Barnkids Ltd

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 30/04/2004 Inspector Name Linda Close

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Out of School Day Care, Full Day Care Setting Name Barnkids Ltd. at Little Acorns Nursery Setting Address The Barn, Penang Farm Combe Lane, Chiddingfold Godalming Surrey GU8 4XL

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Barnkids Limited Address The Barn, Penang Farm Combe Lane, Chiddingfold Godalming Surrey GU8 4XL

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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

Barnkids Ltd. at Little Acorns Nursery is a private nursery setting owned by Barnkids Limited. The nursery originally opened in 1996. It provides full day care and sessional care. There is also an after school club serving four local schools. Sessions for funded nursery education run from 09:00 to 11.30 and from 12:30 to 15:00 every weekday during term time only. Daycare and care during school holidays are both available for forty-six weeks per year. The setting serves the rural community living in and around the village of Chiddingfold in Surrey. The nursery is located in a converted barn and a newly constructed single-storey building on a working farm. Three and four-year-old children are cared for in the barn building which has a main playroom and an adjoining quiet room on the ground floor with a further playroom on the newly refurbished mezzanine floor. There are toilet facilities on the ground floor of the building. Children enjoy outdoor play in an

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Information about the setting

enclosed area adjacent to the barn. Part of this area is covered with a safe play surface and part of it is roofed for play in wet weather. There is a second outdoor play area for younger children. Twenty-two three-year-olds and eight four-year-olds are in receipt of funding for nursery education. Three of the funded children are bilingual and a small number have special educational needs. Six members of staff work with the three and four-year-olds and almost all of them are qualified. Advisory staff from the local Early Years and Childcare Service visit the setting.

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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?

Provision at Barnkids Ltd. at Little Acorns Nursery is acceptable and of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of their learning. Teaching standards are very good. Through good quality planning and effective teaching, staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the early learning goals. They work as a team to devise a long term plan which ensures that a good range of activities will be available to the children throughout the year. They develop this plan to show which activities will take place each week. Weekly meetings are held to discuss what has been achieved and what needs to be done next. Profiles are used well to help staff to identify areas where children need more practice or support. This is particularly pertinent for bilingual children or those with special educational needs. Staff liaise with parents and outside agencies. They set and review individual

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How effective is the nursery education?

education plans regularly. Resources are plentiful and well prepared although staff could make more use of the computer. The nursery runs to a well ordered routine which helps the children to feel secure. The leadership and management is very good. The manager takes an active part in running the nursery. She monitors the work of the nursery to identify ways to continue developing and improving the provision. Staff are encouraged to train for professional development. The manager attends training to enable her to develop her role. The nursery has established an effective partnership with parents and carers. Initial visits, a comprehensive brochure, newsletters and notices provide good quality information about the nursery. Plans are displayed and information about topic work is given to parents. Staff are always available to give further information if required. Parents are well informed about their child's progress. They are invited to share their

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How effective is the nursery education?

skills and to attend social gatherings and fundraising events.

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What is being done well?

• Behaviour management is very good. Staff are firm but sensitive to the needs and feelings of the children. They praise good behaviour and remain calm and pleasant at all times. • Children have good opportunities for imaginative play. Staff join in to extend and enrich the play. • Children are gaining good counting and number recognition skills through frequent practice in planned tasks and through incidental discussions with staff. • The learning opportunities provided by the rural location of the nursery are used very well to extend children's knowledge of the lives of animals, the

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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 study of plants and the weather. • Children's hand/eye coordination is developed effectively through using dough, scissors, materials for threading and construction toys. • Children are learning many new words through listening to stories and through discussions with staff. They are gaining fluency in expressing their thoughts and ideas.

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What needs to be improved?

• The way in which the nursery computer is used to support children in their learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Three key issues for improvement were identified at the last inspection and staff have made very good progress in addressing them. They agreed to carry out assessments of each child's achievements on a regular basis and to keep dated observations of the children. Surrey Profile documents have been adopted by the nursery which cover all six areas of learning. Staff collect examples of children's work, photographs and observation notes which they use to build up a picture of progress to record in each child's profile booklet. They make good use of this information to plan next steps in children's learning. Staff were asked to provide more opportunities for children to explore and investigate made objects. They give due consideration to this aspect of learning in planning for knowledge and understanding of the world. Children have access to suitable objects and they are encouraged to find out how things work.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Staff were asked to ensure that children have more space to use the climbing frame. Since the completion of work on the outdoor play area the children have ample space in which to enjoy using climbing apparatus.

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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 fully involved in well planned and interesting topic work. They are keen to take part in their activities. The children are happy and lively and they are supported kindly if upset when leaving their parents. Children are content to take turns and they share their toys fairly. They choose activities for themselves and they are gaining independence in matters of personal hygiene. They are gaining an awareness of different people in society through varied cultural activities.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The children learn many new words such as hatch and incubator. They are gaining fluency in their speech. They listen well at story time and eagerly join in with songs and role play. They are developing good hand control in preparation for writing through activities such as using scissors and making puzzles. Many children can write their own names. The sounds and shapes of letters are covered systematically over the year. Children make good use of an excellent selection of books.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children take part in many daily activities that promote the recognition of numbers and accurate counting skills. Children are able to use their learning about numbers to solve simple problems such as finding out how many are left in games when some items are taken away. They confidently use appropriate terms to describe simple shapes. They compare toys for size and colour. Words to describe quantity and position are learned incidentally in practical tasks as well as in planned activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children learn about animal life cycles from fascinating activities such as counting down the days until eggs hatch in an incubator in the classroom and from visiting sheep and lambs on the farm. They note the passage of time when planting beans and flowers and waiting for shoots and leaves to appear. They make generally good use of everyday technology. Topics such as road safety and recording the travels of the nursery teddy bear help to broaden their knowledge of the wider world.

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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: Very Good Children are developing good control over their limbs from frequent use of large equipment for climbing and balancing in the outdoor area. They show a growing awareness of space, obstacles and other children around them in play with wheeled toys and in regular music and movement activities. They learn about good standards of hygiene. They often use equipment such as balls and hoops to develop their hand/eye co-ordination. Their manipulative skills are developing well.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Past and current plans and displayed work show that children make good use of a wide range of art and craft materials. Their art and craft work is colourful and inventive and staff actively encourage them to experiment and use the materials in their own way. Children make music using an unusual range of ethnic instruments. They investigate rhythm and volume and sing many songs from memory. They are very imaginative in role play. Activities and materials appeal to all of 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 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: • No key issues for improvement were identified but when drawing up their action plan staff should consider ways of helping children to make more use of the nursery computer to support their learning.

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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