Castle Hill Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/02/2003 Inspector Name Frances Turner

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Castle Hill Day Nursery Setting Address 5 King Street Todmorden West Yorkshire OL14 7SL

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Castle Hill Day Nursery is a privately owned setting providing full day care for children under five years of age. The nursery was originally established in 1981 and has been operating under the current ownership since 1998. It is situated in the Todmorden area of Calderdale and children attending are cared for in three play rooms according to age. Children access outdoor play in the fully enclosed outdoor area and through visiting places of interest in the community. The nursery serves families in the local residential area and operates year round Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 18:00. There are 44 children currently on the register 20 children are aged between three and five years, of these children there are nine funded three year olds and no funded four year olds. None of the children attending have special educational needs or speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs nine staff of which two staff members care directly for three and four year old

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Information about the setting

children. All staff members currently hold or are working towards gaining appropriate childcare qualifications, there is a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator whom is responsible for the monitoring of the care and development of children attending with special educational needs. The nursery receives regular support from the teacher advisor from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, this includes staff attendance at the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership Network meetings. There has been a significant change within the nursery during the past six months, three and four year old children have recently moved into a new playroom extension, there have been staff changes including changes of responsibilities linked to the foundation stage.

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How effective is the nursery education?

Castle Hill Day Nursery is a stimulating and welcoming environment where children attending make generally good progress towards the Early Learning Goals. Children's behaviour is good. They make very good progress in their personal, social, emotional, communication, language and literacy, mathematics, and in their creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. In their physical development children make generally good progress. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the foundation stage including the early learning goals and provide a stimulating and challenging range of practical activities to encourage children's learning. Play activities are regularly rotated within the setting, however, staff manage many of the resources limiting children's opportunities to self select. Effective assessment procedures are in place within the setting to monitor individual children's

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How effective is the nursery education?

development and progress. The leadership and management is generally good. The nursery demonstrates commitment to improving the care and education of children attending through monitoring and assessing current provision. An informal identification of training needs is carried out amongst staff and relevant training courses accessed. The setting has received teacher support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and attends local Network meetings to further develop teaching practices. The partnership with parents is satisfactory. The setting has attempted to provide parents with information and home links about their own child's education including progress towards the Early Learning Goals. Parents are aware of some of the activities their own children take part in during their time at the setting and many praise the use of group sizes and positive interactions between staff and children.

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What is being done well?

There is a strong focus on children's personal, social and emotional development, their development in communication, language and literacy and mathematics. As a result children are confident communicators and are beginning to use mathematics during play. There is a good range of role play resources which effectively support the way in which children learn about people within their community. Behaviour is good. Children are encouraged to consider the effects of their behaviour on others, they take turns and share during play. Staff are positive role models and demonstrate enthusiasm throughout their work. The manager of the nursery ensures continual improvement through regular monitoring of provision including equipment, resources, training and accommodation.

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What needs to be improved?

Opportunities for children to observe the effects exercise has on their bodies. The way staff manage resources, to enable children to have increased opportunities to choose from a range of mark making equipment and resources during activities. The partnership with parents to ensure all parents are fully informed of the foundation stage, the activities their child takes part in, progress and attainment of the early learning goals and home links to support development.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children enter the setting confidently and look for friends to join, they explore the environment and resources supported appropriately by staff. Behaviour is good, children are developing an understanding of expected behaviour including turn taking and sharing, they display high concentration levels and show perseverance in activities of interest. An understanding of cultures and beliefs is encouraged through planned activities.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children's development in communication, language and literacy is very good. Most three and four year olds are beginning to form recognisable letters and some spell their own names. Children enjoy and join in familiar rhymes and stories and contribute ideas in group activities. Staff provide challenging activities for children to practise early writing skills, however, there are limited opportunities for children to self select mark making equipment and resources during activities.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Mathematical development is very good. Children use number and mathematical language during play. Most three year olds can count to ten and some four year olds beyond. Through practical and purposeful play activities they are able to consolidate their understanding of quantity, addition and subtraction, weight and measure and shape. They demonstrate motivation and perseverance when playing with puzzles and talk about making patterns during sand play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children's development in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good. They benefit from a variety of play activities in which they explore and find out about their own environment and the wider world. children are learning about the natural world through planned activities including planting bulbs and observing growth, creating a wormery and playing outside during all weathers. They share stories and have good play resources to raise awareness of others in their community.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Physical development is generally good. Children develop good manipulative skills through the use of a range of resources and one handed tools. Children are gaining appropriate health knowledge such as healthy eating and hygiene, however, they are not sufficiently encouraged to develop and awareness of the effects of exercise on their bodies. They develop spatial awareness and co-ordination as they wheel bikes and prams and regularly access large apparatus to develop gross motor skills.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children's creative development is very good. Children enjoy role play activities and are able to access a wide range of resources with which they play in small groups acting out stories. Most three year olds differentiate between primary colours and some more able children identify secondary colours. Children have regular opportunities to take part in art and craft activities and are developing rhythm through music and movement sessions.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered appropriately: Y

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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

Develop the partnership with parents to ensure that parents are informed of the foundation stage, the planned activities carried out within the setting including home links to support learning, their own child's individual attainment and progress to the Early Learning Goals. Extend opportunities for children to self select from a range of mark making equipment and resources and opportunites for children to observe the effects of exercise on their bodies.

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