Werneth School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 19/10/2004 Inspector Name Janet Butlin

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Humpty Dumpty Day Nursery (Dartmouth) Setting Address Milton Lane Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9HW

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Humpty Dumpty Childcare Limited 4736208

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Humpty Dumpty Childcare Limited Address Milton Lane Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9HW

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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

Humpty Dumpty Nursery (Dartmouth) opened in 1994, and occupies premises situated in the campus of Dartmouth Community College. There is enclosed outdoor play space. The nursery is one of a group of three private nurseries running in South Devon and is administered from the Humpty Dumpty Childcare Services head office based in Totnes. The nursery is open daily from 08.00 to 17.30 and is registered for 27 children aged from three months to five years. There are currently 45 children enrolled, eight of whom are three-year-olds and five are four-year-olds in receipt of funding. The group supports children with special needs. There are no children attending who have English as an additional language. Seven staff are regularly employed in the nursery, three of whom are qualified to NVQ level three and three to level two. There is accessible additional support from senior members of the nursery chain. The nursery maintains contact with the Devon Early Years Development and

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How good is the Day Care?

Humpty Dumpty Nursery (Dartmouth) provides satisfactory care for children. They offer a welcoming environment where children are eager and happy to learn and are sensitively cared for. The children have warm and trusting relationships with staff. Organisation is good and there are clear procedures which are shared with all staff. The premises are welcoming and there is a fenced and secure outside play area although facilities within the unit are limited. Generally good support is given to ensure children enjoy their time in the group and many worthwhile activities are offered. However, staff are still developing their understanding of how to plan developmentally appropriate activities for younger children and at some parts of the day staff are not deployed effectively. There is an adequate range of resources. Satisfactory consideration is given to issues of safety and risk assessments are undertaken on the premises, however they are not routinely done on a daily basis on

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How good is the Day Care?

the playrooms or the outside area. A rigorous record is kept of visitors to setting. All documentation is in place. Hygiene is satisfactory and very conscientious thought is given to the preparation and presentation of nutritious food. The group has a sound awareness of caring for children with special needs although communicating

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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 regarding their needs has weaknesses. The nursery has a very secure awareness of child protection and gives sound consideration to equality of opportunity. Children's behaviour is managed satisfactorily overall. There is a good partnership with parents. The nursery ensures that there are opportunities to talk to, and communicate with, parents and to share information about children's activities and achievements.

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What is being done well?

• There is a very clear operational plan which works well in practice. • There is a good partnership with parents. • Good emphasis is given to ensuring that snacks and meals are healthy and nutritious.

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What needs to be improved?

• providing sufficient suitable toilets for adults and children • staff's confidence in planning developmentally appropriate activities for younger children and staff deployment • information regarding children's individual needs, with particular regard to children who have special educational needs and whose care is shared between company settings • risk assessments so that they include the outdoor environment and are undertaken sufficiently frequently.

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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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WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE 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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 3 Devise a system for planning and implementing a suitable range of activities for young children, which is appropriate for their stage of development, is based on their individual needs and ensures that staff are deployed effectively. 4 Produce an action plan showing how, and in what timescale, sufficient toilets will be provided for the number of staff and children attending. 6 Develop and implement risk assessments so that they are undertaken sufficiently frequently and include the outdoor environment. 10 Ensure sufficient information is available on site regarding children's special needs, particularly when care is shared with other nurseries.

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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?

Humpty Dumpty Day Nursery (Dartmouth) offers generally good quality nursery education. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Their progress in the areas of Personal, social and emotional development, physical development and mathematics is very good. Children are confident and well behaved. Teaching is generally good. Plans show a broad range of activities are offered covering all areas of learning but staff are still developing their confidence in referencing planned activities to the early learning goals. There is one main Foundation Stage practitioner on site who knows the children well but children's individual challenge and progression is not given sufficient emphasis in the planning so that other staff can follow and be consistent. Some children do not attend full-time so their access to the curriculum is limited. Staff deployment impacts on the

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How effective is the nursery education?

continuity of activities and the development of children's learning as the programme is often interrupted. The nursery has no funded children attending who have special educational needs but there is an effective system in place to provide sound support. There are no children attending who have English as an additional language. The setting has a satisfactory range of equipment to cover all areas of learning but the way in which they are presented limits children's opportunities to initiate their own learning, particularly in the area of communication, language and literacy. Leadership and management are generally good. The staff are supported in their professional development mostly by in-house training. The setting is committed to improvement and some monitoring takes place. They maintain contact with the Devon Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. They have some contact with the Foundation Stage Advisory Team. There is a very good partnership

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How effective is the nursery education?

with parents. Helpful information is provided and regular communication welcomed.

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What is being done well?

• Children are happy, confident, eager to learn and settle quickly to play. • Physical development is well presented and given strong emphasis. • Mathematical development is promoted through whole group activities and the careful use of puzzles and games. • There is a very good partnership with parents who are enabled to view and discuss progress records regularly.

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What needs to be improved?

• organisation and presentation of resources to ensure children have opportunities to extend and initiate learning during their free play, for example

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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 mark-making in role-play • monitoring access to the curriculum of children who attend part-time • ensuring that children receive support appropriate to their stages of development by developing key staff's confidence in planning for progression through the stepping stones

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made generally good progress with the key issues arising from the previous inspection. They provide frequent opportunities for children to develop their large muscles even when the weather prevents them from using the equipped outdoor area. There have been staff changes since the last inspection and therefore the programme of training for staff to support their understanding of the early learning goals is ongoing.

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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 enter the setting happily and settle quickly to play. They are confident to talk to adults and their playmates and co-operate well at popular activities, taking turns and sharing fairly, for example when cooking. They serve each other drinks at snack time and respond politely. Children are able to concentrate for substantial amounts of time at their chosen activities and are sensitive to cultural diversity. They are enabled to feel proud of their achievements.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Lively discussion develops children's vocabulary and communication skills. They use and enjoy books and are keen to listen to stories, although these are sometimes disrupted. They anticipate any rhyme and predict what will happen next, joining in with actions where appropriate. They have some opportunities to recognise their names and planned activities promote name writing, however opportunities for children to make marks and write whenever they want to, for example in role-play, are limited.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have many opportunities through planned activities and everyday routines to practise counting and are also encouraged to recognise numerals from zero to ten. They use appropriate mathematical language to describe objects and to compare them by size, shape and position, for example discussing the comparative sizes of the balls of dough and how they should organise them to fit the dough cutter. Jigsaws are used effectively to enable children to recreate patterns.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Good use is made of local resources to widen children's awareness of the world. They join together with children from the partner nursery to enjoy events such as a visit from a wild-life show and are able to remember the features of animals they saw. They operate a computer confidently and it is used appropriately to record children's experiences and aid their discussion. They are interested in investigating why things work but resources are not consistently available to enable them to do this.

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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 Well presented activities ensure children develop an awareness of space as they dance and move around the setting. They develop balancing skills using low apparatus and enjoy exploring the challenging climbing frame. They understand that physical exercise makes them warm which develops their bodily awareness. They effectively develop their small muscles using a variety of equipment such as spreading their own toast, pouring drinks, completing jigsaws and manipulating dough.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy exploring colour, for example mixing coloured sand and discussing how the colours change. They dance to music and sing along to well known songs with confidence, remembering the actions that go with them. They develop imaginary scenarios using small world toys and are keen to dress up, however, dressing up is not provided frequently enough and the home corner is uninspiringly presented.

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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

• improve organisation and resources to ensure children have opportunities to extend and initiate learning during their free play and monitor access to the curriculum of children who attend part-time • ensure children receive support appropriate to their stages of development by developing key staff's confidence in planning for progression through the stepping stones

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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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