St Ann's Well Nursery and Infant School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 26/11/2004 Inspector Name Carol Newman

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Christopher Robin Nursery Setting Address St. Christopher's Church Claygate Lane, Hinchley Wood Esher Surrey KT10 0AQ

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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

Christopher Robin Nursery has been under its present ownership since 1996. It operates from the hall of St.Christopher's Church in Hinchley Wood. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 09:15 to 12:30, term time only. The children have use of the main hall and access to a secure outdoor area. Ther are currently 27 children aged from 2 to under 5 years on roll. Of these 16 receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local community. The nursery has procedures in place to support children with special educational needs. The nursery employs six staff. Four of the staff, including the owner/manager, hold an appropriate early years qualification. Three members of staff hold a current first aid certificate.

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How good is the Day Care?

Christopher Robin Nursery offers satisfactory care for children. Staff create a warm and welcoming environment and good use is made of space so that children can move freely from one activity to another. There are sufficient staff working with the children and children are well supervised. Children have easy access to an excellent range of toys, furniture and equipment that provide stimulating learning opportunities. Some documentation is in place and stored securely, however some records relating to day care activities do not meet current requirements and are not readily accessible on the premises. The security of the premises is very good and effective procedures for the safe arrival and departure of children are in place. Staff ensure all areas used by children are clean and hygienic and fresh drinking water is available at all times. However, children use the same towel when washing their hands after messy activities. Staff

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How good is the Day Care?

are aware of children's dietary needs and adhere to them. Staff treat all children and adults with equal respect and activities are adapted to enable all children to take part. However, action is not always taken, at the earliest opportunity, when children

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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 with special educational needs are identified or admitted to the setting. Staff adhere to the Code of Practice and know what action to take if they have concerns about a child in their care. Children are involved in a broad, challenging range of activities that support their development in all areas. They are independent and free to make choices. Strategies for dealing with unwanted behaviour are age appropriate and consistently applied. Staff are patient and kind and good behaviour is valued and encouraged through the effective use of praise. Staff work in partnership with the parents for the benefit of the children. Staff are friendly and approachable. They make themselves available to talk with parents to

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What is being done well?

• Staff are deployed effectively to ensure children are well supervised at all times. The deputy has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities. • Children are involved in a broad range of activities that support their learning in all areas. • A good range of toys, furniture and equipment are easily accessible to the children. • Staff create a warm and welcoming environment for adults and children. The space is well organised allowing children to move freely from one activity to another. Children's work is displayed attractively. • Staff have a consistent approach to managing unwanted behaviour. Good behaviour is valued and encouraged through the effective use of praise and encouragement.

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What needs to be improved?

• the action taken when children with special educational needs are identified or admitted to the setting • prior written parental permission to seek emergency medical treatment and to administer medication • the documentation and record keeping with regard to medication, existing injuries, arrival and departure times in the attendance register, first aid certificates, fire practices and the Child Protection policy • the maintenance of an accurate record of visitors to the setting • the hygiene practices regarding hand washing after messy activities.

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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

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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 7 Request written permission from parents for administering medication and for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment. 31/12/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 14 Ensure that all records relating to day care activities meet current requirements, are readily accessible on the premises and available for inspection at all times, particularly with regard to the Child Protection policy, attendance record, accident, incident and existing injuries records, medication records and first aid certificates. 10 Ensure that staff are proactive in ensuring that appropriate action is taken when children with special educational needs are identified or admitted to the setting. 6 Ensure that accurate records regarding visitors to the setting and fire practices are maintained.

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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?

The provision of nursery education at Christopher Robin Nursery is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children's progress in creative development and physical development is very good and their progress in all other areas of learning is generally good overall. Quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a good understanding of how young children learn. They plan a range of activities that help children make good progress. Staff interact well with children and support their learning in all areas of the curriculum by being good role models. Children behave well. They are encouraged to respect each other and their environment. Activities are well managed and attractively presented. Children's significant achievements are recorded through informative observations and the workbooks and children's progress is outlined in the reports. However, the

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How effective is the nursery education?

stepping stones are not used in planning, observation and record keeping to ensure that children's individual learning needs are accurately incorporated into short term planning. Some procedures are in place to enable children with special educational needs to participate in activities. However, these are not implemented at the earliest opportunity. Leadership and management are generally good. Staff are encouraged to enrol on relevant courses. The staff team are committed to the improvement of the educational provision. However, the action plan from the last inspection has not been fully implemented. The partnership with parents is generally good. Parents are well informed about the children's activities. Staff share their observations of the children informally, on a daily basis and through the workbooks. However, home experiences, particularly with regard to the rich cultural diversity of the children, are not utilised effectively.

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What is being done well?

• Children move confidently and their fine motor skills are developing well. They are competent when using the climbing frame and when selecting and using small equipment such as scissors, glue sticks and paintbrushes. They show good co-ordination when jumping, running and balancing. •• Children use their imagination and express their ideas creatively. They act out well-known scenarios and stories during role-play. They paint, draw, sing and make collages that represent their experiences. • Staff create a stimulating environment where children's work is beautifully displayed and labelled. They are good role models who demonstrate a

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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 positive attitude towards learning by presenting activities enthusiastically. They support children's imaginative play well by asking questions to make children think. • Parents are involved in their child's learning through the suggested activities that can extend learning at home. They are informed of their child's progress through comprehensive reports and the workbooks.

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What needs to be improved?

• the use of the stepping stones towards the early learning goals in planning, observation and record keeping in order to ensure that children's individual learning needs can be accurately incorporated into short term planning • the use of home experiences to develop learning in the setting, particularly with regard to the rich cultural diversity of the children • the steps taken to ensure that all children with special educational needs can access all areas of the curriculum, in order to make the best possible progress.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There are some significant weaknesses in progress since the last inspection. At the last inspection the group agreed to extend the staff's knowledge of the Foundation Stage, particularly with regard to phonic knowledge, early writing skills and awareness of addition and subtraction. Additional learning strategies have been introduced in the daily routine. These include the letter of the week, opportunities to write in role play, number rhymes and games and numeracy/literacy workbooks. Although the action plan identifies that children will be encouraged to write their name on their work, evidence of this at inspection, was limited. The group also agreed to develop further the planning system to show clear learning aims for activities which refer to the stepping stones. Observations and assessments are made to provide information regarding children's progress. However, neither these, nor the planning and record keeping, are sufficiently based on the stepping

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What has improved since the last inspection?

stones towards the early learning goals. Additionally, the group agreed to extend the assessment system so that regular observations are taken by staff and children's next steps are defined and to ensure parents are fully informed about children's progress. Regular, informative observations are made and these are used to identify some next steps for the children. However, these are not linked sufficiently to the stepping stones in order to determine the children's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents are encouraged to access the children's workbooks and to contribute to these.

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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 are well motivated and enjoy new challenges. They concentrate well at self-chosen activities such as role play in the veterinary surgery. Children demonstrate personal independence when they wash their hands and pour drinks. Children understand the rules within the setting and abide by them. This ensures good relationships and harmony. Children happily talk about their home lives. However this is not exploited sufficiently to raise the children's awareness of cultural differences.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident writers. They write during role-play and enjoy writing their names as an adult led activity. However, they are not always encouraged to write their name on pieces of work. Children enjoy an excellent range of books and handle them carefully. They spend time reading and sharing books. Children listen and negotiate well during role play. They express themselves clearly as they describe their activities. Children are able to link sounds to letters for the letter of the week.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children confidently count to ten and beyond. They join in with number rhymes such as "Ten Little Indian Boys" and use these to subtract. They construct graphs of favourite books and pets. Children's understanding of space, shape and measure is developing well. They recognise the properties of simple shapes and make patterns using puzzles and games. They use appropriate mathematical language during free play activities. Comparison of number is not used routinely throughout the day.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children explore bubbles, make bread and grow and care for daffodils. They begin to understand past and present as they talk about the date and the weather. They explore the environment when they visit the post box. Children care for "Pretty Kitty" overnight and discuss her activities. Children construct using materials such as large boxes and construction sets. Children celebrate some festivals. Home experiences are not utilised sufficiently to improve children's cultural awareness of others.

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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 move confidently and their fine motor skills are developing well. They are competent when using the climbing frame and when selecting and using small equipment such as scissors, glue sticks and paintbrushes. They show good co-ordination when jumping, running, balancing on stilts and beams, riding tricycles and kicking balls. Children respond enthusiastically when singing familiar songs such as "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". Children negotiate space well during these activities.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children use their imagination and express their ideas in a variety of different ways. They act out well-known stories such as "The Tiger Who Came to Tea", using small world figures. They role-play in the veterinary surgery and when they bake cakes and wash up. Children construct collages using a range of materials. Children paint with different sized brushes, cotton buds and sponges. They sing a range of familiar songs confidently and add actions where appropriate.

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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

• develop the use of the stepping stones towards the early learning goals in planning, observation and record keeping in order to ensure that children's individual learning needs can be accurately incorporated into short term planning • extend the use of home experiences to develop learning in the setting, particularly with regard to the rich cultural diversity of the children • develop the steps taken to ensure that all children with special educational needs can access all areas of the curriculum, in order to make the best possible progress.

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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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