provision of a formal risk assessment system; (Standard 6) • the risk of cross infection from using communal towels; (Standard 7) • the content of the special needs statement; (Standard 10) • the provision of individual education plans for children with special needs and resources to help chidren who have English as an additional language; (Standard 10) • the signing of confidential existing injury records by parents and the revision

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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 of the child protection policy. (Standard 13)

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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 6 implement a system of formal risk assessment; 7 ensure children have access to hand drying facilities that do not present a risk of cross infection; 10 ensure statement on special needs is written in line with the Code of Practice; 10 ensure children with special needs have an individual education plan; 10 ensure strategies are in place to help children who have English as an additional language; 13 ensure existing injury records are confidential and are signed by parents; 13 review child protection policy to include the recording of existing injuries and the procedures to follow where there are allegations against staff. 2 ensure the register shows accurately how many children are present at any one time;

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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?

The nursery offers children opportunities to enjoy learning through a range of interesting activities. The staff help children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children make very good progress in gaining number and language and literacy skills. Teaching is generally good and staff set challenges for all children and manage children's behaviour well. Although staff are aware of the six areas within the early learning goals, they do not use the detail of the stepping stones system to plan the curriculum. Weekly plans do not show any written points for differentiation and the evaluation of activities is superficial. Limited evidence is available that staff use the complicated system of assessment to inform planning. Children generally have a good balanced range of activities but lack opportunities to use the garden as a resource or express themselves through free sticking or model making sessions.The nursery supports children with special

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How effective is the nursery education?

educational needs but lack resources to support children with English as an additional language. Leadership and management is generally good. Although the nursery owner owns a further two nurseries, she is based at this nursery and maintains daily contact with staff and parents. The owner and staff have clear systems to maintain close communication. The staff meet up regularly in small groups to discuss aspects of practice and plan the curriculum and the owner encourages staff to take up further training. Partnership with parents is very good. Staff are friendly and approachable and encourage parents to be involved in their children's learning. New written information and policies are now available.

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What is being done well?

• Children have the use of a large enclosed level garden that is mostly grassed but does have some paved areas for use in the winter. There is a wide selection of physical play equipment including a two storey play-house, wheeled toys and a large slide and children are able to develop control, co-ordination and a sense of space and distance. • Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and children understand routines and what is expected of them. Children behave well and co-operate within small and large groups. • Staff place emphasis on helping children to learn the names and sounds of letters. This growing familiarity with letters plus the introduction of an early reading scheme for the most able children means that many children can recognise and read simple words by the time they leave the nursery.

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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?

• more regular opportunities for children to use the garden as a resource and to express themselves through unstructured craft activities; • the use of the stepping stones when planning activities and the use of assessment to inform planning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The group has made generally good progress since the last inspection. In 1999, three key issues for action were identified but no action plan was completed. The first issue was to produce a policy on the identification and assessment of special educational needs. Progress on this issue is limited; a statement has been completed but it is not written in line with the Code of Practice. A recommendation has been imposed and is identified on the Children Act inspection report that was done concurrently with this report. The second issue concerned the organisation of indoor space and resources and ensuring that there were resources to teach children about other cultures and religions. Progress on this has been generally good; the range and accessibility of resources has improved and space is better organised to support children's learning. For example, a role play area has been set up off the main play room.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The third issue concerned the way staff use language to improve children's learning in knowledge and understanding of the world and in mathematics. Progress has been generally good and staff use questions in everyday activities such as playing skittles to extend children's knowledge.

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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' s progress is generally good. The room layout of the nursery enables children to choose activities and to show good concentration. Staff encourage children to be independent and to care for themselves. They learn to share and co-operate as part of small and large groups within familiar routines. The grouping of children all together at snack time means that they lose opportunities to gain social skills.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's progrss is very good and they converse with adults and other chldren. Children are able to practise early reading and writing skills and the ablest children are beginning to read and form letters. Children enjoy books and stories, especially where the reader involves the children and asks them questions about the story.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress. Children can say and recognise numbers from one to ten and some can go beyond ten. Staff help children learn about size, shape, position and the concepts of addition and subtraction through formal activities such as number work books and through play based activities such as counting rhymes and playing skittles.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress is generally good. Staff promote a sense of community through the welcome given to parents and through fundraising. Children explore and invetsigate the natural and wider world through a variety of topic work and occasional visitors. The nursery does not have a computer but there are some programmeable toys. Staff do not provide regular opportunities for children to see animals, junk modelling or use the garden as a resource.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's progress is very good.They move confidently with control and are able to practise a range of physical skills by using the equipment in the large garden and through action rhymes and music and movement. Children develop hand/eye co-ordination through a good range of toys including puzzles and construction and through the use of scissors, cutlery at lunch time and early writing activities.

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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's progress is generally good.Children learn about sound, rhythm and rhyme through a range of musical activities and about colour, shape and texture through activities such as bubble painting and wet and dry sand. There is a designated and well equipped role play area for children where they can express their ideas and feelings. Staff provide few opportunities for children to explore form and space through access to free sticking and model making.

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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

• ensure children have opportunities to use the garden as a resource and to have regular access to express themselves through unstructured craft activities, such as free sticking and junk modelling; • ensure staff a) use the stepping stones to plan the curriculum, showing how activities will be adapted to suit more or less able children i.e.differentiation; • b)use the assessment of children's progress to effectively inform planning. 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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