St Mary's Catholic School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/06/2004 Inspector Name Christine Bonnett

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Happy Child Day Nursery Setting Address 2b The Grove London W5 5LH

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Happy Child Limited Address 109 Uxbridge Road. Ealing W5 5TL

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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

Happy Child Nursery, 2B The Grove Ealing Broadway, was registered in 1992. Ashoobgar Cook is the registered person. The nursery has sole use of a building situated behind the main shopping centre in Ealing. Bus, tube and rail services run nearby. There are 60 children from three months to five years of age currently on roll. This includes 13 funded three-year-olds and eight funded four-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery opens five days a week, all year round from 08:00 until 18:00. The setting supports children with special needs, and those who speak English as an additional language. Currently, 15 full or part time staff work directly with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Six are working towards NVQ level 2. The setting receives support from Foundation Stage Consultants based within the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Happy Child Nursery (2B The Grove) offers good care for children. The manager and staff provide a warm, caring and stimulating environment for children. Staff are deployed appropriately throughout the nursery to offer children a good level of support. The building is maintained to a high standard of cleanliness and good use is made of the available space. It is well equipped with suitable furniture and play resources to meet the needs of all children. All required documentation is maintained, but some lack the necessary detail. Safety standards are generally good, both in the nursery and garden, but fire exits are bolted shut. The standard of hygiene is good throughout. Special measures 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 adopted in the areas used by younger children to ensure appropriately high levels of hygiene and cleanliness are maintained. Meals are nutritious and individual dietary needs are catered for. Older children are not encouraged to develop their independence at meal times. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and the procedure for reporting concerns. The nursery offers a wide range of resources and activities to enable children to progress in all areas of development. The play is planned to provide fun and stimulation for children as well as developing their language and confidence. Many of the play resources reflect positive images of diversity within society. The nursery

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How good is the Day Care?

has a clear behaviour management policy which is known and followed by staff. Any conflicts are managed using age-appropriate and positive strategies. The nursery works well in partnership with parents. Regular opportunities are available for parents to speak to the staff and manager about all aspects of the care of their child. News letters are produced and parents evenings are held regularly. Positive comments have been received from parents as part of the inspection process.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the manager was asked to devise a policy relating to the exclusion of sick children. This has now been written and is available for parents. The nursery also had to ensure that toys and equipment were accessible to children in the room used by the youngest children. Additional resources have been provided and are organised so as to allow children to access them easily.

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What is being done well?

• Happy Child nursery has a high ratio of qualified staff. Their childcare skills are evident in their work. They are warm and caring towards children and enjoy their company. Staff listen to the children and extend their language skills by asking questions and encouraging them to talk about what they are doing. Babies are given an appropriately high amount of physical contact. They are held for feeds, and given good eye contact by staff who take pleasure in their achievements. The positive interaction by staff allows children to feel secure, content and confident. • A wide range of activities are provided which enable children to have fun as well as developing mathematical thinking, pre-reading and writing skills and imagination. Staff create play opportunities which allow children to build on their natural curiosity. This all takes place within a calm and ordered environment. • The nursery has a comprehensive behaviour management policy that

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What is being done well?

focuses on positive discipline as opposed to punishment. This is fully understood and followed by staff and made known to parents. The experience of the deputy manager enables her to offer advice and support to staff in devising appropriate strategies for managing individual children's

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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 behaviour, when needed. Staff act as positive role models for children by showing respect to colleagues, parents and children. Consequently, an environment is created that encourages good behaviour. • The manager and staff understand the value and importance of working in partnership with parents. Feedback about a child's day is given to a parent either verbally or in writing. This ensures that individual needs are met and appropriate care given.

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What needs to be improved?

• the entries in the attendance register and medication sheets to include the full name of each child to ensure that an accurate record is maintained. • the safety of the premises by obtaining a Fire Safety Officer's report and complying with any recommendations. • the development and promotion of the children's independence during meal times.

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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 2 Ensure the surnames of the children are recorded in the attendance register. 7 Ensure the surnames of the children are entered on the medication sheets. 6 Obtain a Fire Safety Officers report of the premises and comply with any recommendations made. 8 Ensure the children’s independence is encouraged during meal times.

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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?

Happy Child Day Nursery offers high quality nursery education where children enjoy learning through a wide variety of interesting and stimulating activities. Children are making good progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. The teaching is good and staff demonstrate clear knowledge of how children learn. They use their knowledge to plan and provide a varied programme of activities. They have created a warm and interesting environment in the nursery. The children are friendly and lively, but also articulate and confident when leaving their parents and carers. Children learn about a wide range of creative techniques through structured art activities, however some of craft activities limits opportunities for children to be spontaneously creative and use their own initiated ideas. During children's meals times, there are some lost opportunities for children to independently select their

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How effective is the nursery education?

own food portions. Staff have a good understanding of the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and provide resources and language to extend children's learning. They are committed to providing a rich learning environment for the children. The leadership and management is good. Strong leadership, guidance and direction enables staff to know their roles and responsibilities and to work effectively as a team. The manager and staff have suitable levels of expectations for individual children's learning, and they learn at their own pace. Staff show positive management of children's behaviour. Much of the success of the setting is due to clear leadership and a well structured management system. There is a strong commitment to ongoing staff development and improving the nursery education. Partnership with parents is good and this has a positive effect on how the children learn. Parents are welcome to speak to staff on a daily basis. The parents are given

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How effective is the nursery education?

lots of information about the early years curriculum.

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What is being done well?

• Children display a high level of involvement in activities. They have very good opportunities to extend and consolidate their learning through the good quality practical activities. • Children are keen readers. They explore books in the book corner. They handle books with care and concern. They enjoy reading and looking at the pictures on their own, with other children and with staff. As a result children can recognise a variety of letters, some simple words and understand that print carries meaning.

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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 staff are very focused on their work with the children and provide a rich learning environment which is also fun for the children. • Good leadership from the manager and the support of the deputy results in a well-motivated team who work well together. They demonstrate a strong commitment to improving quality and regularly review their work, access relevant training and look for ways to improve the quality of their provision of nursery education. • Staff use positive strategies to promote good behaviour and give children clear and consistent boundaries. •• Children speak clearly and fluently as a result of staff members consistent interest and involvement in their play and conversations. • The staff are relaxed, friendly and welcoming to parents at the beginning and

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What is being done well?

the end of each session. Parents are well informed about the setting and the progress their child is making.

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What needs to be improved?

• some of the teaching methods during art and craft activities, with the aim of reducing the pre-prepared art and craft art work, to allow children to be more spontaneous and imaginative. • independence skills with opportunities for children to independently choose their own food portions at lunch times.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There has been good progress made since the previous inspection on the two key issues. The setting was required to improve the existing range of opportunities for role play, to enable children to choose their activities regularly and have time to extend their play well. Staff attended in house training on how to plan, extend and use daily activities to provide opportunities for role play. Children engage in a variety of pre-planned activities that extend their skills and knowledge. The setting has added to the role play equipment. This had had a positive impact on the children who have daily opportunities for role play both planned and those spontaneously initiated by the children during free play time. They were required to improve further the range of books and provide opportunities for children to choose their own books within a comfortable area. A comfortable and inviting book area has been created, children select from a wide

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What has improved since the last inspection?

range of books both fiction and non fiction and use these for both enjoyment and for reference.

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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 Progress in this area is very good. Children are curious, motivated and persist at activities. Their confidence and self-esteem are built up by staff who are sensitive to their needs and know them well. All children presented as confident in their choices, use of resources and being confident to ask for help. Children show interest and are keen to explore the activities, they co-operate in large and small groups. Their behaviour is good and staff are good role models.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in this area. They speak clearly and confidently to adults and each other. Children have opportunities to explore a wide range of vocabulary during activities and discussion times. They have very good opportunities to practice their writing skills and they form letters correctly. They understand writing for a purpose through work books and shopping lists. Children enjoy using books, recounting the sequence of events in a story, such as 'Cinderella'.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in this area. They use mathematical language appropriately and can count up to and beyond 10 during staff led circle time. Many children initiate and solve problems using mathematical concepts using the maths equipment, and matching shapes in puzzles. Children have opportunities to consolidate and develop their number skills and practice addition and subtraction through freely chosen activities and daily routines such as cooking and break time.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in this area. They have very good opportunities to explore and investigate living things and the world they live in, such as growing sunflower seeds, plants and looking at animals and their habitats. Children build and construct competently using a range of materials to join and assemble. They are confident when using the computer and controlling the mouse. Children are learning about a sense of time and ask questions about why things happen and how things work.

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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 make very good progress in this area. They move confidently and imaginatively, showing awareness of others and participating in-group activities such as drama, music and ballet. They use a range of small equipment with increasing dexterity for example scissors and pencils. Children's physical development is enhanced by use of the outside area for climbing, digging, planting and creative play. Children learn about the importance of keeping healthy during themes such as 'Myself'.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in this area. They explore different materials and media and can describe a range of colour and texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions. Children's creative development is extended as they move confidently to music, using their imagination in songs, dance and role-play. They are effectively taught to memorise songs and stories in a variety of creative and imaginative ways.

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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. However, consideration should be given to the following: • review teaching methods during art and craft activities with the aim of reducing some of the pre-prepared art and craft art work to allow children to be more spontaneous and imaginative. • review the organisation of meal times to enable children to independently choose their own food portions

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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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