Willow Nursery School Clent

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 21/10/2004 Inspector Name Linda Christie Ravenall

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Broome Nursery Setting Address Clent Parochial First School Bromsgrove Road, Clent Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 9QP

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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

Broome Nursery opened in 1990. It operates from two connecting rooms in a purpose-built nursery building on the site of Clent Parochial Primary School. The nursery serves the local area. There are currently 32 children from 2 to 5 years on roll. This includes 15 funded 3-year-olds and 6 funded 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting can support children with special needs, and those who speak English as an additional language. The group opens five days a week during school terms. Sessions are from 9:00 to 2:45 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday or 9:00 to 11:45 on Thursday and Friday. A lunch club operates from 12:00 till 13:00 and attendance is optional. There are four part time staff who work with the children. All have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher/mentor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership

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How good is the Day Care?

Broome Nursery provides good quality care for children. The staff implement a well-documented operational plan and vetting procedures are good. Space is used imaginatively both indoor and outside. Activities are very well organised. However, the nappy change environment lacks warmth. An extensive collection of both natural and man-made resources is used effectively to support children's development in all areas. Comprehensive records are well maintained to promote the children's learning and welfare. The staff promote the children's safety with planned and unplanned learning activities. Risk assessments are generally good, but those relating to cleaning solutions and outside storage are ineffective. The staff are proactive in ensuring children's good hygiene and they understand the importance of regular hand

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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 washing. Refreshments are nutritious and they comply with dietary requirements. All children are valued and included. They have good access to resources and equipment to meet their individual needs well. Children are well cared for according to their specific needs and in line with parents' wishes. Staff have a confident awareness of their child protection responsibilities. The children have very good opportunities to be involved in an excellent range of stimulating activities. They are encouraged to make choices; their interests are fully respected and taken into account. The staff know the children well and they build on known interests of each individual child. Behaviour management strategies are most effective. There are clear consistent boundaries to enable children to know what is

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How good is the Day Care?

expected of them and they behave very well. There are well-developed relationships with parents. They receive regular information about the children's progress through a sharing diary and verbal exchanges with staff. As a result the children benefit from a supportive partnership of knowledge and expertise.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Good progress has been made since the last inspection. The setting was asked to review its equal opportunities policy to ensure it was up to date, consistent with current legislation, understood by staff and shared with parents. A comprehensive policy is now in place, it is clearly related to the setting and in line with current legislation. The staff demonstrate their understanding of anti-discriminatory practice in respect of admissions and daily care for individual children.

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What is being done well?

• There is an effective operational plan in place, which is implemented by the staff. Comprehensive policies and procedures are easily accessible. They provide good quality information for parents regarding staff, the children's activities and participation in a quality assurance scheme, Aiming for Quality. • Staff encourage children to be confident pro-active learners who enjoy their play and learning. The children are settled, have warm relationships with the staff and are keen to communicate with them. The children are safe, secure and valued as individuals. They relate well to each other and they thoroughly enjoy attending. • The outdoor play areas are used effectively to provide extended play and learning opportunities. Children feel free and stimulated to experiment and they are encouraged to broaden and extend their experiences of the world around them. They are interested in their environment and are keen to do

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What is being done well?

and find things out for themselves. • Resources are used imaginatively to help children learn and make progress. A very good collection of natural resources are used well to support children's development and learning in all areas. There are tubs of wellington boots and spare wet weather clothing to enable children to fully participate fully in the

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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 seasonal weather. Children learn to sweep, rake and scoop up autumn leaves to built hedges in their small world farm established outdoors on the playground. • Parental partnerships are cohesive. Written agreements are detailed and clear. This information is discussed with parents and used by the staff to plan a curriculum which takes account of, and is responsive to, the child's developmental needs. The positive ethos of what children can do, allows the staff to plan for the children's individual progress.

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What needs to be improved?

• nappy changing environment • effectiveness of risk assessments.

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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 4 Ensure the nappy changing environment is made welcoming to children. 6 Ensure the risk assessments are effective to minimize all identified risks relating to the toilet facilities and outside storage equipment.

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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?

Broome Nursery provides very good quality nursery education. Children are enthusiastic to learn and eager to be involved in the numerous learning opportunities, which are provided, to help them make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff organise space and resources most imaginatively to enable children to move freely between them and choose for themselves. Staff have good knowledge of the Foundation Stage. They plan creative and exciting activities, making excellent use of outdoors. Staff have high expectations of behaviour and extend children's development of good social values, self-esteem and confidence most effectively in a variety of ways. Staff know the children well and ensure that children are well supported, providing them with opportunities to extend their learning and ask questions to encourage children to think. They do not however, always provide frequent enough opportunities for

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How effective is the nursery education?

children to develop and practise their technology skills, such as through regular computer use. Effective procedures are in place for staff to support and include children with special educational needs and children with English as an additional language. Staff very closely plan, monitor and evaluate all children's progress, keeping full and clear records. They effectively use this information to plan what children should do next. Leadership and management are very good. The manager has been particularly effective in developing a committed staff team who work closely together. There is a good programme of staff development and training. Management and staff are totally committed to on-going improvement of the nursery and to providing high quality care and education for the children. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with very full and clear information and are encouraged to be involved in the nursery and their children's

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional progress is particularly well developed through a variety of ways. These include cuddly toy 'Hairy Horace', complete with pyjamas, toothbrush and spectacles. He visits children in their own home, reporting back on his adventures via a diary. Each child also has a 'special person' day, when they bring in their favourite toys, talk about themselves, answer children's questions and take responsibility for certain jobs. • Staff use excellent strategies to promote good behaviour and consideration for others. They are excellent role models and give children clear and

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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 consistent boundaries. Children genuinely mean sorry when they say it after accidentally bumping into another. • Staff are dedicated, committed and enthusiastic, working well as a team. They provide a colourful and stimulating environment with children's efforts creatively displayed around the nursery. They provide a wide range of stimulating activities, which they continually monitor and assess. As a result, the children are keen, excited and motivated to learn. • Extensive and frequent use is made of the outdoor area, where the children experience a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities, benefiting from the manager's Forest School training. • Parents are kept very well informed of their children's progress, including

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What is being done well?

individual daily diaries, records, discussions and open days. Parents receive full information and letters about the nursery, and notice boards clearly display information such as planned activities and how parents can help. Notices also explain children's activities in relation to the six areas of learning, to help increase parents' understanding and involvement. • Strong leadership and management, together with close liaison with parents, ensure commitment to providing good care and education for all children.

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What needs to be improved?

• more frequent spontaneous and planned opportunities for children to practise and develop their learning through the use of technology such as a computer.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection where no significant weaknesses were identified. There were points for development where the nursery agreed to develop staff's knowledge and understanding of computer skills to be able to provide more activities for the children, to further support their learning through technology. Staff's knowledge and understanding has been developed through training and familiarisation. There is ongoing liaison with school and a new range of equipment has been purchased, including CD and cassette players, walkie-talkies, radio-controlled and programmable toys, and a computer (with further computers in the process of being acquired). All this has led to the children having greater choice and opportunities to learn through the use of technology, and now, this can be further developed.

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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 interested, motivated to learn and extremely enthusiastic. Their confidence and self-esteem is built up by staff who are sensitive to their needs and who know them well. Children are encouraged to be independent and choose their own activities, selecting resources and taking care of their personal needs such as toileting and hand washing. Children understand the consequences of their actions. They behave well, share and take turns. They are polite and considerate towards others.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are keen to communicate with staff and each other, where staff skilfully extend their vocabulary, such as when making their farm outside. They enthusiastically join in with the numerous opportunities provided to enjoy songs, rhymes and stories. Children practise their writing skills. They develop their reading skills as they use books with enjoyment and see familiar words around them.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children show interest in numbers and counting, enjoying numerous number games and songs. They describe position, match, compare shape and size through many activities. They are learning about weight and measure, estimating for example how much cellophane is required to wrap dipped apples, in readiness for their harvest sale. They continually use mathematical language in their everyday play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children gain excellent insight into the natural world around them, as staff exploit the outside area. Children can be seen raking leaves and examining small creatures. They plant and care for seeds and bulbs, collecting conkers for their nature table. They make models from many materials. They talk about their lives, developing understanding of time, and enjoy opportunities to experience diversity. Their potential to develop understanding of technology however, is not always fully exploited.

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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 enjoy many opportunities, especially outdoors, to practise and develop their physical skills. They have room to run freely, negotiate trikes along chalked 'roads' and around obstacles, hop across logs, climb and manoeuvre through tunnels, learning awareness of space, themselves and others. They enjoy action rhymes and games. They learn how to use large tools such as garden rakes, and small equipment such as scissors, pencils and paintbrushes with increasing control and safety.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children can be seen playing imaginatively in a wide range of role play situations - from the doctor indoors in the home corner to outside in the farm, making fields and planting crops. They respond with their senses to adult enthusiasm in numerous activities, joining in songs and music. They explore a wide range of creativity, which includes using nature, such as in beetroot printing, and leaf pictures, with their end products creatively and effectively displayed around the nursery.

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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: • increase spontaneous and planned opportunities for children to develop and practise their learning through the use of technology such as a computer.

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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 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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