St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 15/07/2004 Inspector Name Elaine Simmons

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Windmill Day Nursery Setting Address Yarburgh, Highfield Road East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 2DX

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Joanne Louise Walkden & Nicola Thompson Address Yarburgh Highfield Road East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 2DX

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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

Windmill is a community Day Nursery, run by a parent management committee. It operates within part of a large converted building. The Nursery operates on two floors with the babies on the ground floor and the older children in four separate groups on the first floor. There is a large enclosed garden. The Nursery is registered for 32 children aged 0-5 years and is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm all year round, excluding public holidays. The group close for a week over the Christmas holiday. There are seven members of staff and the group receive educational funding for 3 to 4 year olds.

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How good is the Day Care?

The Day Care staff provide good quality care for children. Staff are trained, in Early Years Care, or are in training, they all have first aid and food hygiene certificates. The premises are clean, tidy and generally well maintained however, some paint work is scuffed. Staff are friendly and welcoming, children are happy. The staff provide children with a varied range of clean, safe, toys and equipment which the children enjoy playing with, these also aid their development in all areas of learning. All paper work is up to date and in order. The premises are safe and secure, clear procedures are in place to maintain security. Staff are unsure of the fire officers recommendations regarding smoke detectors. Staff have a good understanding of good hygiene practices and maintain these through out the day. Children are helped to be independent, by brushing their own teeth and putting on their own shoes. Staff record accidents but not all incidents

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How good is the Day Care?

are recorded in the incident log. Children's individual food requirements are taken into consideration and individual needs are met. All child protection requirements are understood but some procedures for staff are not available.

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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 Staff play with children and provide a varied planned range of activities through out the day. They use good strategies to help children join in with, and enjoy the activities provided. Staff use encouragement and praise at all times. They help children resolve disputes in a calm and fair way maintaining children's self esteem. Children's individual needs are met by staff working with other professional and parents to provide the care required. Parents are given good written and verbal details about their child's day and their development. This is achieved by holding parents evenings, notice boards and the of use daily diaries to exchange information with parents. Staff are friendly and talk to parents to ensure continuity of care for children.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The Staff were asked to ensure parental permission is requested for emergency treatment and to ensure the registered person keeps a record of visitors. Parents now sign for emergency medical treatment on the registration form and visitors are asked to sign in and out in visitors book.

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What is being done well?

• The staff ensure adult to child ratios are met, organise space and resources well to meet the needs of the children effectively. • The staff provide a variety of planned activities, play opportunities and a good range of safe clean toys and equipment for the children's enjoyment which helps their development in all areas of learning. • The enviroment is safe and secure, clean, bright and cheerful, the staff ensure adequate space is available for the children. • All children's dietary needs are met by the staff, who understand the children's individual preferences, likes and dislikes. • Staff provide good information, they are friendly, welcoming and work with parents to give continuity of care for children.

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What needs to be improved?

• the recording of all incidents. • the Fire safety standards as recommendations by the fire Officer. • the availability of contact details for Ofsted. • the availability of a procedure to follow should a child protection allegation or complaint be made against a member of staff.

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Outcome of the 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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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 6 ensure the fire safety standards as recommendations by the fire Officer complied with. 7 ensure all incidents are recorded and parents advised. 12 ensure parents are informed of the contact details for Ofsted. 13 ensure a procedure is available, should a child protection allegation or complaint be made against a member of staff.

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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?

Windmill Day Nursery offers good quality provision which helps children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The overall quality of the teaching is generally good. Staff form warm, caring relationships with the children. They have an understanding of the early learning goals, which is reflected in the planning. However, planning of the focused activity does not provide information as to how the activity will be adapted for children's differing levels of ability and lack of evaluation, does not provide information needed to inform future planning. Regular observations are made by staff to record children's progress, with information gained being used to plot children's individual progress and to inform the planning. The good quality resources available are well used to support the children's learning. However the organisation of the session does not always make the most of learning opportunities, for example group story times and

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How effective is the nursery education?

role play. Staff set realistic boundaries with ongoing praise and encouragement in promoting good behaviour. The overall leadership and management of the setting is generally good. Management have a positive approach to developing areas of improvement and are guided by clear objectives. Effective systems are in place for the assessment and development of the staff team and they are actively encouraged to undertake further training. Each staff member has a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and take an active part in the planning process' and the children's assessment records, which is being further developed. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are well informed of their child's progress, through informal feedback and individual consultations. They receive regular information regarding planned activities through notice boards and displays of children's work. Parents receive concise information within the prospectus as to

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is a particular strength. Staff support and encourage children to be independent and take a full part in their learning, which promotes children's self esteem and co-operation within the nursery. • Children's language is developing well and opportunities are given for them to practice writing in a number of situations including imaginative and role play areas. • The staff welcome parental involvement in their child's learning and provide worthwhile opportunities to share information.

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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 • Staff work well as a team to provide an interesting range of activities. They act as good role models to the children, which encourages a secure, stimulating learning environment.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of story times and role play opportunities; • the planning and evaluation of the focused activity; • the children's understanding of number values and quantity.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Positive actions have been undertaken since the last inspection to strengthen the areas of weakness that were highlighted; plan ways in which children's awareness if other cultures and traditions may be extended; provide a wider selection of books incorporating fictional and non fictional books; ensure that children write their names with the appropriate use of upper and lower case letters; extend the provision of knowledge and understanding of the world to include more investigations; build on the practice used in the assessment system by extending the criteria covered by the children in the early learning goals. Children regularly explore culture and traditions through a range of worthwhile planned activities, which has enhanced their awareness of the world around them. Children's interest in books has been enhanced with the use of a welcoming book area which children readily visit independently. A good selection of books both

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What has improved since the last inspection?

fictional and non fictional are now available which children can freely access. Children have access to a writing area, where they can freely make marks and practice the letter formations of their names. Individual names cards help children to place lettering in the right order with the correct upper and lower case letters being used. The provision for children's knowledge and understanding of the world has been extended with the introduction of many focused activities, where children are given opportunities to investigate and to record their findings. The introduction of a new developmental and assessment profile system has enabled staff to plot individual progress of learning through all 6 areas of learning. However, further development of planning and evaluation will support observations made by the staff and provide further information for children's next steps in their learning.

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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 happy, confident and settle well. They have a positive approach to new experiences and show good levels of concentration in self-chosen activities. Children talk freely about their home and family. There are many opportunities for them to develop independence. Children form good relationships with adults and peers. Children share without prompting and take turns within all activities. All children are polite, behave well and respond to appropriate praise.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children's language is developing well, opportunities are given to them to practice writing in a number of situations. Children are confident speakers and are able to express their feelings and experiences. Children recognise their first names and are beginning to write these correctly, with staff encouraging children to write these independently. Children enjoy looking at books and participating in story times however, staff do not always organise story times well, to keep children focused.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Many children are confident in counting and recognising numerals 1-10 and beyond. Planned activities encourage children to understand comparison of size, shape and positional language. Children are developing an awareness of weight and capacity through the use of practical activities. There are insufficient opportunities for children to explore simple calculation and link number values to quantity within routine activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good An interesting range of topics allow children to explore and investigate aspects of both the natural and manmade world. Children have access to a good range of resources including information technology equipment. Children are confident in discussing past and present events in their own lives. They are developing an awareness of their own and other cultures through a range of resources and as they celebrate festivals from around the world.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children demonstrate a good sense of space and are able to move confidently during physical activities. A range of large equipment provide challenging opportunities for climbing, jumping and balancing. Children learn about health and bodily awareness through topics and planned activities. They frequently use a variety of constructional equipment and are confident in handling a variety of tools such as pencils, brushes and scissors.

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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 have many opportunities to use their senses and explore a varied range of materials through the planned programme of activities. Children use their imagination in a variety of planned role play activities, however, organisation of the daily programme does not always permit children to access the role play area freely. Children enjoy singing and reciting simple songs and rhymes with enthusiasm and interest.

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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

• ensure that the organisation and structure of the daily routines, readily support children's learning during story times, and role play activities. • develop the planning of the focused activity to show; i) how the activity will be adapted to meet the needs of children's differing levels of ability; ii) ensure that evaluation of the activity shows what was achieved, and provide information to inform future planning. • develop children's understanding of number values and quantity. 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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