Wilmere Lane Nursery & Pre-school

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/08/2004 Inspector Name Patricia Ann Sang

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Playmates Day Nursery Setting Address 64 Wilmere Lane Widnes Cheshire WA8 5UR

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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

Playmates Day Nursery has been registered since 1996 to provide full day care for 50 children aged from three months to five years. The nursery is jointly owned by Gillian Dillon and Christine Devlin and is set on the perimeter of Widnes serving families from St. Helens, Warrington and Halton. It is open from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday all year round except for public holidays. The nursery is a converted two storey house with a fully enclosed garden and a further building to the rear. A complement of 15 staff look after the children, 13 of the staff group hold a relevant childcare qualification 11 of whom are qualified to level three standard. Currently there are 65 children on roll with a mixture of full time and part time arrangements. The nursery supports one child with special needs. There are six three year old children attending who have funded places.

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How good is the Day Care?

Playmates Day Nursery provides good quality care for children. Most staff hold a relevant childcare qualification and access further training on an ongoing basis. Playrooms are organised well to meet the needs and ages of children looked after. The environment is made welcoming from the flower beds leading up to the main door and to the nursery generally. Policies and procedures are written in user friendly language and provide a framework for good practice. All aspects of health and safety are given due attention. Risk assessments are used in determining continued safety for children. Children have personal bathroom items and learn about good hygiene practice. Arrangements for sleeping children are good, they are supervised at all times. Meals are varied and nutritious with any special requirements catered for. Staff plan together for the children they look after including under two's. Activities provided support children's overall learning and development. Team games are

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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 organised where children learn about co-operation and turn taking. Opportunities to role play and use imagination are presented with home and shop play and dressing up clothes. Resources that embrace diversity are generally good but with little to promote gender positively. Children are supported in self help skills as they apply sun protection cream to their arms and faces. Children are happy, confident and settled, they play with, and alongside, each other and are interested in what they do. Staff know children well and are sensitive to their particular needs. There are good relationships with parents. Much is done to make sure parents are kept up to date about their child. Individual progress records, newsletters, notice

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How good is the Day Care?

boards and daily written and verbal communication are all well established. However child protection procedures are not shared prior to admission. Response from the parental questionnaires returned show a high level of satisfaction with the provision.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection it was agreed that the behaviour management policy include methods of managing behaviour including bullying. The policy has been reviewed and now includes the methods used to manage behaviour including bullying. The policy is shared with parents at the outset, staff and parents are now clear about how behaviour is dealt with and children are treated with consistency.

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What is being done well?

• Most of the staff are qualified in early years work with a person trained in first aid based in each playroom. Staff access ongoing training related to their work or particular responsibility and between them have a range of skills that ensure all children's needs are met. • Staff turnover is minimal, most of the children have been in the nursery since they were babies and staff have got to know children and their parents well. Good relationships are established and a consistent approach benefits the children. • Playrooms are organised around the needs of children, babies are supported by furniture sited to help them as they gain independence in standing and walking. • Children are provided with a wide range of play experiences, they enjoy the egg and spoon race and learn about team co-operation and turn taking. Under two's access sand, water and art and craft activities and are familiar with the materials as they progress through the nursery. Children are happy

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What is being done well?

and settled in their play, they relate to each other well and confident in talking to each other and to adults. • Much emphasis is placed upon health and safety. Staff use the risk assessment as a working document for checking the continued safety of the

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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 premises, taking responsibility for the area they work in. Children have their own flannels, toothbrushes and combs and learn about good hygiene practice through the daily routine. • Meals and snacks are varied and made interesting for children. They are offered sliced apple and pieces of cucumber for a mid morning snack. • Children are supported appropriately in learning self help skills, they apply sun protection cream to their faces and arms, they put on their sun hats and their outdoor shoes. They are patient and attentive as they secure velcro fastenings and wait for help in tying shoe laces. • Good use is made of the local library, books provide a turnover of stories and pictures for children.

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What needs to be improved?

• the resources to show positive images of gender • the arrangements for sharing child protection procedures with parents.

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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 9 Acquire resources that positively reflect gender. 13 Share child protection procedures with parents before children are admitted to day care.

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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?

Playmates Day Nursery provides education that is acceptable and is of high quality. Children make very good progress in all areas of their learning. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff are secure in their knowledge of the foundation stage and have a very good understanding of how children learn. Staff are highly skilled at prompting children's thinking, providing open ended questions and the time to process their answers. Staff are aware of children individual developmental needs. They plan a range of exciting and stimulating activities to challenge children to enable them to make progress in all areas. Staff have a good relationship with the children and know them well. Plans cover all areas of learning however staff are looking at extending the outdoor play provision. Resources are of good quality and are organised to encourage children's choice and independence. Staff are motivated and work very well together as a team. Staff communicate well

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How effective is the nursery education?

with each other and the children, this actively contributes to the children's ongoing learning in all areas. The leadership and management of the nursery is very good. The strong leadership and management significantly enhances the staff's ability to provide good quality learning opportunities to children. Staff are valued and are clear about their roles and responsibilities. The leadership is extremely committed to the ongoing development and maintenance of the high quality provision. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents and staff share information about the children informally on a daily basis. Very good opportunities are provided monthly for parents to view their child's assessment records and to make comment upon them. Parents are actively encouraged to become involved in their child's learning. The partnership with parents is highly valued by the setting.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have a very good understanding of the Foundation Stage, they are skilled educators who use every opportunity to help children to learn and make progress. They plan a range of stimulating activities which enable children to make links in their learning. Staff are well supported by the highly committed leadership and management providing planning time and the opportunities to further develop staff's individual skills and knowledge. • The children are settled and enjoy coming to the provision. They are eager to explore their new environment and are interested in the new topics. Staff are actively encouraging the children's choice and independence skills, with children self selecting resources and taking responsibility for clearing them away once they have finished playing. Children are familiar with the daily routines and see to their self care needs well.

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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 • Children's skills in communication, language and literacy are developing well. They have good opportunities to practise writing and mark making skills through out the setting. Children enjoy writing their stories and pictures in the book area. Children are beginning to link sounds to letters. • Children are eager to explore their surroundings both in and outdoors. They are developing a good sense of time and place talking eagerly about their holidays and familiar events. They are developing an understanding that tools can be used for a purpose and enjoy using construction sets. • Children's mathematical skills are developing well. They are keen to count every day objects and are noticing comparisons between numbers when

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What is being done well?

playing team games. They are using mathematical language in every day conversation and count to five confidently.

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What needs to be improved?

• the further enhancement of the children's creativity by introducing a wider choice of paper, size, shape and colour and increasing the opportunities to build with larger recycled resources • the continued development of the outdoor play provision to further extend children's learning in all areas.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in addressing the key issue from the last inspection. This was to develop procedures for the monitoring and evaluating of any changes made to the educational programme. To assess these changes and to identify any training needs or additional resources. All plans are regularly assessed to ensure they meet the needs of all children attending. Staff attend regular training sessions provided by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership to further develop their skills and knowledge. Support is also provide by the Early Years Teachers with regards to planning and assessments.

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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: Very Good Children are interested and eager to learn new skills. They separate well from their parents and actively seek out their friends. They show good levels of personal independence self selecting resources and tidying away. Children attempt to put on their own shoes and confidently see to their own toileting needs. They share resources well. Children are well behaved, and clearly understand the daily routines, enabling them to feel secure and confident in their surroundings.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children have a good range of reading material available to them on a daily basis. They enjoy hearing new words like duvet and squiggly. They are beginning to sound out letters. Children recognise their own name in various ways around the setting such as name cards for the table. Children are eager to talk in groups and share news at circle time. Children confidently follow instructions, and enjoy conveying messages to others. They enjoy looking at books for pleasure and for seeking information.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about addition and subtraction through practical activities and number rhymes. They use mathematical language such as more than, longer and enormous in every day activities. They are eager to count and enjoy counting themselves in team games. They are developing a clear understanding of shape and size through practical activities. Children's mathematical development is supported by a range of quality resources.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are keen to explore a range of real and made objects. They have good opportunities to learn about living creatures and growing things through well planned activities. They build well with small construction sets and manipulate the resources, however they have limited opportunities to build with larger recycled materials. Children are developing an understanding of their own culture and beliefs and those of others. Children enjoy using programmable resources such as the roamer.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move around the setting safely and with increasing control. They confidently climb stairs and are skilled on the climbing frame. They enjoy using a range of wheeled toys with one child confidently riding a two wheeled bike with stabilisers. Children are proud of their achievements outdoors such as successfully dunking the basket ball. Children are skilled at using small equipment like nuts and bolts in construction. They are developing good levels of control when pouring drinks.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have good opportunities to explore many role play scenarios including the vets and the play ground. They are eager to explore a range of media and techniques through a range of planned and free choice activities e.g. painting with marbles. They enjoy singing songs and interpret the movements of animals well, children floated around like butterflies and wriggled like worms.

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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 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 improve the following: • the ongoing development of the outdoor play provision to extend children's learning opportunities in all areas.

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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 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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