Ellen Wilkinson Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 26/04/2004 Inspector Name Linda Janet Chauveau

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Helston Day Nursery Setting Address Church Hill Helston Cornwall TR13 8NR

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Helston Day Nursery

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Helston Day Nursery Address Church Hill Helston Cornwall TR13 8NR

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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

Helston Day Nursery is a well established provision. It operates from a large portable building, situated in the grounds of Helston Community College. The nursery serves the local area. There are currently 24 children from birth to five years on roll. This includes five funded three year olds and three funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting is not currently supporting children with special needs, or who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The group opens five days a week during school term times and for parts of the school holidays. Sessions are from 08:00 until 17:00. The nursery employs four full time staff to work with the children. All the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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How good is the Day Care?

Helston Day Nursery provides good care for children. The nursery is run by a fully qualified core of staff, who are committed to professional development. A management committee employs the staff. The committee is not fully clear about its roles and responsibilities; such as appraising the performance of the nursery manager. A comprehensive set of policies and procedures underpins the operation of the nursery. The nursery operates in a warm and stimulating environment, which is well laid out to enable suitable care to be given to children of all ages. The nursery is very safe and secure with sensible systems in place for monitoring access to the provision. Staff place strong emphasis on safety and hygiene. Good procedures are followed when monitoring sleeping babies and carrying out nappy

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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 changes. Appropriate records are maintained to record accidents and the administration of medication. Healthy and nutritious snacks and hot lunches are offered. The nursery is able to care for children with additional needs. Staff have a good awareness of child protection procedures. Staff plan a variety of activities designed to meet the needs of all ages attending the nursery. Babies aged under two are well cared for. Their individual routines are followed and they are included in many of the daily activities as well as having their own play equipment. Older children enjoy playing with a good range of well looked after toys and resources, which are varied during the weekly timetable. Staff enjoy their time with the children and set good examples which encourage good

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How good is the Day Care?

behaviour. Children know the nursery routines well. The nursery is creating effective partnerships with parents. Good information for parents is provided in the prospectus. Comprehensive registration forms enable staff to obtain sufficient information from parents about their child to provide suitable care. Information about children's progress is shared in several ways, both formally and informally.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the nursery was asked to provide paperwork to support the occasional use of Helston School's mini bus, insurance and valid driving licence details are now available if used. They were also asked to provide evidence of how adult to child ratios are being met. This is now done by relating details of children booked in to attend on register with staff availability. Currently all staff work at nursery on a full time basis.

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What is being done well?

• The nursery environment is very good. Space is used well to enable children to access various play and education activities, both in mixed and separate age groupings. The premises are well decorated with lots of posters and children's work displayed at their eye level. • Provision for babies aged under two is good. They are integrated well into the daily routines and included into group play activities and circle times. Their individual eating and sleeping patterns are supported by staff. Staff ensure that good attention is given to recording and exchanging information with parents. • The operation of the nursery is underpinned by comprehensive policies and procedures. These enable the staff to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. The detailed registration forms ensure that staff receive sufficient information about a child's individual needs to provide suitable care.

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What needs to be improved?

• the committee's understanding of its roles and responsibilities

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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 appraisal system for the manager and support for staff.

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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 12 Ensure that committee members receive sufficient information about their roles and responsibilities to support the operation of the nursery and the management of the staff. 2 Ensure the management committee supports the staff team by carrying out regular staff appraisals

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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?

Helston Day Nursery offers good quality nursery education where children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is generally good. Staff have a sound understanding of how children learn. They plan and provide a range of practical activities. The preschool room is bright and welcoming and children's work is well displayed. Staff manage behaviour very well. They put in place clear structures and routines and they have high expectations for behaviour. Children do not always have sufficient opportunities to make independent play choices. Some activities are too lengthy and complicated for younger children and learning intentions are not always met. Children show good levels of concentration and perseverance at activities. They have good relationships with staff and each other. They play well together. Children are very confident speakers. They demonstrate effective listening skills when

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How effective is the nursery education?

listening to information and stories. Children learn about size through practical activities. They are beginning to count and recognise numerals. Children learn about the natural world in a variety of interesting ways. Children are confident movers and show control and skill when climbing. They do not have sufficient access to creative materials. Leadership and management are very good. The setting has undergone some management changes recently, but the manager and her staff are committed to developing their own practice. They are committed to ongoing training and development and make good use of support and advice from outside agencies. The small staff team work very well together and all are aware of their roles and responsibilities. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good quality information about the setting and activities through displays and newsletters. They have daily opportunities for feedback and formal meetings are arranged to discuss

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What is being done well?

• Children show good levels of concentration and perseverance at their chosen activities, and during circle and story time. They behave very well and have good relationships with staff and each other. • Children use language skills well. They speak with confidence when describing events or answering questions at circle time. They demonstrate good listening skills when listening to information and stories. • Children learn about the natural world through projects and visits from outside agencies. They show an interest as they touch and talk about 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 animals that are brought into the setting. • There is an effective partnership with parents. The setting has good settling in procedures and staff keep parents well informed of activities and topics that are ongoing. Parents have access to children's records at anytime, and regular opportunities to discuss progress and development.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to make independent play choices; • children's access to creative materials; • the system for evaluating the effectiveness of planned activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The setting has made very good progress since the last inspection. They make effective use of visits from outside agencies such as the fire service and animal sanctuary. They take children on occasional visits to local places of interest such as the local town and bird sanctuary. They have plans to develop the outside play area to include a sensory area and provide children with more opportunities to plant and grow seeds and bulbs. Staff now keep detailed records of children's progress and achievements. They display the curriculum plans for parents information.

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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 confident and settled in the setting. They show good levels concentration at chosen activities and when listening to stories and each other at circle time. They behave very well. They are encouraged to share and take turns. Children are developing their personal independence and can pour their own drinks at mealtimes. They are learning to put on their own aprons and wash their hands.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children use language skills well. They are confident speakers and speak well when describing events in their own lives. They have good listening skills and can recall information that they have heard at a later time. Children handle books well and enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. They have good access to factual books. Children are able to recognise their name and some children are beginning to write their name.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are beginning to recognise numerals and to count. They take part in counting activities when counting the numbers of children present for lunch and snack. They collect the correct number of plates and cups. They are gaining an awareness of shapes and they learn about shape through completing jigsaws and constructing with blocks and other items. They learn about size and measure as they compare lengths of rope when threading beads.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy learning about animals and their natural habitat as they listen with interest to a talk from a visitor. They enjoy touching the animals and can use words like slimy, smooth and hard to describe their textures. Children go on visits to places of interest like the local bird sanctuary, the library and shops. They learn about growth and change as they plant bulbs and watch them grow. Children have a good understanding of ICT and some demonstrate good control of a mouse.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have varied opportunities to develop their physical skills. They have daily use of the outdoor play area where they climb and balance on apparatus. They move with confidence and control when in the nursery. They negotiate obstacles and each other and show good awareness of younger children and babies that are present in the setting. They show good awareness of space and line up and sit well when asked to do so. They handle small tools with confidence.

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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: Generally Good Children enjoy using their imagination when they dress up and play in the shop or other role play area. They listen to a varied range of music and they have easy access to different musical instruments. They join in with familiar nursery rhymes and songs. They are able to recognise colour and discuss how to change colours to make pink. They do not have sufficient free access to paint and other materials, and many painting activities have an adult determined outcome.

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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 organisation of the session to give children more opportunities to make independent play choices. • Increase children's access to creative materials. • Continue to develop the system of evaluating the effectiveness of planned activities to meet key learning intentions, and whether they meet the needs of the more able / less able children.

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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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