Studfall Junior Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 19/11/2004 Inspector Name Beryl Baggs

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Out of School Day Care, Full Day Care Setting Name Seesaw Nursery Setting Address 12 Wingfield Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 9EB

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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

Seesaw Nursery is one of three privately owned nurseries in Trowbridge. This nursery opened in 1988 and operates from a Victorian house. It serves the local urban community and its surrounding areas. The nursery uses the basement, ground and first floors with access to rear and front gardens for children's play. The nursery is registered to care for 36 children from 1 year to under 8 years. There are 100 children on roll of whom 10 three-year-olds and 8 four-year-olds receive nursery education grant. There are two children with special educational needs and one child who uses English as an additional language currently attending. Children are cared for in small groups: preschool, toddlers and after-school children each have their own play areas with some play-time together when numbers are low. There is easy access to toilets. The nursery is open from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year.

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Information about the setting

It is closed on Bank Holidays. The nursery does not provide overnight care. The owner employs a qualified manager and nine staff of whom five are childcare qualified and four are working towards a childcare qualification. Additional childcare students from the local college and a volunteer may be present with the children. The nursery is supported by an Early Years teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and is working towards accreditation for Effective Early Learning.

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How good is the Day Care?

Seesaw Nursery provides good quality care for children. The manager holds a qualification and has experience in childcare. Staff hold or are working towards childcare qualifications. They show good care and skills in working with children. Children are cared for in age groups ensuring appropriate ratios are maintained. Each age group has its own play space with appropriate activities. All children use

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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 the garden in turn. Outdoor toys kept in garden stores are faded and dirty. When numbers of children are low, the addition of students makes adult presence restrict children's play. Staff have a good knowledge of hazards for children and keep them safe. Outside doors and gates are locked when children are playing. Children wash their hands after using the toilet and before handling food. Staff use gloves to change children's nappies and separate wipes are used appropriately. The nursery provides a nutritious and healthy cooked lunch and tea, or parents may provide food. Staff have a good understanding of children's stage of development and approach to play. Support for children with special educational needs is good. Staff work with parents

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How good is the Day Care?

to identify needs and provide consistent help at nursery and home. There is a good understanding of how to recognise a child at risk. Staff are interested in children's play, listen to what they say and encourage children to develop skills. Adults are involved in play and encourage good behaviour. There are attractive and stimulating images of how other people live, disability and gender role in the play materials for the children to use and see. At times there is a limited choice of activities for the children to choose from. Parents are warmly welcomed, greeted with smiles and are relaxed and friendly when sharing information with staff. Parents have good access to children's records.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The last inspection took place in January 2003 and good progress has been on improvements. Staff files have been devised which hold information about clearances and qualifications. There is on-going work to make the layout of the information consistent in each file. A manager or a deputy is now on the premises at all times. All staff are now qualified or working towards a childcare qualification. Floor leaders are working towards level three qualifications. Minimum levels of staff are maintained over the lunch time period. A procedure has now been devised in the event of a child not being collected or a lost child. Staff attendance is recorded in the register and their hours of duty are listed on the office wall. Visitors sign the visitors book. Children are supervised using the stairs. Gates are in place at all other times. Windows in the toddler room are inaccessible to children. The floor is swept before and after meals in the rooms where children eat. A no

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What has improved since the last inspection?

smoking policy is in place with notices displayed in the hallway. Medication records have been adapted to include space for parents to sign to acknowledge they know medicine has been given. This continues to be improved to make it clearer where that signature should be. Knowledge and understanding of child protection issues has been extended in staff

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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 meetings. New staff are expected to read the procedures and are tested on their understanding. Staff spoken to during the inspection knew how to recognise a child at risk and the procedure to follow.

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What is being done well?

• The nursery supports parents and children to identify children with special educational needs and provides appropriate plans for play. • All staff either hold or are working towards a childcare qualification. • The nursery has identified separate play space for each age group and arranges separate times to use the garden. • The nursery provides healthy and nutritious hot meals which are cooked on the premises. Children may also bring packed lunches. There is good awareness of food allergies and dietary needs. • There is a bright and attractive range of materials presenting positive images of how other people live, disability and gender role for the children to see and use in their play.

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What needs to be improved?

• the number of adults, including students, working with the children to be appropriate for the children's age and stage of development • the choice of activities set out for all children as they arrive and throughout the session, and the cleanliness and attractiveness of the outdoor toys.

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inspection or 1st April 2004 whichever is later.)

A complaint was received on 16th August 2004 regarding concerns in relation to suitably cleared staff, staff qualifications and hygiene practices, National Standards 1, 2, and 7. Compliance notices were issued on 7th September 2004 in relation to standards 1 and 2. The owner has now complied with these standards and there is no further action.

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Outcome of the 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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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 number of adults including students working with the children remains appropriate for their age and stage of development. 3 Widen the choice of activities set out for all children as they arrive and throughout the session. Ensure outdoor toys are clean and attractive.

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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?

Seesaw Nursery is of high quality and children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is very good. Staff in the pre-school group understand how children learn through play. Planning takes account of the early learning goals and children's current interests and preferences. Staff ask questions to help children think and remember. They join in children's play, point to words when reading and listen to children. Thought is given to help children with special educational needs. Staff help children behave well, keep them involved and help them to resolve their own conflicts. Observations of children's achievements are recorded against the Foundation Stage record, shared with parents, and used to plan the next steps for children. Children select many of their own play activities but do not see all the activities available to them, which limits their choices in some learning areas.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leadership and management is very good. The preschool leader meets with staff to evaluate children's activities and includes staff input in the development of future plans. Support and advice is given to staff during the sessions. The new system of planning from children's interests and preferences arose from a continuing commitment to improving care and education for all children. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents have good information about the nursery and the pre-school group. Although the Foundation Stage and the early learning goals are not included specifically, parents are informed on introductory visits to the pre-school group. They can see children's development records at annual open evenings and whenever they wish to discuss children's progress. They share information about their child on initial visits and daily with staff in a relaxed way. They join the nursery on outings and enjoy 'homework' sheets with their child

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What is being done well?

• Children are confident, sociable and eager to learn. They develop friendships and trust the adults. They share and take turns well. • Children enjoy stories and books. They understand the importance of writing; that words carry meaning. They learn to write their names to label their work and show curiosity about what words mean. • Children explore natural materials around them through touch, smell, sight and hearing. They observe the changing seasons. • Staff plan children's activities from their interests and preferences, including childrens' requests in the next day's plans if possible. • Parents understand the Foundation Stage and have good information about

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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 progress towards the early learning goals.

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What needs to be improved?

• children's understanding of what they can choose from to play with, so ensuring each area of learning is covered regularly.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Improvement since last inspection is very good. The last inspection took place in January 2001 from which one aspect of improvement was identified: 'the maintenance of current good practice through providing opportunities for all staff to further their professional development through training'. All staff now hold or are working towards a childcare qualification. Opportunities to attend workshops and training events are shared with the staff and staff attend regularly. In-service training also takes place to discuss practice in behaviour management and planning. Discussion also took place during the inspection of recording staff attendance at training events to monitor professional development.

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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 confident and eager to learn. They choose some of their activities and ask for help when needed. They know about rules in games and make rules for their own games. They know the routines of the nursery and join in enthusiastically. They dress independently and pour their own drinks at snack time. They play well together, taking turns and sharing role play situations. They enjoy stories about the feelings of others and those reflecting other ways of life.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children talk well to each other in play and to the adults. They use words to describe what they touch and see. They use words to describe what they are doing and organise their play. They link sounds and letters, identifying other objects beginning with the initial sound of their name. They use their names to find their peg and the basket with their personal belongings. Children practise early writing skills and some children can write their names independently.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count confidently, usually raising the correct number of fingers as well. They are beginning to add and subtract using small toys and cups at snack time. They can identify how many more are needed. They learn positional words and weigh ingredients for cooking. They match pairs and some children can sequence shapes. They enjoy jigsaws matching shape.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children investigate leaves, the wind, growing cress and finding bugs using touch, smell, sight and hearing. They build with many materials, straws, clay, and snow, learning which shapes are most successful. They use phones and cameras in their play and the computer to play matching games and type their name. They talk about changes in the seasons and remember past events. They visit the local library, the shop and the supermarket. They learn about their own and other peoples' celebrations.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move with confidence and safety. They run, hop, skip and use their bodies with growing skill. They negotiate the play space inside and outside well and allow room for other children when sitting together. They do not crowd each other down the stairs. They learn about personal safety, especially with fire, and how their bodies react to exercise. They use tools and materials with growing skill from moulding clay to flying kites.

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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, natural materials, glitter and paper in their art work. They print with vegetables and apply paint with brushes, hands, bricks and flicking. They enjoy a variety of music, using musical instruments and singing with enthusiasm. They record music and dance with pleasure. They use their imagination in role play and with small world toys, allocating roles to other children to act out experiences. They show pride in their work and delight in their experiences.

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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 improving the following. • review how to help children consider the whole range of activities available to ensure there is a balance across the early learning goals.

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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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