Daisy Chain Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/11/2004 Inspector Name Jenny Taylor

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Daisy Chain Day Nursery Setting Address Cinder Lane Heworth York YO31 7TP

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The partnership of Marlene MacLellan and Beverley Foers

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Marlene MacLellan and Beverley Foers Address Daisy Chain Day Nursery Cinder Lane York North Yorkshire YO31 7TP

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of 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 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

Daisy Chain Day Nursery opened in November 2001 and is jointly privately owned. It operates from extended private premises that were previously a care home in the Heworth area of York. The premises are divided into seven areas with a separate dining room and office facilities. The four year olds are in the pre-school room with some three year old children. Another room accommodates the youngest three year olds. There is an enclosed outdoor play area with equipment for outdoor use. The nursery serves the local community and surrounding areas and is registered for 50 children aged from three months to five years. There are currently 79 children on roll including 26 funded 3 and 4-year-olds. The nursery opens from 08.00 to 18.00 from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery currently supports 1 child who has special needs and no children who have English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 14 members of staff, including the joint owners, work directly with the children. Of these 11 have an Early Years qualification to level 3 and the owners both have a teaching qualification, one with Early Years specialism. They have one domestic staff member They receive support from the Early Years and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The quality of teaching is very good. Staff use excellent strategies to promote good behaviour and consideration for others. They manage children very well and organise and plan a very good range of activities over a broad, balanced curriculum. They have very good understanding of what children learn from them. The indoor space is very well organised, with imaginative good quality resources to create a stimulating environment in which children are learning to be independent. Staff give a very good individual level of support, including for those with special educational needs and English as an additional language. A variety of teaching strategies, presented enthusiastically, with some challenging questioning and careful explanations encourage the older children, particularly, to think and to achieve their full potential. Staff assess progress against the ELGs and use the information, based on close observations, to plan what children do next. These records of progress present a

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How effective is the nursery education?

clear picture for those involved in the next stages of education. Leadership and management is very good, with the co-owners giving excellent direction. The positive, committed staff demonstrate good teamwork. Teaching is monitored and evaluated well, with the managers having a clear vision for the nursery. The partnership with parents is very good. They are well-informed about the nursery and how children achieve and progress in their learning. They talk informally to staff, their child's Record Book is readily available and they are welcome to three Parents' Evenings a year. This strong partnership is based on mutual trust and respect.

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What is being done well?

• Staff teach with a very good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and of the Early Learning Goals and Stepping Stones. • Children learn very effectively about spoken and written language, which means they are curious about words. They are valued for what they say, learn new vocabulary and a very wide range of ways to use language, as well as how to recognize and write letters and words. Some 4 year olds use their very good knowledge about sounds to build simple words. • Staff use excellent strategies and a calm, polite manner to develop children's imagination, their social skills and very good behaviour. • Parents are greatly valued for the role they share with staff and are very well informed about how to extend children's learning at home in partnership with the nursery

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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What needs to be improved?

• the monitoring and evaluation of strategies to ensure consistency between all staff in recording observations and, for the younger children, consistency in extending understanding and challenging thinking through appropriate questions and explanations • children's learning about how to understand and respect cultures and beliefs which are different from their own.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are friendly, confident and relate well to others. They are very well motivated and take pride in their achievements. Both 3 and 4 year olds concentrate very well. Their behaviour is very good. They have a strong sense of themselves as a family member and as part of the nursery community. They learn about their own cultures' beliefs very well and about some aspects of those which are different from their own. They are learning to understand and express their own feelings.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident in initiating conversations. They use complex sentences, listen and speak very well for a very wide range of purposes. They show a keen interest in words and some 4 year olds can read some familiar words. All children can recognize their own names and some 3 year olds and many 4 year olds can write their names, some with very good letter formation. They learn very well about sound discrimination and rhythm and some 4s can use this knowledge to build simple words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are interested and curious about number and mathematical language, which means they are learning to solve mathematical problems. They can count, recognize, order and match numbers to 10, sort objects, and some recognize groupings without counting. The older children understand language to compare two numbers and learn about number bonds to 10.All children learn very well to recognize, name and draw some shapes. They have very good chances to learn about weight, quantity and size.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are curious about their environment and beyond and are learning about its features and how to record what they see with maps. They enjoy knowing about the roles of people in the community. They have very good opportunities to investigate and compare objects and living things and to ask questions about them. Through looking at photos they are learning to differentiate between past and present. By using remote controlled toys and other equipment they are learning about technology.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good While moving in many different ways, for example, balancing on a beam, children are learning to use new skills with good control and coordination. They show respect for others' personal space indoors and outdoors. They enjoy using small and very large scale equipment to develop different ways of moving. When listening to music they match movements to rhythms. Children are learning about keeping safe and healthy. They have many good chances to manipulate objects with control and safety.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have excellent opportunities to develop role-play and imaginative play based on first-hand experiences, stimulating topics and recollections from stories. They express imagination very well through language, art and craft, music, materials to stimulate their senses and during outdoor play. They are learning to look closely at what they see and represent it very well through very detailed paintings and drawings. They make 2 and 3d objects on a large and small scale.

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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of 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; • plan and implement more opportunities for learning about cultures and beliefs that are different from the children's own • monitor and evaluate strategies to ensure consistency between all staff in recording observations and, with the younger children, in extending understanding through appropriate explanations and challenging questions to extend thinking.

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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