Queensway Chapel Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 13/12/2004 Inspector Name Beryl Baggs

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Queensway Chapel Pre-School Setting Address Queensway Melksham Wiltshire SN12 7LQ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Queensway Chapel Pre-School

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Queensway Chapel Pre-School Address Queensway Chapel Pre-School Queensway Melksham Wiltshire SN1 7LQ

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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

Queensway Chapel Pre-school is a neighbourhood nursery registered in 2004. It has developed from a well established pre-school nearby. The nursery now operates from purpose built premises in the grounds of St Michael's School in a residential area of Melksham. It is owned by a board of trustees who employ a full time manager, a deputy and childcare staff. The nursery serves the local area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered for 60 children from birth to under 8 years old. There are 73 children on roll of whom 10 four-years-olds and 22 three-year-olds receive nursery education grant. There are nine children with special needs and two children use English as an additional language. The nursery cares for children in three groups, babies under two-years, two-year-olds and pre-school children aged three- and four-years-old. Children of school age can be cared for after school and in the holidays. Children have direct access to the toilets and share an outside play area. The nursery is open from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday all year round. Overnight care is not provided. In addition to the manager and deputy, there are 14 staff who work directly with the children on a full-time, term -time or part-time basis. Of these 10 staff hold or are working towards a childcare qualification. A cleaner and staff to prepare snacks and

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Information about the setting

tea are also employed. The nursery is supported by Sure Start and the early years teacher of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

Queensway Chapel Pre-School provides good quality care for children. The

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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 manager and senior staff have childcare qualifications and experience of caring for children. Children are cared for in age groups with appropriate staff and play space. The new building is bright and spacious. There is a good range of bright, attractive toys for children to choose from. Records are stored safely and accessibly. Acoustics remain poor in the pre-school and toddler areas making them very noisy. There is no storage for outdoor equipment and the outside play space remains limited. The staff are aware of hazards for children and keep them safe. Children only go home with authorised people. Children wash their hands after using the toilet and before handling food. Children bring a packed lunch and enjoy a nutritious and

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How good is the Day Care?

healthy cooked high tea. Staff have a good awareness of dietary needs. Staff have a good understanding of the needs of each child and ensure children do have free access to a wide range of play materials. There is good support for children with special educational needs, links are made with parents and other professionals. There is a good understanding of how to recognise a child at risk. Children enjoy their play with the adults involved to encourage imagination and language development. Children behave well and know the routines of the nursery. Staff generally support children in group time to concentrate and join in. There is a limited range of positive images of how other people live, disability and gender roles, in the everyday play materials for the children. Parents have good opportunities to visit the nursery before their child starts to see how children are cared for and to share information about their child.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The last inspection for Queensway Chapel Pre-School was in October 2002 at their previous premises. The action was to improve the play for the children to minimise accidents especially outside. Risk assessments are now carried out and action taken to minimize the risks. The limited outside play space is divided into specific areas for each activity so children are safer. Staff have received training on organising inside and outside play for children.

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What is being done well?

• The care of the under-twos is very good with much individual play in a small bright and comfortable room. • Staff play well with toddlers, giving them a choice of play activities and encouraging imagination, language and independence. • Good organisation ensures that the limited play space outside is well used for each age group. • Relationships with parents are positive, some parents enjoying an opportunity to come in and play with their children.

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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 • The nursery has developed a team approach to care and education using a mixture of new and existing staff.

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What needs to be improved?

• the outside play space and storage of toys for children's play and the acoustics of the pre-school and toddler areas so that the noise levels do not distract staff and children in each area • the positive images of how other people live, disability and gender roles, in the everyday play materials for the children.

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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 4 Continue to develop the outside play space and storage of toys for children's play and improve the acoustics ot the pre-school and toddler areas so that the noise levels do not distract staff and children in each area. 9 Extend the positive images of how other people live, disability and gender role in the everyday play materials for the children.

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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?

Queensway Chapel Pre-School is of good quality and children make generally good progress overall towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Staff identify many areas of learning covered by an activity. Planning shows what children will learn and how to extend an activity for the more able child or to support a younger child. Staff ask open questions to help children think and remember. Children with special educational needs are supported well; staff link with other professionals and parents to produce effective play plans. Staff praise good behaviour. Plans do not include opportunities to link sounds to letters, to learn about addition and subtraction or encourage regular use of the book corner. Assessments of children's achievements are recorded in a limited way. Leadership and management is very good. The manager and deputy have successfully moulded new and existing staff in the new nursery into an effective

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How effective is the nursery education?

childcare team. They value good communication with staff, and have a good understanding of the overall weaknesses such as communication with parents, the acoustics of the indoor play space and limited outdoor area. The staff are committed to improving the education for all children and put into practice the skills and knowledge developed in training. Pre-school staff are beginning to devise evaluations of activities to improve what they already offer. Partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are welcomed into the nursery and spend time initially in the group with their child sharing information about the child's needs and observing childcare practice. Some parents come in to help. The nursery has plans to improve the information offered to parents to further their understanding of how children learn through play. There are also plans to enable parents to see children's progress records and add their own comments.

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What is being done well?

• Children are eager to learn, separate well from parents and enthusiastically join in playing with activities. • Children explore the local community, visiting the fire station, the library and the park, sometimes using the train and the bus. • Support for children with special educational needs is good. Staff work well with other professionals and parents to develop play plans to help children develop. • Parents have good opportunities when initially placing their child to talk to staff about their child and to see the nursery session. • Staff are keen to implement good practice learned through training and continue to improve the care and education of all the children.

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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?

• planning of the sessions to ensure children have everyday access to factual and fiction books, opportunities to link sounds to letters, encouragement to use and write their names and develop an understanding of addition and subtraction in everyday practical opportunities • opportunities for parents to understand the Foundation Stage, early learning goals and what children learn through play. Also opportunities for parents to see and add their own comments to children's development records.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The last inspection was carried out in October 2002 before the nursery moved to the neighbourhood nursery premises. There were five issues. Generally good progress has been made on addressing them. 1. Develop the abilities of untrained staff to use routine practical opportunities to link sounds to letters. 2. Extend the use of routine practical opportunities to develop concepts of addition and subtraction. 3. Develop understanding of the purpose of activities and the early learning goals in staff who are not key workers. Unqualified staff have increased their understanding of the early learning goals through in-house training. Activity plans outline the aims of each activity so staff can read and implement the adult role in children's learning. Untrained staff are now working towards a qualification. There remain issues about opportunities to link sounds to letters and practical opportunities to learn about addition and subtraction

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What has improved since the last inspection?

which have been raised from this inspection. 4. Improve the use of the outside play area and large equipment to enhance opportunities for children to develop physical skills safely. The outside play area is again limited, but is divided so children can pedal safely leaving space for other children to balance, play with sand and use the trampoline in safety. 5. Develop the use of planning to extend activities for the more able children and children with special educational needs. Activity plans now include advice on how to extend the activity for more able children or support children with less ability.

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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 eager to play and learn. They are curious about what happens around them, are confident and proud of their work. They are building good relationships with each other and trust the adults to help and to join in their play. Many children behave well, understand the routines of the pre-school and take turns in board games. They learn about people's feelings and what makes them happy or sad. There are plans to increase opportunities for children's independence at snack time.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children talk well to each other and adults about events in their lives. They talk about what they do and their drawings. Although children listen to group stories well, they do not use the book area. Children do not have regular everyday opportunities to link sounds to letters. They are not routinely asked to write their name on their work and do not use writing in their play. Although children recognise their names on their boxes, they do not use their names at other times.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children count well, using one-to-one correspondence. They play games linking counting to numerals. They play dice games and Bingo. Children know different shapes and complete jigsaws confidently. Some children complete two-colour sequences with pegs successfully. Children do not have routine opportunities to compare numbers or learn about adding or subtracting small numbers.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children explore objects and materials, fly kites in the park, observe themselves in the mirror and think about floating and sinking. They design with boxes, bricks and train tracks. With adult support, children experience the wonder of recording their voices, pressing the buttons themselves. They learn about changes over time, the seasons and past events in their own lives. They have limited access to the computer and to exploring some natural materials such as sand, this limits their learning.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children play well on large equipment. They crawl through tunnels, balance along beams and pedal bikes with enthusiasm. They negotiate the indoor and outdoor play space well, avoiding furniture, activities and other children. They enjoy healthy snacks and learn how they feel after exercise. They carry toy boxes confidently at tidy-up time. They competently use tools, glue, sellotape and string. Limited outdoor play space prevents children running outside.

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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: Very Good Children explore paint using different colours to mix others. They use brushes, sponges and their hands. They enjoy using papier mache to create three dimensional shapes and they paint on glass. They sing enthusiastically and dance with delight to taped music. They use their imagination freely in role play, small world toys and in painting. They show their feelings freely, such as by frowning when concentrating.

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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

• Improve the planning of the sessions to ensure children have everyday access to factual and fiction books, opportunities to link sounds to letters, encouragement to use and write their names and to develop an understanding of addition and subtraction through everyday practical opportunities • Develop opportunities for parents to understand the Foundation Stage, early learning goals and what children learn through play. Also develop opportunities for parents to see and add their own comments to children's development records.

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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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