Wellington College

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 17/11/2003 Inspector Name Lisa Jane Cupples

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Doves Day Nursery Setting Address 1 Stoke Road Gosport Hampshire PO12 1LT

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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

Doves Day Nursery has been registered since 1996 and is privately owned. The nursery is situated close to the town centre of Gosport. Children who attend the nursery come from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds. The nursery operates from four rooms in a converted house, children use the rooms by being grouped in approprate ages. There is a room used for messy play and a secure outside play area. The nursery is registerd for 29 children and there are currently 29 children aged from 3 months to 5 years on roll. This includes 10 funded 3 year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children may attend who have English as an additional language and special educational needs. The nursery opens 7 days a week all year round. The sessions are from 07:00 to 18:00. Nine members of staff work with the children. Over half have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The nursery receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership

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How good is the Day Care?

Doves Day Nursery provides satisfactory care for children. The majority of the staff hold relevant first aid certificates. Most of the team have childcare qualifications, however staff deployment is ineffective and ratio's are not maintained. Adequate procedures and planning are not in place. The environment is clean and suitable for the welfare of the children. The equipment and resources in the baby room are used well to occupy the children. Play and learning activities in other areas of the nursery are limited. The policies and most procedures are in place, however these are not shared with the parents. The setting is safe for the children and clear fire procedures are in place. Records concerning accidents and medication are maintained well. Some opportunities are provided for the children to access the resources independently, however this does not include snack time. The staff have a satisfactory understanding of child

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How good is the Day Care?

protection procedures and there is a full written policy.

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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 Provision for children under two is good and behaviour management is consistent and suitable for the age group. However, there are limited opportunities for the children aged two to five years to progress and develop. Behaviour management with this age group is not effective. Children receive mixed messages and no clear rules or boundaries are in place. The children do not know what is expected of them. Partnership with parents is adequate. Parents are welcome in the group at any time and staff are made available to discuss issues or concerns. Information about the children's progress is discussed on a daily basis.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection, the group was asked to implement a system for recording details of all visitors to the setting. A visitors book is in place and well maintained. The group was also asked to follow all recommendations by the Fire Officer. These points have been addressed.

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What is being done well?

• Staff give excellent attention to meeting the babies individual needs for eating and sleeping. They provide activities well to interest and stimulate the children under two years. This provides opportunities for the children to extend their sensory experiences. • The staff brighten the environment for the children by displaying their work attractively. This encourages the children to participate in these activities. • Detailed records are kept of all accidents and incidents, parental signatures are gained to ensure the parents are informed. Clear procedures are in place if a child becomes ill and are used effectively. For example, a parent was contacted and the child was kept comfortable until the parents arrived during the inspection. • Existing injuries are recorded clearly and the staff are fully aware of child protection procedures. Training is attended and cascaded to the whole staff team providing a safe environment for the children.

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What needs to be improved?

• the procedures to ensure only vetted staff take the children to the toilet • the procedures for staff deployment and maintaining the ratio's, ensuring qualified staff are present in each room • the procedures for planning and providing activities and play opportunities to develop social, emotional, physical and intellectual capabilities • the procedures to ensure all children have equal access to the available resources and activities • the procedures to promote the development of independence during snack time

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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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • the procedures for managing a range of children's behaviour, promoting their welfare and personal development • the method for informing the parents of the complaints procedure, including Ofsted and the groups policies and procedures.

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 2 produce and implement an action plan detailing how staff deployment and ratio’s will be addressed, ensuring qualified staff are in charge of each room. 29/02/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

3 produce an action plan to show how you will plan and provide activities and play opportunities, for children aged 3 to 5, to develop their emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. 29/02/2004

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

11 produce an action plan to show how the staff will manage a range of children’s behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development. 29/02/2004

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 1 Ensure staff who have not been vetted are supervised at all times. 5 Ensure all children have equal access to the resources and activities provided. 8 Promote the development of children’s independence. 14 Ensure the policies and the complaints procedure is made available to the parents.

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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?

The provision is unacceptable. Children are making poor progress towards the early learning goals. Children are attentive and show an interest in the start of activities, however, soon loose interest and become unmotivated and distracted. Activities are not planned to cover the six areas of learning or linked to assessments to develop children's individual needs. Long and short term plans are in place, however, these do not present a framework for a balanced curriculum. The quality of teaching is poor. Staff have a limited knowledge and lack comprehension of the early learning goals and child development. They do not use observations, assessments or monitoring to inform the next stage of planning to enable the children to progress. Staff have good relationships with the children, however, staff deployment and behaviour management techniques are ineffective, therefore, children are not given opportunities to develop and no not behave well.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The quality of leadership and management is poor. Some staff have little knowledge of the foundation stage and are unable to link activities from the weekly plans. Staff show a lack of motivation, lack direction and deployment is ineffective which impacts on children's learning. There are no procedures in place to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education however, training for staff is limited. The partnership with parents and carers has significant weaknesses. Parents are made to feel welcome and the staff are friendly and approachable. Parents notice boards inform them of the terms theme's, however, children's records are not easily accessible and confidentiality is not maintained regarding record keeping. There are no specific programmes in place to discuss children's needs and children's assessment sheets are not maintained. Parents are unable to receive accurate information on the progress of their child.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are friendly and approachable and develop good relationships with children. • Parents are made to feel welcome in the nursery at any time. • Children enjoy listening to stories and completing actions in songs and nursery rhymes. • Children are able to learn about living things and the environment around them.

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What needs to be improved?

• the opportunities for children to take part in all activities that stimulate their

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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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 imagination and develop skills in all areas • the opportunities for children to notice print and hear sounds of letters and words • the opportunities for children to develop vocabulary skills and emergent writing • the teaching of correct mathematical terms and the provision of opportunities for children to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts and their calculating skills through practical activities • the opportunities for children to learn about other cultures, beliefs and to access technology • children's physical development in using large and small equipment to increase fine and gross motor skills • the opportunities for children to express themselves in creative play to extend their stimulation and imagination

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What needs to be improved?

• the operational plan to meet the needs of the children in regard to staff and resources • staff's knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals to enable them to plan, develop and assess children's learning • the individual children's achievement records that identify the six areas of learning • long and short term planning to provide a framework for a broad, balanced and purposeful curriculum • the system to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching • the sharing of information with parents about their child's progress • confidentiality regarding children's records.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made little progress since the last inspection. The quality of education has not been maintained. Three key issues were raised at the last inspection. Extend the written plans to include details of what children learn and relate these to the six areas of learning. Some minor improvements have been made in the nursery with short and long term plans being introduced, however, assessments on the children are poor and there is little evidence that these are linked to planning. Extend opportunities for children to use mathematical knowledge to solve practical problems. There is no evidence in place to support improvement. Extend the information for parents and carers to include details of activities in the six areas of learning. The nurseries prospectus has some information available to parents. The parents notice boards display information on the terms theme and the

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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 activities being offered, however, there is limited information shared with parents on their child's progress.

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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: Poor There are limited opportunities for the children to play independently and self select activities. Some children are able to build relationships with adults, however, inappropriate response from adults prevents extension of children's experiences. Some children are able to sit quietly and concentrate for a limited time, however, lose of interest in activities causes disruption to the sessions.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children listen to stories, enjoy reading books and handle them carefully. Children can recognise their printed name and know that text has meaning, however, there is a lack of facilities to develop pre-writing and fine manipulative skills. Children are not encouraged to notice sounds of letters and words and there are limited opportunities in role play to develop vocabulary skills or emergent writing.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor There are very limited opportunities for incidental counting, problem solving, pattern recognition or sequencing. Some children are able to count to ten, however, no mathematical language is used to extend the children's understanding. Activities are not underpinned by more practical play exercises where children can learn the concepts of addition and subtraction or learn about size and shape.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Significant Weaknesses Children develop a sense of time and can describe past and present events. Children observe and have opportunities to explore and investigate nature and living things. The children, however, do not have opportunities to use technology to support their learning and there are no opportunities to extend understanding of other cultures and beliefs.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Poor Children use outdoor space daily, however, activities do not promote the development of children's physical skills such as balancing, climbing, throwing, catching or jumping and they do not consider others around them. Children are encouraged to be aware of some hygiene practices, they regularly wash their hands before meals and after toileting. Fine motor skills are encouraged by use of scissors and pens, although access to these are limited.

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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: Poor Children are able to express themselves in actions to known songs and singing nursery rhymes, however, there is limited access to musical instruments. Play materials such as paints, glue or collage are not readily available to develop children's creativity. Children do not have regular access to role play, missing the opportunity to create props, develop characters or extend their imagination.

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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 unacceptable. Children are making poor progress towards the early learning goals.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• develop an effective planning and evaluation system for all six areas of learning • develop effective monitoring and assessment systems for children, which will inform curriculum planning • develop a staff training programme to improve knowledge and understanding of the stepping stones and early learning goals • provide resources and activities that support children's learning • develop an effective quality monitoring system on the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 20 working days showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. A copy of the action plan must be sent to the local education authority. The Department for Education and Skills will write to the provider asking for a copy of the action plan. The Secretary for Education and Skills will then decide whether to withdraw the provider's entitlement to receive funding for 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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