Grestone Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 07/10/2003 Inspector Name Denys Rasmussen

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Buffer Bear Nursery Setting Address 21 Cheam Road Sutton Surrey SM1 1SN

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Buffer Bear Ltd Address The Hospitium Valpy Street Reading Berks RG1 1AR

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ORGANISATION 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

Buffer Bear Day Nursery opened in 2000. It operates from five nursery rooms within the site of Sutton Baptist Church. The nursery serves the local area. There are currently 55 children on roll. This includes funded three and four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are procedures in place to support children with special educational needs. The group currently supports two children with English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 7:00 until 19:00. There are nine staff. Six have early years qualifications and three are currently on training programmes.

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How good is the Day Care?

Buffer Bear Day Nursery provide good quality care for children aged three months to five years. It offers a warm and welcoming environment. The consistent routine and key worker system ensure the children feel secure and settled. Good interaction between staff and children help develop good relationships, however during lunch time in Panda room the deployment of staff limited good interaction with the children. The group plan daily activities well with a good variety of play resources and provide good learning and play opportunities. Good use is made of all available space, currently one of the nursery rooms is being used as a physical play room and there is a separate sleep room for the younger children. There is access to a secure outdoor area. The children are encouraged to follow good hygiene practises and know when to wash their hands. The group take positive steps to ensure the nursery is safe. Good

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How good is the Day Care?

risk assessment procedures are in place however they are not always followed. Parents are well informed about the group and activities on offer. The group share

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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 information about the children by written daily records, at parent evenings, an informative notice board and by producing regular newsletters. There is a comprehensive range of policies and procedures and all appropriate records are in place.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group agreed to forward DC2's for all staff, this was completed.

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What is being done well?

• The provision is well organised with comprehensive policies and procedures. (Standards 2 and 14) • The environment is welcoming and good use is made of space. (Standard 4) • The variety of play resources on offer provide a balanced range of activities. (Standard 5) • Good hygiene practises are fostered and most of the staff are trained in first aid. (Standard 7) • There are good procedures in place to support children with special needs. (Standard 10) • The provision works well in partnership with parents by having good channels of communication, good information about the setting and by respecting parents wishes. (Standard 12)

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What needs to be improved?

• risk assessment, to ensure food is not too hot. (Standard 6) • staff deployment at lunch time, to ensure children's needs are met.(Standards 9 and 11)

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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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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 6 Ensure food offered to children is of a suitable temperature. 9 Ensure there are adequate staff present during mealtimes to meet children’s individual needs.

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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?

Buffer Bear Nursery (Sutton) provides good quality nursery education where well planned teaching helps children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Staff plan effectively to provide a variety of practical activities, and understand what children learn from them. Activities are organised to provide numerous opportunities for children to learn and communicate ideas through hands-on experience, and progress in knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development is very good. Children's personal, social and emotional development is well supported in most areas through positive relationships and clear expectations of behaviour, although children's independence could be further encouraged in some areas. Resources are of good quality and most are well organised. However, there are learning opportunities that are missed

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How effective is the nursery education?

through the organisation of materials and planning for some aspects of communication, language and literacy. Leadership and management is very good. Staff have clear roles and responsibilities and are well supported to develop their experience through training. There is a clear commitment to improvement and effective systems are in place for evaluating and monitoring the provision. The partnership with parents is very good and contributes to children's overall good progress. Parents are well informed about events and activities at the nursery, and receive daily feedback about their child's progress as well as the opportunity to attend twice yearly parents evenings. Feedback from parents is actively sought, and is valued and taken into account by the nursery.

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What is being done well?

• Children are confident, eager to join in with activities and relate well to adults and peers. • Children learn through experience due to well planned and varied activities, and have good opportunities to explore and express their ideas. • Good use is made of the local environment to support the development of children's knowledge and understanding of the world. • Children's behaviour is good due to staff's high expectations and positive relationships with them. • Parents are provided with good quality information about their child's progress and are encouraged to be involved in their child's learning • The setting is committed to continual development and assessment of the provision

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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 organisation of writing materials so that children are encouraged to write independently and for a variety of purposes; • planning so that children have more opportunities to link letters to sounds; • opportunities for older/more able children to develop independence skills at meal and snack times

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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: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They are confident and motivated to learn, which supports their progress in all areas of the curriculum. Children are well behaved and form good relationships. They initiate conversations, work as part of a group, take turns and share. The independence of older children could be encouraged more during meal and snack times.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area. Children speak confidently, have good vocabulary, and use language to talk about real and imagined experiences and to negotiate. They show an interest in books and develop their reading skills by using the book area. They have too few opportunities to practise writing skills during free play and for a variety of purposes, and too few opportunities to link letters to sounds.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make generally good progress in this area. They show an interest in number and many children count confidently up to 10 and over. Children learn about number, shape, size and position through good practical activities and their learning is reinforced through everyday routines.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in this area. They have good practical opportunities to explore and investigate the natural world and the local environment, and to talk about past and present experiences. Children show an interest in information and communication technology, and complete simple computer programmes competently. Children build and construct with confidence using a variety of materials.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children make very good progress in this area. Children move confidently with co-ordination and control due to the good opportunities to use a range of small and large equipment. They have a good understanding of health and bodily awareness that is supported through daily routines.

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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 make very good progress in this area. They express their ideas and use their imagination in role play, art and design, and have good opportunities to explore media and materials. Children join in singing sessions enthusiastically and sing songs from memory.

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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 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

• provide more opportunities for children to use writing materials during free play and to practise writing for a variety of purposes. • provide more opportunities for children to link letters to sounds. • develop meal and snack time routines in order to further encourage children's independence.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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 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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