Triangle House Private Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 01/05/2004 Inspector Name Valerie Craven

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Triangle House Private Day Nursery Setting Address Butterworth Lane Triangle Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire HX6 3NR

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

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

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Triangle House Private Day Nursery opened in 1995, and provides full day care for the locality and surrounding areas. It is located in the village of Triangle, on the outskirts of Halifax, in West Yorkshire. The nursery is managed on a day-to-day basis by the owner. Care takes place in a converted building, previously used as a chapel. Children are organised according to their age, including the funded children, who spend most of their time in the recently extended and refurbished pre-school unit. This is situated on the first floor level of the building. The pre-school children have supervised access to the toilet facilities, and the secure outdoor play areas. The nursery has 82 children currently on roll, including 30 three-year-olds and 4 four-year-olds in receipt of funding. None of the funded children have been identified as having special educational needs, or are learning English as an additional

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Information about the setting

language. The nursery provides full-time and part-time places, and is open throughout the year, closing only for Bank Holidays. Daily sessions start at 07.00 and finish at 18:00. There are four full-time members of staff who work with the funded children. Most of these staff hold recognised qualifications in childcare and early years education. Staff receive support from the local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, including visits from an advisory teacher, and opportunities to attend a range of locally organised training courses. The nursery staff are members of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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Information about the setting

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

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How effective is the nursery education?

Triangle House Private Day Nursery provides a safe and welcoming environment for children to settle and learn. Children who are three-years-old and four-years-old are making generally good progress overall towards the achievement of the early learning goals. They are making very good progress in the areas of communication, language and literacy, physical development and creative development. Generally good progress is made in the areas of personal, social and emotional development, mathematical development, and knowledge and understanding of the world. Quality of teaching is generally good. Staff use appropriate teaching methods that help all children progress. This includes an emphasis on having fun, 'learning through play', and participating in practical activities. There is, however, a limited range of strategies used by the staff to fully promote children's positive behaviour, and there is scope to review the current record keeping system used to assess

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How effective is the nursery education?

children's progress. Leadership and management is generally good. There is a firm commitment by the owner and staff to improve the care and education for all children. This includes ensuring that the pre-school children have access to good quality resources, also an attractive and spacious learning environment. There is, however, scope to regularly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the overall provision of the pre-school unit. Partnership with parents and carers is very good. They are provided with good quality helpful information about the nursery and its provision. This includes a comprehensive 'parent pack', and the opportunity to view attractive displays of recent photographs, well featured at the entrance part of the pre-school unit. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning, are informed about their child's achievements and progress, and are encouraged to share what they know

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What is being done well?

• Staff's use of appropriate teaching methods that help all children progress. This includes an emphasis on having fun, 'learning through play', and participating in practical activities. • The firm commitment by the owner and staff to improve the care and education for all children. This includes ensuring that the pre-school children have access to good quality resources, also an attractive and spacious learning environment. • Children's aptitude to form good relationships with each other and the staff, shown well during busy early morning 'breakfast times', and when working together as part of a small group, taking turns and sharing the resources fairly.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • Children's ability to speak clearly and to show an awareness of the listener. This is featured well during planned 'discussion group times', and their vocabulary is developing, often when learning new words linked to a theme focus, such as 'caterpillar', 'cocoon' and 'butterfly'. • Children's use of mathematical language, particularly to describe and compare size, including measuring their height. They are familiar with words such as 'smallest', 'taller' and 'tallest', when comparing and describing children of three different heights. • Parent's access to good quality helpful information about the nursery and its provision. This includes a comprehensive 'parent pack', and the opportunity the view attractive displays of recent photographs, well featured at the entrance part of the pre-school unit.

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What needs to be improved?

• development of children's personal independence skills. • children's understanding of simple addition when two groups of objects are combined, particularly for the older children through practical activities. • opportunities for children to operate technology items to help support their learning. • the range of strategies used by the staff to fully promote children's positive behaviour. • the current record keeping system used to assess children's progress. • frequency of the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the overall provision of the pre-school unit.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Triangle House Private Day Nursery staff have made very good progress since the last inspection, and this has had a positive impact on all children's learning. There are three main improvements linked to the previous three key issues: Planning has been further developed, ensuring that it is clearer what children will learn from all the planned activities. Children are questioned more effectively, particularly about why things happen and how things work. There is a higher level of challenge, especially for the older children, enabling them to fully develop their climbing skills.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

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

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing an aptitude to form good relationships with each other and the staff, shown well during busy early morning 'breakfast times', and when working together as part of a small group, taking turns and sharing the resources fairly. They are confident to try new activities and can concentrate. There are, however, limited opportunities for children to develop their personal independence skills.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are able to speak clearly and to show an awareness of the listener. This is featured well during planned 'discussion group times', and their vocabulary is developing, often when learning new words linked to a theme focus, such as 'caterpillar', 'cocoon' and 'butterfly'. They can link sounds and letters, sometimes during art and craft work, including 'alphabet printing', and can write for a variety of purposes.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are encouraged to use mathematical language, particularly to describe and compare size, including measuring their height. They are familiar with words such as 'smallest', 'taller' and 'tallest', when comparing and describing different heights. There are, however, limited opportunities for the older children to understand simple addition when two groups of objects are combined, especially through practical activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are developing a sense of time, including a sense of the recent past, fostered well by photographic displays, such as a display highlighting an 'Easter Bonnet Parade'. They are able to explore and investigate, often by talking about the weather and recording their observations on a chart. There are, however, limited opportunities for children to operate technology items to help support their learning.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are able to handle a range of tools, objects, construction and malleable materials, to aid the development of their small muscles and manipulative skills. This includes the use of scissors when cutting out a set of pictures from a magazine, such as pictures based upon 'what my baby needs'. They can handle large and small equipment, and their climbing and balancing skills are fostered well when working on challenging equipment.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are encouraged to use their imagination through role play activities, usually when spending some of their time in the role play areas, including the pre-school's 'post office'. They are able to explore sound, often when handling a selection of accessible musical instruments, and can explore colour during many art and craft activities using various techniques, such as 'popoid paintings' and 'still life paintings of daffodils'.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

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

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of 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

• provide further opportunities for children to develop their; personal independence skills, understanding of simple addition when two groups of objects are combined, particularly for the older children through practical activities, ability to operate technology items to help support their learning. • extend the range of strategies used by the staff to fully promote children's positive behaviour. • review the current record keeping system used to assess children's progress, ensuring that it reflects more closely the early learning goals in all of the six areas of learning. • Regularly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the overall provision of the pre-school unit.

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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