Safe Haven Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 15/09/2004 Inspector Name Gill Ogden

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Safe Haven Day Nursery Setting Address 61a High Street Mansfield Woodhouse Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG19 8BB

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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

Safe Haven Day Nursery opened in 2000. It is situated in the centre of Mansfield Woodhouse and serves the local and wider communities. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:30 until 18:00 all year round except for a week at Christmas and bank holidays. The nursery offers full day care for children aged between two and five years and after school and holiday care for children aged up to eight years. Currently 36 children attend of whom only three are school age. Children attend for a variety of sessions. All nine children who receive funding for nursery education are aged three. None of these children have special educational needs but three others do. No children speak English as an additional language. The nursery operates from a converted barn. It comprises a playroom and toilets on the ground floor and a dining room and lounge area on the first floor. There is a secure garden area for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

Seven staff work regularly with the children. All hold, or are working towards, NVQ levels 2 or 3 in Early Years Care and Education or their equivalents. The nursery receives support from advisory staff from Nottinghamshire Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

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How good is the Day Care?

Safe Haven Day Nursery provides good quality care for children aged from two to eight years. The manager/owner leads a committed team of staff who have a range of experiences and a willingness to learn and improve their practice. The premises are clean, well-maintained and attractive to children and parents. Very good record keeping practices are in place. Close attention is paid to health and safety. Access to the premises is monitored closely and thorough risk assessment procedures are carried out on an ongoing basis. Systems are in place to ensure all staff and students understand health and

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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 safety requirements. Staff are able to work positively with families in child protection situations but written procedures do not give clear enough guidance. Children are developing good hygiene habits and enjoy the nutritious meals that are provided for them. The excellent play resources help the staff to plan and deliver a wide range of interesting activities for the children. Staff and children relate to each other well resulting in few incidents of poor behaviour. The key worker system is proving useful to both children and parents and has the extra value of children being toileted only by their keyworker in respect of their privacy. Children take part in activities at their own level and staff are currently studying national guidance to improve their work

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How good is the Day Care?

with the youngest children. Few school age children attend, but those who do enjoy a relaxed atmosphere where they are able to do homework, take part in activities or read or watch videos. The support for children with special needs is excellent. Nursery staff have positive and productive relationships with parents. Parents have a high regard for all the staff and the care they provide for their children. Staff share information with parents verbally on a daily basis as well as in reports and letters. Some parents contribute useful resources such as recycled materials and disposable cameras.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

As a result of the last inspection, there is now a system in place to record any incidents of physical restraint or other significant incidents. This has been used once and has contributed to the improved overall framework for children's safety and protection.

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What is being done well?

• The nursery provides excellent support for children with special needs. Staff work closely with parents and agencies to provide appropriate care and education for the children. All situations are handled effectively and staff display particular sensitivity to parents' feelings. • The nursery has good resources in terms of toys, equipment and staff. Play materials are good quality and staff use their imagination to create 'home-made' resources to effectively meet children's needs. • Records are maintained well and planning and policies are used actively and reviewed and revised continually. • Children enjoy a varied diet. It is nutritionally balanced and takes into consideration their likes, dislikes and special dietary needs. • The accommodation is organised well. The playroom is set out attractively, with clear areas for different activities; the dining room is bright and clean and the tables set to encourage children to develop good table manners; the

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What is being done well?

cloakroom area has good quality information displayed for parents.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• the child protection policy so that pocedures, in particular in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff, are clearer.

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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 13 Review child protection policy to include clearer written procedures especially regarding the procedure in the event of an allegation being made against a staff member.

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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?

Safe Haven Day Nursery provides high quality nursery education which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals. They achieve well in all the areas of learning and especially in knowledge and understanding of the world. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff have excellent relationships with the children and are excited about their achievements. As a result of all staff being involved in planning and their different cultural backgrounds, children enjoy a wider variety of experiences than usual. Daily routines such as snack time are used effectively as learning opportunities. Both the indoor and outdoor environment is well-organised and attractive to the children who move around freely. They spend lots of time outdoors and staff skilfully extend indoor activities outside through cross-curricular planning. Staff assess children's learning against the stepping stones and keep useful records

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How effective is the nursery education?

which provide guidance for children's next steps. Well-recorded observations are used as examples in the written reports for parents. The leadership and management of the day nursery are very good. The manager believes in a whole team approach which motivates the staff and ensures they are knowledgeable. They all meet together regularly both to plan and to discuss any issues which arise. Effective induction and appraisal systems are in place and mutual respect exists between the manager and staff. Good use is made of advisory staff. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents hold all the staff in high esteem and are thrilled about their children's achievements. They are pleased with the information they receive which helps them understand what and how their children are learning and the progress they are making. The positive relationships between staff and parents fosters parents interest in their children's learning and forms a

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How effective is the nursery education?

strong basis to further involve parents in the assessment of their children's progress.

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What is being done well?

• Daily activities are planned in detail and evaluated usefully. The shared responsibility taken for this ensures that the whole staff team becomes extremely knowledgeable about how children learn best and ensures that all the children's needs are considered. • Parents receive very useful information about their children's progress. They chat to staff daily and find the written reports, which are issued every six weeks, very helpful. • Children are given lots of freedom to choose their preferred activities. They

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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 then spend as much time as they wish seeing them through to their satisfaction. • Children experience a wider range of activities through all the staff's skills, experiences and ideas being incorporated into planning. • The manager's committment to whole team involvement in all aspects of the provision ensures that staff are well-motivated and that practice is continually reviewed and revised.

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What needs to be improved?

• parents' involvement in the assessment of their children's progress.

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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 keen to become involved in activities and excited about sharing experiences with others. They are developing high self-esteem as a result of being praised by staff who are sensitive to their needs. They make friends and play together in small groups. They are becoming increasingly independent, choosing their activities and concentrating for longer periods of time. They are learning good social skills, for example using a napkin at lunch time.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children talk to each other and staff throughout activities. They enjoy joining in with songs and stories for example, imitating animal sounds. They enjoy thinking of words which have the same initial sound, for example, squeeze and squash, whilst playing with sponges in soapy water. They help themselves to books and handle them correctly. They recognise their names and attempt to trace them and enjoy writing for a purpose during role play activities.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy learning about numbers and mathematical concepts through everyday routines, songs and games. They use their fingers to support their understanding of counting, for example, how many children need a snack, and begin to recognise numerals through games like catching 'flies' with 'spiders'. They sing songs such as 'five little ducks' and talk about 'how many are left' and 'last' and 'more'. They enjoy matching games such as lotto and sorting items such as fruit into like groups.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy exploring in the garden for insects and feeding the pet chipmunks with fruit leftover from their snack. They observe growth and change through activities such as bread making and growing cress. They help themselves to recycled materials to create models and construct with bricks. They have excellent access to technology and enjoy working the video player freely as well as using disposable cameras to take pictures at will. They celebrate both their own and differing cultures.

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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 develop their whole body skills regularly and mostly outdoors. They are skilled at riding scooters and manoeuvering them around the 'road' and run up and down sloping paths safely. They practice throwing and rolling balls and pull themselves through tunnels. Their small hand skills are improving through using scissors and paintbrushes, eating with cutlery and pouring drinks. They are beginning to learn about their bodies and develop healthy habits.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy using their imaginations to paint and create models and collages with recycled materials. They use their voices to pretend to be jungle animals and make up songs and rhymes whilst playing, for example, with water. They enjoy dancing to different sorts of music. Staff support them well to develop their imaginative play through providing different role play resources and also children spontaneously play, for example, at 'an ice cream shop' with only the playhouse as a resource.

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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: • the involvement of parents in the assessment of children's progress. 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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