Early Learning Years Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/02/2005 Inspector Name Deborah Wilkinson

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Early Learning Years Nursery Setting Address 19 The Grove Finchley London N3 1QN

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Early Learning Years Nursery Address 19 The Grove Finchley London N3 1QN

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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

Early Learning Years Nursery a full day care provision opened in 2002 and is located in a residential area of Finchley. The nursery operates from a self contained house near the main high road with good access to public transport and local amenities. The opening hours are 07:30 - 18:30 five days a week all year round. There are currently 51 children on roll including six funded three year olds and five funded four year olds. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special needs, and who speak English as an additional language. There is a team of nine staff working with the children some of whom work on a part time basis. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or above. One member of staff is completing the NVQ level 3 and two others intend to start NVQ courses within the next year. The nursery receives support from a teacher

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Information about the setting

from 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?

Early Learning Years Nursery provides good quality nursery education which enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in their physical development and mathematics and generally good progress in all the other areas. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff work closely with the children helping them to develop their independence and the children are happy, confident and well behaved. The written plans for the programme are fairly brief and do not identify how activities should be presented which can lead to difficulties for staff who are unfamiliar with the routine. The lack of detail in the plans also makes it difficult to clarify that each stage of the early learning goal has been addressed. Varied and interesting activities are planned by staff who aim to help children select their own materials but they may be hampered in this as often resources are not presented effectively.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Activities are repeated to ensure children who do not attend full time have the chance to participate. The leadership and management is generally good. There are regular team meetings and staff have individual appraisals. The manager monitors the provision and systems to evaluate the daily programme are being developed. All the staff are committed to developing the quality of the provision through sharing ideas, attending training whenever possible and working with the early years advisors. The partnership with parents is generally good, they express their satisfaction with the service provided and comment on the caring and helpful attitude of staff. They are kept informed about their child's progress through daily record sheets, verbal communication with staff and a six monthly review. However some parents are unclear about the Early Years curriculum and how staff observe and assess children.

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What is being done well?

• Strategies to help develop children's independence are good. Staff help them to choose their own materials, decide when to have their snack, to serve themselves at lunchtime and put on their coats when necessary. • The management of behaviour is good. Staff speak quietly to the children, they encourage them to listen to each other, take turns and share and the children respond well. • The introduction of Teddy Care Bear allows children to take him home for a night and encourages them to think about his needs and relate them to

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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 themselves. • The good use made of the small outdoor area where children have the opportunity to practise and develop their physical skills. They also learn to respect other living things when they avoid treading on the bulb pots arranged around the edge.

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What needs to be improved?

• the written planning • resources to reflect the diversity within the nursery and the community • the development of specific activity areas • resources for ITC

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This is the first nursery education inspection

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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 happy and confident, able to make choices although this can be limited by the way in which resources are stored. They express their feelings, share news at circle time and are engrossed when being introduced to Teddy Care Bear and his suitcase. Children are independent, they concentrate on their chosen task and can work alone or in groups . Their behaviour is good, they share and respond well to instructions. Resources reflecting the diverse make up of the group are limited.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children communicate well. They participate in discussions, listen to others and enjoy stories. Some write their names and one confirmed the spelling of anothers by checking the coat pegs. They enjoy singing, listening to stories and one retold a favourite tale. There are many examples of text including named pegs and placemats, posters displayed however some are too high for children to see easily and there are limited reference books for children to use.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children count the number of boys and girls in the circle and are able to say which group is biggest. They sing number rhymes and identify which child is hiding under the blanket and the gap they have left. Children learn about shape, size and measurement as part of the practical activities planned, they play matching games like dominoes and some can count out 20 cards to be used in a game. They measure their bulbs and calculate the number of plates and cups needed for lunch.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children peel fruit and talk about the tree it grows on. They smell teddy care Bear's soap and toothpaste and feel his flannel. They water their flower bulbs, wash dolls and play with sand. One talks about visiting the fair, another about having her hair plaited. Words in their different language helps children contribute to topics. Children decorate boxes to keep their work in and use scissors and glue to cut and re-assemble paper. There are limited opportunities for to learn about ITC.

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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 The outside area is well used. Children move around confidently, they climb, balance and go through the tunnel. There are balls, hoops and ride on toys. Inside children move between the downstairs rooms freely, they sit in a circle and cross their legs to make room for a child in the middle. Two join hands and dance spontaneously. A project about bodies and looking after Teddy Care Bear teach them about staying healthy and using a variety of tools helps children develop good fine motor skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make spaghetti with the playdough, draw self portraits, create displays of handprints on a large sheet and make paper houses for their families. They enjoy role, play brush a member of staff's hair in the hairdressers and dress up to perform a play at Christmas. They talk about materials they are using, one child remarking about the "Yucky playdough" as he rolls it in glitter. There is little evidence of children's free painting or large model making.

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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

• develop the written plans to identify the purpose and presentation of activities and how these address the Early Learning Goals • plan each activity area so that children can identify the resources needed and access these easily • increase the resources that reflect the diversity within the nursery and the local community • provide opportunities for children to learn about and experience everyday ITC 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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