Caterpillar Day Care

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 28/04/2003 Inspector Name Sandra Gurr

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SETTING DETAILS

Setting Name Caterpillar Day Care Setting Address 32 Stansfield Road Todmorden Lancashire OL14 5DL

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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

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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

Caterpillar day Care opened in the current premises in July 2002. The nursery had previously been registered in different premises under the same ownership since 1999. There are three playrooms within the building catering for differing ages and an outside play area. A separate kitchen and two toilet areas are within the premises. Staff facilities are in the process of development. The nursery is situated near the town centre of Todmorden and it mainly serves families in the local area. It is open from 7.30 am until 6.00pm for 51 weeks a year There are currently 58 children on role from 0-11 years. The nursery is registered for 35 children including nine children under two years. There are three funded 3 year olds and one funded four year old who attend at the moment. Children attend for a variety of sessions. there are no children with special needs and no children who speak English as an additional language. Five full time staff and five part time staff work with the children.

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Information about the setting

Three staff and the owner have a Level 3 qualification and four staff are working towards a Level 3 and one towards a Level 4. The setting receives support from the local Early years Development and Childcare Partnership and some children are placed in the nursery on a sponsored scheme from the local authority.

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How good is the Day Care?

Caterpillar Day care provides good care for children in a warm welcoming environment. Children are happy and secure and they settle well, making good relationships with each other and the staff. Activities for all the children are generally well planned and the under 2's in particular, have access to a wide range of activities and creative experiences to develop their learning and confidence. Staff have access to a range of local training opportunities and are willing to attend necessary courses to promote their knowledge. All staff are first aid trained. Staff ensure that children are safe both inside and outside the nursery and regular risk assessments of the premises contribute to the smooth running of the nursery. Some attention should be paid to hygiene with regard to children's hand washing but otherwise there is an appropriate regard for health and hygiene in all areas. Equipment is of a good

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How good is the Day Care?

quality and well maintained. The nursery rooms provide bright comfortable accommodation for the children. Priority needs to be given to the establishment of

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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 separate staff facilities. A good relationship has been established with parents. They are well informed about the policies and procedures and a regular news letters keep them up to date with nursery events. Written information regarding the children under two years is particularly good and parents of the children aged two to five years would benefit from a similar regular written exchange of their children's progress.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

There have been some good improvements to the premises since the registration of the nursery in the present building. However the separate staff facilities need to be completed

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What is being done well?

The nursery provides a warm welcoming environment for the children and they are happy and well settled ( Standards 3 and 4 ) The children have good relationships with the staff and enjoy a wide range of planned activities. Children under two particularly enjoy their creative activities ( Standard 3 ) There is a high commitment to staff training and all staff have attended a first aid course. ( Standard 2 ) Documentation for the safe and efficient running of the nursery is well maintained ( Standard 14 ) There are some good systems in place to ensure that the children are safe in the nursery and that they are well supervised at all times ( Standard 6 )

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What needs to be improved?

facilities for staff so that they have a separate toilet and a room or area for breaks, away from areas being used by the children( Standard 4) the organisation of hand washing to ensure that good hygiene procedures are in place for drying hands ( Standard 7 ) attendance at a child protection training course by the designated member of staff for child protection matters in the nursery ( Standard 13 ) information to parents about the progress of their children in the 2-5's room ( Standard 3, 12 )

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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 Std Recommendation 4 Ensure that there are separate toilet facilities for adults and that staff have a room or area for breaks, away from areas being used by the children. 7 Ensure that good hygiene practices are in place in order to prevent the spread of infection whilst washing hands 12 Provide regular information to parents in the 2-5’s room about their children’s progress 13 Ensure that the designated member of staff has attended a child protection training course

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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

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How effective is the nursery education?

Caterpillar day care is a friendly welcoming nursery where children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas. They are also confident, sociable and are constantly expressing their ideas and thoughts verbally. Teaching is generally good and staff provide good role models and create warm, supportive relationships with the children. They have a good understanding of the early learning goals and some of the small group activities are effective in extending the children's learning. However, the planning for activities overall, sometimes lacks detail about the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and it is not always clear how more or less able children will be encouraged to learn. The assessment of children's learning is good but staff do not always use the information about children's individual achievements to focus their learning. Overall the accommodation and

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How effective is the nursery education?

resources are good but there are insufficient every day resources for children to make marks and practise their early writing skills and to promote children's understanding of technology. Leadership and management of the nursery is generally good. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities and this results in the smooth day to day running of the nursery. There is a commitment to the continuous improvement of the setting and to the training and support of staff. The monitoring of the provision is generally good although more emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that planning and assessments contain sufficient detail. The nursery is developing good partnerships with parents. They are given good information about the setting through a welcome pack, newsletters and a notice board. The effective link to a key worker means that children settle well and parents can relate to that person. Parents are well informed about the nursery routines and

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How effective is the nursery education?

curriculum but would benefit from additional information on their children's progress.

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What is being done well?

Strong emphasis is placed on children's personal, social and emotional development so that they develop good relationships within the nursery and behave well. There are some good small group activities which enable children to contribute individually and extend their learning. Children enjoy stories and books and can talk confidently and clearly. Staff work well as a team and provide good role models. There is a high commitment to staff training and improvement in the nursery

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What needs to be improved?

the organisation of resources to enable children to develop their mark making and early writing skills Information to parents about their children's progress so that they are well informed about their child's achievements the planning and assessment of children's learning so that more or less able children are challenged appropriately and it is clear what children need to learn next. The organisation of resources to support technol0gy in the nursery so that children can begin to show an interest and

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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 learn how to operate simple equipment

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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

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in personal, social and emotional development. They are very confident and secure in their relationships with each other and the staff and are eager to take part in the activities provided. Children settle well in the nursery and know the routines well. They are very well behaved

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in communication, language and literacy. Their spoken language is developing very well and they are talking together and with staff during group activities. The children's vocabulary is extended well through staff's planning of activities which are linked to the theme and through their use of books. However children not given enough opportunities to practise their emergent writing skills

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in mathematics. They use numbers well in everyday situations and planned activities. They can count to ten and recognise numerals. Good opportunities are provided for talking about shapes and recreating simple patterns. Children are beginning to compare two groups of objects but are not yet showing an interest in number problems

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in knowledge and understanding of the world. They are encouraged to show an interest in the world in which they live and they frequently talk about events in their own lives. Children have good opportunities to build and construct but there is limited access to resources for children to find out about information technology and to know how to operate simple equipment

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in their physical development and there is an opportunity each day if the weather is fine to develop their large motor skills with the equipment outside. Their fine motor skills are good and are developing well through the use of tools, malleable and construction toys and doing jigsaws. Some of the every day planning lacks detail however for the specific skills to be developed at that session

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CREATIVE 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 Children make generally good progress in their creative development. They have good opportunities to explore a range of planned creative activities such as painting, collage and play dough. They show an interest in what they see, touch and feel There are good opportunities to explore musical instruments and to respond to and make up rhythms. Although children use their imagination well, the resources for role play are not always well organised.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE 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

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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

Ensure that resources are organised to enable children to develop their mark making and early writing skills and to develop their understanding of technology in the nursery so that they can begin to show an interest and learn how to operate simple equipment Provide information to parents about their children's progress so that they are well informed about their child's achievements Improve the planning and assessment of children's learning so that more or less able children are challenged appropriately and it is clear what children need to learn next.

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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

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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 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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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

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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

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