Carousel Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 16/06/2004 Inspector Name Frank William Kelly

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Carousel Day Nursery Setting Address Oxford Road Waterloo, Liverpool Merseyside L22 8QE

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Shirley Hogg and Amanda Ryan Address Carousel Day Nursery Oxford Road, Waterloo Liverpool Merseyside L22 8QE

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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

Carousel Day Nursery has been registered since 1994. It operates from a converted school that has 7 playrooms. There is a fully enclosed outdoor playarea. The setting serves the local area. There are currently 72 children from 2 months to 4 years on roll. This includes 16 funded 3 year olds and 13 funded 4 year olds. Children attend for a variety of full and part time sessions. None have special needs or speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens 5 days a week, 51 weeks per year. Sessions are from 08:00 to 18:00.There are 12 staff that work with the children on a full and part time basis. There are 12 staff that have early years qualifications and 2 who are currently on training programmes. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Carousel Day Nursery provides satisfactory care for the children. The staff are very friendly, they use the resources and children's art work to create a warm and welcoming environment. The children settle quickly and confidently. There are some good policies and procedures which staff generally implement well to support the care for the children. However the staff appraisal and management systems need to be more robust to ensure that the staff implement them consistently. The setting has an interesting range of toys and equipment. Staff rotate these on a regular basis. The children have some opportunities to make independent choices during their free play. The resources are of a good quality, and some reflect the diversity within today's society. The premises are mainly safe and staff supervise the children very well; however the risk assessments need to be updated. There are good policies for health that the

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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 staff generally exercise well. The children are learning to attend to their personal hygiene; they are familiar with when and why they should wash their hands. Systems are in place to support the children's individual dietary needs. Meal times are relaxed and sociable occasions. Staff provide the children with a range of activities that help them to progress; however opportunities during their daily routines are sometimes missed. The children are relaxed, and happy; they play with familiarity. Staff implement the procedures for encouraging the children's behaviour effectively. The children are polite, well behaved, take turns and cooperate well. There is some information about the setting. Staff have friendly and relaxed

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How good is the Day Care?

relationships with parents. They share information formally and informally on a daily basis.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the setting was requested to take actions to prepare and formalise documentation which included procedures for child protection, administration of medication and incident recording. Since then the setting has addressed all actions agreed by preparing and revising procedures which are shared with the staff through the induction procedure. These are to be further improved through the recommendations made under standard 2.

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What is being done well?

• Staff plan a variety of play and learning experiences that enable the children to progress in all areas of their learning. The children are interested in the resources and activities available to them. • The children are grouped appropriately and have good adult support. This helps the children to feel secure and confident in their environment. Staff attend to the babies individual eating and sleeping routines well. • The premises has a warm welcoming feel that the children actively contribute to. Staff display the children's creative work positively throughout the setting. • There are systems in place for sharing information both formally and informally. They encourage partnership and provide a base where the children's individual needs can be met with care. • The toys and equipment are of a good quality, and well maintained.

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What needs to be improved?

• the documentation with regards to procedures for lost children, operational plan, information provided to parents, accident and medication records

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What needs to be improved?

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 opportunities for staff appraisal • the staff training for child protection and children with special needs • the risk assessments, • the children's access to resources, and opportunities to practise their independent skills.

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 14 Devise and formalise procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost. 31/07/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 2 Formalise the operational plan, and include arrangements for staff appraisal, on going staff training, and management monitoring systems to ensure that staff implement all policies and procedures consistently. 3 Provide children with opportunities to make independent choices during their play, and consider how they can further develop their independence during daily routines. 14 Revise and update documentation.

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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?

Carousel Day Nursery is acceptable but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's learning towards the Early Learning Goals in Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Physical development and Creative development is limited by some significant weaknesses in the provision. Children are making generally good progress in the areas of Personal, Social and Emotional development, Communication, Language and Literacy and Mathematical development. Teaching has some significant weaknesses. Staff respond well to the children and greet them warmly on arrival. They use praise very well to boost the children's self esteem. However, staff's limited knowledge of the stepping stones hinders their ability to effectively plan, assess and record the children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff are good role models of polite behaviour and have high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff set out toys according to a plan but lack

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How effective is the nursery education?

understanding of what children are to learn from them. Staff do not encourage children to access resources to initiate or extend their own play. Leadership and management has some significant weaknesses. There are distinct gaps in the provision. This is mainly due to a lack of systems to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the staff and the provision. The operational plan is not clear so staff lack direction. Staff have little knowledge of the Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and a system is not yet in place to provide support. Parents and carers are warmly welcomed and are informed about their child's care through good daily informal sharing of information. Parents are given little information about the activities provided by the nursery to promote the early learning goals. Parents receive information about their child's achievements but this does not

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How effective is the nursery education?

relate to their progress towards the early learning goals.

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What is being done well?

• Staff place a high emphasis on developing children's reading skills. Many children recognise a range of common words and read simple sentences in books from the nursery reading scheme. Children learn poems which helps them recognise rhyming sounds. They place objects on display that begin with the letter of the week. • Children work well on their own and in groups. They show care and concern for each other. They share fairly and take turns when playing games, such as lotto or find a pair, with an adult. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and most children understand and follow the rules. Children relate well to staff and speak confidently to known and unknown adults.

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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 planning so all staff have a clear understanding of their role and what children are to learn • opportunities for children to select resources, initiate and extend their own play, use tools and experiment with materials • the programme for knowledge and understanding of the world to • a) increase children's access to investigative equipment so they can explore and observe natural and made objects • b) provide opportunities for children to design, make and assemble using a range of tools and materials • c) increase children's access to everyday technology and programmable toys • children's access to practical, meaningful activities where they can attempt writing for a variety of purposes, use numbers and solve mathematical problems. • the programme for creative development to allow children time and space to use the tools and materials, express their own ideas and be creative.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made poor progress in addressing the two key issues from the last inspection. These issues relate to maximising opportunities for children to write their own names and to see the link between spoken and written numbers. Also, to ensure parents are provided with information about their child's progress that relates directly to the areas of learning. Best use is not made of opportunities for children to practice mark making or write their own names. Staff write the children's names on their work. Pencils are stored at the children's level but they are not actively encouraged, by staff, to use them. Posters showing numbers are displayed on the walls but staff do not refer to them or use them effectively as a learning tool. A till and a café price list are accessible in the role play area. These are not used effectively to teach children about use of numbers. Staff do not role model their use

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What has improved since the last inspection?

to teach children that numbers are used for a purpose. 'Plotting progress' books have been introduced and staff highlight the stepping stones if the children have achieved them. Staff's limited knowledge of the stepping stones affects their ability to assess children's learning. Parents are given a portfolio of children's work and a record sheet of progress when their child leaves the nursery. However, the records still do not relate directly to the stepping stones.

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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 confidently choose where they wish to play in the room but have few opportunities to develop their own play. Children have limited opportunities to be independent learners. Children sit quietly when appropriate, share toys and take turns fairly. They wait patiently for their turn when playing group games such as lotto or find a pair. They talk freely about their home and are developing respect for their own culture and beliefs and that of others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's spoken language is developing well. They are confident speakers and very good listeners. Children enjoy group story sessions, listen attentively and join in appropriately. Many children follow a reading scheme and can recognise common words and read simple sentences. Children have few opportunities to practice early writing. They do not often write for a purpose, for example, to label their work, caption displays or make lists. However, some older children write recognisable letters.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children recognise numerals and many count beyond 10. They enjoy number rhymes. Children have few opportunities to use numbers for a purpose in everyday practical situations. Children enjoy well planned activities to learn about early addition and subtraction and to compare groups of objects. They show a good interest in exploring shapes and fitting them together.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children have a good sense of time and place. They talk confidently about their homes and families and enjoy sharing news. They learn about their own cultures and beliefs and that of others through planned discussions and interesting activities. Children have few opportunities to explore, investigate and learn about everyday technology. Their opportunities to select tools to design, make and assemble using a range of materials is limited. Children build well using construction equipment.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children move confidently and safely with control, inside and outside, and are developing a good awareness of space. Children handle cutlery and construction equipment well and with increasing control. Children use large equipment appropriately to develop their physical skills but have limited access on a daily basis to small equipment such as scissors, paint brushes or glue sticks to develop their fine motor skills.

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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: Significant Weaknesses Children enjoy singing songs and rhymes. They use percussion instruments well at music sessions. All children play imaginatively with small world equipment such as the farm animals. Younger children use the home play area well to express their thoughts and feelings. Children have limited opportunities to explore a range of materials and use their imagination in art and design.

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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 but has some significant areas for improvement. Children's progress towards the early learning goals is limited by some significant weaknesses. The next inspection will take place in one to two years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Key Issues • identify, in the planning, the learning intentions and links to the stepping stones so all staff have a clear understanding of their role and what children are to learn • increase opportunities for children to make progress in the areas of knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development so the overall curriculum is balanced • give children real opportunities to select resources, initiate and extend their own play and time to use tools and experiment with materials • provide children with practical, meaningful activities where they can attempt writing for a variety of purposes, use numbers and solve mathematical problems.

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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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