Ash House Day Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/02/2005 Inspector Name Susan, Helen Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Ash House Nursery Setting Address 29 Withens Lane Wallasey Merseyside CH44 1BB

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Ash House Nursery Limited Address Ash House 29 Withens Lane Wallasey Merseyside CH44 1BB

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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

Ash House Day Nursery opened in 1989. The premises are solely used for the day nursery service. The facilities are based on two floor levels, children aged under two years are accommodated on the ground floor. There are currently 72 children on roll, 18 of whom are funded. Children from 6 weeks to 4 years inclusive are able to attend a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports children with special needs. The nursery opens 5 days a week all year round from 07:30 to 18:30 p.m. The nursery currently has seven members of staff that work with the funded children, all of whom hold a relevant childcare qualification.

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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?

Ash House Nursery provides good quality education where children make generally good progress overall towards the early learning goals. They make very good progress in personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff have a generally good knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals. They plan a stimulating programme of activities for the children to which all staff have input. However, planning is not linked to assessments of the children's progress. Planned activities lack challenge and do not always build on what the children already know and can do. Staff use appropriate methods for both the younger and older children, questioning the children effectively and encouraging them to think. Staff set high standards for behaviour. Leadership and management are generally good. Staff are aware of their roles and

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How effective is the nursery education?

responsibilities within the nursery. The deputy manager works closely with staff and children on a regular basis. However, the systems in place to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the setting have failed to identify weaknesses in the provision. The manager and staff attend any training that is available. Partnership with parents is generally good. Staff work hard to develop a good rapport with parents who report that they are happy with nursery provision. They are provided with good quality information about the setting, the areas of learning and the activities their children will take part in and children take their work home daily. Staff talk to parents at the beginning and end of every session, but inadequate assessments means that information given at this time is misleading. Parents do not currently contribute towards assessments made of their child's attainment and progress.

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What is being done well?

• The programmes for the development of the children's personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. • Activities planned are exciting and stimulating for the children. • Staff are cheerful and work alongside the children as they learn. • Staff work well as a team and each member is aware of their roles and responsibilities within it.

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What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • assessments of the children's attainment and progress towards the early learning goals • partnership with parents to ensure that they are aware of their child's progress towards the early learning goals • the programme for the development of the children's communication, language and literacy skills to ensure that they are given adequate opportunities to progress, both in adult directed activities and in their play • the programme for the development of the children's creative skills to enable them to take part in activities which are not directed by adults but initiated by the children themselves • the programme for the development of the children's mathematical skills to enable them to begin to related addition to combining two groups of objects and subtraction to taking away.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Progress has been generally good in addressing the key issue following the last inspection. The setting now provides more opportunities and time for the children to take part in independent play and they regularly initiate activities themselves. However, resources are generally chosen by adults for them for creative work, which is over directed by adults.

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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 The children enter the setting keen, eager and motivated to learn. They delight when working co-operatively with the parachute to keep to keep a ball off the ground. They are eager to talk to each other at news time and proudly eat the savoury rice they have made in celebration of Chinese New Year. Behaviour is very good overall. The older children are beginning to settle their own arguments. The children are developing a high level of personal independence when putting on their own aprons.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good The children use imaginative language to describe the Chinese New Year dragon. They use a developing vocabulary to describe the sound of the water in a bowl. They use their knowledge of the alphabet when looking at the computer keyboard and recognise their name when self registering. The children are not writing in their play or using their knowledge to begin to start writing their own simple words.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children are able to count to ten and beyond when counting the number of children in the group. They count the number of slices they make to cut up a spring onion. They recognise written numbers when taking part in carpet work as a group and are beginning to use mathematical language for shape when playing shape games. The children are not beginning to relate addition to combining two groups of objects and subtraction to taking objects away.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good The children are beginning to predict what will happen when taking part in floating and sinking activities. They use their designing and making skills to make Chinese dragons from boxes and paint. The children use tape recorders and microphones to read to each other and use the computer and mouse to support mathematical development in particular. The children are developing a sense of time as they talk about the day, date and month and talk about their own and other cultures as they cook food.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good The children are able to hop on one leg. They move imaginatively pretending to be snowflakes. They are able to travel over and under objects when completing the assault course. The children work co-operatively to keep a ball in the air with the parachute. They manage to connect complex bricks together to build houses and use cutters and rollers with developing skill in the dough.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children make their own dough, adding colour and glitter to it. They make a range of three dimensional objects including Chinese dragons from boxes and paint. The children enjoy singing on the microphone and make their own musical instruments, putting different items in to make different noises. Some creative activities are over directed by adults with no element of each child's individual creative style. The children respond to their senses when cooking, describing the feel of flour.

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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 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 a system of ascertaining each child's progress towards the early learning goals to ensure that activities planned build on what the children already know. Share this information with parents on a regular basis • provide challenges for children's communication, language and literacy skills to ensure that they are given adequate opportunities to make progress in their learning, both in adult directed activities and in their play • improve the development of the children's creative skills to enable them to take part in activities which are not directed by adults, but initiated by the children themselves • ensure children are challenged appropriately in their mathematical skills 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

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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