General Day Nursery & After School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/02/2005 Inspector Name Chris Scully

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name General Day Nursery & After School Setting Address 42-50 Sherdley Road St. Helens Merseyside WA9 5AB

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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

General Day Nursery and After School opened in 1996 and operates from six rooms within a converted church hall on the outskirts of St Helen's town centre. Children come from a wide catchment area. A maximum of 96 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open every week day from 07:30 till 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. The out of school operates from 15:00 till 18:00 in term time and 07:30 till 18:00 during the holidays. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area. There are currently 83 children from 3 months to 8 years on roll. This includes children up to the age of 11 years who attend the out of school and holiday club. Of these, 23 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery supports children with special needs and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 21 staff. Of these, 18 staff including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. There are 7 staff who are working towards a

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How good is the Day Care?

General Day Nursery and After School provide good care for children. A warm caring child centred environment is created where children can play and develop in comfort. Good use is made of space. Staff build warm relationships with the children that help them feel secure. Children have access to a range of quality resources; resources depicting diversity are satisfactory. Records are well organised though there are some omissions. Effective polices and procedures enable staff to be clear about their roles and responsibilities. The premises are maintained to a high standard and safe. Staff complete risk assessments to maintain children's safety, although this does not include sleep times. Staff demonstrate good hygiene practices through daily routines enabling children to learn the importance of good personal hygiene. Staff are attentive to children's dietary needs. Staff are aware of child protection issues and action that

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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 may need to be taken. Staff have clear expectations of children's behaviour, children respond well to staff's requests and are well behaved. Effective systems enable staff to meet children's individual needs well. Staff provide very good care to babies. Children receive high levels of praise and encouragement from staff. Children of all ages are engaged in purposeful play with staff spending considerable time talking to and listening to them. Parents are provided with high quality information about the setting and the care their child receives. Parents are provided with daily verbal and written exchanges of their child's day and progress. Parents have stated they are very happy with the level of care and education their child receives.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in addressing the 12 actions from the last inspection. All actions have been successfully completed to maintain the safety and well being of all children. The operational plan has been formalised and revised to include all policies relating to staff clearances and the vetting procedures. All rooms now have plans of activities to promote children's learning. Systems are in place to maintain good standards of hygiene in all areas of the nursery. Children have individual water bottles so that they may access a drink of water throughout the day. A range of toys and resources have been purchased to provide children with new learning experiences. Risk assessments identify areas of concern, hazardous plants, materials and the action take to maintain children's safety at all times both indoors and outside.

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What is being done well?

• Children enjoy a range of home cooked nutritious meals and snacks. All individual dietary needs are effectively catered for. Meal times are relaxed social occasions where children sit together to enjoy their meal. • Staff clearly understand the behaviour management policy and apply it consistently in practice. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement for positive behaviour, their efforts and achievements. This raises the children's confidence and self esteem. The staff show care and respect towards the children who respond and are well behaved. • Staff have a good awareness of safety. All reasonable steps have been taken to ensure the environment is safe and secure. The premises are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness, decoration and repair. Children learn about good personal hygiene through daily activities such as washing hands at appropriate times of the day. • A variety of interesting and stimulating activities are provided to all children.

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What is being done well?

Staff are in the process of instigating the Birth to Three Matters curriculum to enhance the care and education for younger children. Staff effectively record children's progress which enables them to them plan the next steps in the children's learning. Out of school children enjoy a variety of activities of their

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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 choice in a calm relaxed environment. A range of trips are provided through out the summer to extend their fun and enjoyment.

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

Staff caring for babies demonstrate a clear understanding of how babies and young toddlers learn and their strong exploratory impulses. They plan a range of stimulating and interesting activities to engage the babies and encourage their all round development in a fun, safe and caring environment. Babies and young toddlers enjoy using malleable materials such as goop and play dough that encourage their manipulative and sensory skills. Babies are keen to investigate the water and sand play using a range of resources and being fully supported by the staff. Younger babies are also introduced to creative activities such as hand painting. Babies and toddlers receive high levels of staff interaction. They consistently talk to and listen to babies and provide them with lots of praise and encouragement to explore the activities and their surroundings. Staff are currently introducing Birth to Three Matters and actively enable children to be a strong child, a

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An aspect of outstanding practice:

skilful communicator, a competent learner and a healthy child. Standard 3.

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What needs to be improved?

• the systems for monitoring older children who are sleeping • the systems for obtaining written consent to administer medication.

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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

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 Std Recommendation 6 Revise the systems for the monitoring and supervision of older children when they are asleep to ensure they are effectively applied. 7 Revise the systems for the administration of medication to ensure parents provide written consent before medication is administered.

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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?

General Day Nursery and After School provision is acceptable and of high quality. Children are making very good progress in all areas of their learning. Teaching is very good. Staff have a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage, the stepping stones and early learning goals. This enables them to support and promote children's learning effectively across the curriculum. Staff are confident, enthusiastic and interact well with the children. They effectively plan a range of interesting activities to stimulate the children's interest though children do not have regular opportunities to look at real objects. Plans reflect a varied programme of activities. Staff are sensitive to children's individual needs, act as good role models and the frequent use of praise promotes good behaviour and develops children's confidence and self esteem. The leadership and management are very good. Staff are well led by the provider

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How effective is the nursery education?

and manager and have clearly defined roles within the staff team. Staff work well together as a team and are all involved in assessing children's development and achievements. There is a strong commitment to ongoing staff development through regular training. The leadership is committed to the ongoing development of the provision with plans in place for the further development of the garden area. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with high quality information about the setting and the children's progress. Parents have termly opportunities to read the assessments and to make comment upon their child's progress. Daily verbal exchanges are informative and well received by parents. Parents speak positively about the setting and are very pleased with their child's progress.

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What is being done well?

• Staff provide a wide range of well resourced planned activities and experiences in a stimulating well organised learning environment. This contributes to children being active, independent and successful learners. • Staff place emphasis on helping children to learn about letters and sounds through daily fun activities. Children are actively encouraged to write their own names and write purposefully around the setting. This contributes to children's enthusiasm and very good progress. • Children show high levels of personal independence. Children confidently negotiate and organise themselves in activities. They develop a very good understanding of their own cultures and beliefs and those of others through well planned activities. • Children's understanding of mathematical concepts is developing very well. They confidently solve simple problems and count to 10. They confidently

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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 use mathematical language in every day conversation. • Children's creativity is fostered effectively. Children have good opportunities to explore their creativity through art and role play. Children use a wide range of resources to express their ideas and feelings. Staff value the children's work which is displayed around the setting. • The partnership with parents is highly valued by the staff. Staff have formed successful relationships with parents who speak confidently and highly of the setting. Records of children's progress are available and parents are actively encouraged to contribute to assessments. Parents are very well informed of the current topic and of activities they can carry out at home to support their

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What needs to be improved?

• the continued development of the out door area to further promote children's learning across all areas • the improved opportunities for children to look at real objects and their access to investigative resources.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made in addressing the key issues from the previous inspection. This was to improve the staff's understanding of how to introduce sounds to 3 year-old children which will complement and enhance the commercial scheme used. Staff now introduce sounds of letters to children in everyday conversation and in planned activities such as registration time where children identify the letter that starts their name. Staff also used flash cards with children to identify sounds. Staff encourage children within the writing area to recognise letters and their sounds.

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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 enthusiastic in their approach to play, experiences and activities. They work well independently and organise themselves well in groups such as construction. They show high levels of independence seeing to their own needs, self selecting activities. They sit and concentrate for significant periods of time and are engaged in their play. Children talk freely about their home life and are developing respect for their own cultures and beliefs. Children are proud of their achievements.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children communicate effectively using a wide range of vocabulary. They enjoy using new words such as stethoscope. They listen well to stories such as Three Billy Goats Gruff and join in discussions. Children successfully link sounds to letters. A print rich environment enables children to recognise letters, words and understand print carries meaning. Children demonstrate good pencil control and are beginning to form recognisable letters. They enjoy labelling their own work around the setting.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Daily activities effectively promote children's mathematical thinking. Children are confident to count and recognise a range of numerals. Children enjoy singing songs that enable them to calculate and solve number problems. They enjoy creating graphs to identify the vehicles seen in the transport survey. They use mathematical language very well in every day conversation; 'my snake is the longest'. They are able to sort and match successfully when sorting zoo animals.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children have good opportunities to think observe and predict through planned science topics and simple experiments such as hot or cold. They show a good awareness of change through seasons and baking activities. Children have limited opportunities to explore real objects and to use investigative resources indoors and outside. They confidently use a range of programmable resources and I.T. equipment. They are able to build and construct using a range of kits such as Duplo to create the Zoo.

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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 safely with control, inside and outside. They are skilled at using small tools and resources such as scissors. They learn about body awareness such as its cold outside we need our coats and see to their personal needs well. A range of equipment gives the children the opportunity to practise their skills of climbing, balancing, travelling under, over and to practise throwing and catching. They are skilled at using wheeled toys around objects and stop safely.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are eager to participate in creative activities and show high levels of concentration to complete their work. Children's work is valued by staff and displayed effectively. They use their imagination well in role play and engage others such as to help make baby better. They confidently create 3D models from various materials such as papier mache. Children have regular opportunities to sing and listen to various types of music. They enjoy using musical instruments to create sounds.

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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; • the increased opportunities for children to explore and investigate real objects both indoors and outside.

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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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