Heathside Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 27/07/2004 Inspector Name Nighat Ghani

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Heathside Day Nursery Setting Address Heath Road South Weston Runcorn Cheshire WA7 4QR

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Network Nurseries Ltd Address 29 Patch Croft Road Manchester Lancashire M22 5JR

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ORGANISATION 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

Heathside Day Nursery was registered in 1998 and is owned and managed by Network Nurseries Limited. It operates within purpose built premises situated in Weston Village, Runcorn and primarily serves the local area. The nursery is open five days a week and 51 weeks a year. Sessions are available between 07:00 and 19:00. There are currently 41 children aged between birth and 5 years on roll; children attend for a variety of sessions, including those who are present on a full and part time basis. The nursery is in receipt of funding for nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds. The staff team currently comprises 7 full-time childcare staff, in addition to the cook. Over half of the staff hold early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a mentor within the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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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?

Heathside Day Nursery offers good quality education which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Provision for their personal, social and emotional development is well planned and they make very good progress in this area. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff are warm and caring towards the children. They interact well with children; they explain clearly, question effectively and encourage children to participate in their learning. There is a good balance of adult led and child initiated activities. Staff observe children on regular basis and termly assessments are completed under the six areas of learning. Gaps identified in children's learning are used in future planning. Long, medium and short plans are in place however there are gaps in planning in all the six areas of learning. Activities are planned in such a way that children do not get the opportunity to consolidate

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How effective is the nursery education?

their learning. Staff evaluate their activities at the end of each day but these evaluations are vague and lack details which limits their usefulness. Leadership and management are generally good. The staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and work cohesively as a team. There is a strong commitment to continuous staff development which is evident in staff's training records. The management have not adequately monitored implementation of the plans to ensure that the curriculum is broad and balanced in all the areas of learning. Partnership with the parents is generally good. Parents receive good quality information relating to the setting and its educational provision. They are very well supported to become involved in their child's learning through regular feed back from staff though they are not asked to contribute to their child's assessment.

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What is being done well?

• High priority is given to children taking part in role-play which develops their confidence and imagination. They are able to choose from different role-play resources and staff support their learning. • Staff use effective strategies to promote good behaviour. They give children clear and consistent boundaries and help them understand the impact of unkind behaviour on others and to negotiate fair outcomes for instance when sharing resources. They are good role models and the children respect them and are keen to please. • There is a strong commitment to further development and training opportunities for staff. Staff work cohesively as a team to support children to progress in their learning.

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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 • Parents are given excellent information about the setting and educational provision. They have good opportunities to be involved in their children's learning through regular feed back from staff and termly reports.

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What needs to be improved?

• the planning to ensure that all the early learning goals are covered • the children's free access to activities such as water, sand, paint and play dough • the opportunites for parents to contribute towards their child's assessment • the monitoring of the implementation of the curriculum and information in the area of evaluation of the activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Good progress has been made since the last inspection. The first key issue was to extend planning to develop the children's listening skills through the provision of increased opportunities to listen to sounds, music, and instructions. The provision has increased resources such as a tape recorder, head phones, music and story tapes so that children can listen to a wide range of sounds which promotes their listening skills. Children are taken out in their local environment to collect different things and on their return children observe the objects and are encouraged to talk about what they can see and feel. A nature table is also set out with many natural and man made materials which children can observe and relate it to their learning. Children count the number of children present at lunch time and then they collect the same number of plates, spoons, mats and folks. Children are also made aware of early addition and subtraction through singing nursery rhymes.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Teaching methods have been amended to allow the children more time to experiment and question how things work and why things happen and enable children's to work out how to solve problems. Planning clearly indicates how the activities will be extended for more able children.

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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: Very Good Children are happy and secure in their environment. They concentrate on their chosen activities for extended period of time. They are considerate to each other and have formed close relationships with their peer group. Staff provide effective role models for sensitive social interactions and courteous behaviour; children's behaviour and manners are very good. Children learn about different cultures and beliefs through resources such as dolls, books, posters, dressing up clothes and celebrations.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident speakers and express themselves clearly. Activities are provided to develop speaking, listening and early reading and writing skills. Children make up stories as they engage in role play. Older children are developing confidence in recognising initial letter sounds and associating these with words and syllables however there is lack of print in the environment. Children do not access books freely and do not use them independently as a reference tool.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children develop an understanding of numbers whilst counting during daily routines; they count number of children present at lunch and then collect the exact number of mats, plates and cutlery. Children reproduce patterns when making a coloured caterpillar from circles. They enjoy singing number songs. Opportunities for the children to use mathematical language such as full and empty whilst taking part in practical activities are limited.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children understand the family and work roles of those known to them and often interpret this through role play. Children demonstrate their awareness of the past as they talk about their trip to 'Gulliver's World'. Children are confident in using a computer and tape recorder. Topics like 'Our World' make children aware of their different cultures and beliefs. There are limited activities and resources provided for children to question about why things happen and how they work.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move with confidence, control and awareness of others. Music and movement supports the development of children's co-ordination skills, and encourages them to move imaginatively. Weekly planning indicates that routine out door play sessions and activities are provided for children to enjoy vigorous play and practise skills. However children are not made aware of the changes that happen to their bodies, such as an increased heart beat, when they are active.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy singing in a group or on their own and listen to their favourite songs on the tape recorders. They use musical instruments to learn about pitch, rhythm and pace. They engage in imaginative play and are able to describe their experiences through role play. Different media such as sand, water, play dough, paint, clay and gloop are provided on regular basis which restricts the children in learning through their senses.

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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

• formalise plans to ensure curriculum remains broad and balanced in all the areas of learning • provide children with free access to activities such as paint, sand water and play dough so that they can consolidate their learning • encourage parents to contribute towards their child's assessments. 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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