Bridges Nursery and Out Of School Club

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/02/2005 Inspector Name Janet Fairhurst

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Out of School Day Care, Full Day Care Setting Name Bridges Nursery and Out Of School Club Setting Address Windmill House, St. Cuthberts Road Gateshead Tyne and Wear NE8 2EL

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

The Bridges Nursery and Out of School was registered in 1996. It is a privately owned day nursery which is located in a former school building in the centre of Gateshead, near to all local facilities and public transport. The children are grouped in different rooms according to age and there is also a soft play room and an outdoor play area. Kitchen and laundry facilities are available. The children attending travel from a wide area. The nursery is registered for 81 children aged from six weeks to five years and the out of school is registered to take 40 children. There are currently 110 children on roll; of these, there are 15 funded three-years-olds and 11 funded four-year-olds. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language. None of the funded children currently attending have special educational needs. The nursery is open throughout the year, except bank holidays, from 07:30 until 18:00

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Information about the setting

every weekday and offers full-time and part-time places. There are 35 members of staff in the nursery, of whom 33 have appropriate childcare qualifications. The nursery receives support form the local authority and specialist teachers. The nursery follows the High/Scope approach.

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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 Bridges Day Nursery provides a stimulating environment in which children make very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff use effectively their secure knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage and how children learn. They give clear explanations and interact very warmly with the children. The quality of assessment is very good. Children are observed regularly both individually and in groups. There is detailed and informative assessment of all children's attainment and progress, which is used very effectively to plan for children's future learning. Staff have a clear understanding of the aims of an activity and their expectation for children's learning. Staff work well as a team and their effective deployment enables them to support the children well, providing encouragement and purposeful direction. The leadership and management is very good. The manager is supportive of the

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How effective is the nursery education?

staff and they are included in all aspects of planning and assessment. The staff team is committed to improvement through ongoing relevant training and has developed effective strategies to monitor, evaluate and review practice. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are welcome to speak to staff on a daily basis. Parents are provided with useful information about the setting and education provision and positive comments were received on the parents' questionnaires. Children's progress is shared with parents through a variety of methods: access to children's files, written end of year report and day-to-day contact.

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What is being done well?

• The use of specialist teachers is integrated and well placed in the weekly sessions. These opportunities are enjoyed by the children and enhance their understanding and learning in areas such as communication, language and literacy, creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. • Staff have a very good understanding of the early learning goals and a thorough knowledge of the stepping stones. They are skilled at integrating the six areas of learning into the play opportunities offered and therefore enabling the children to make effective progress as learners. • Staff know the children as individuals. They use effective observations to keep clear details of children progress and attainment. This ensures that children's individual learning rates are clearly monitored and catered for within the future planning of activities. • The partnership with parents is very successful. Staff have very good

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What is being done well?

communication systems in place to inform parents about their children's

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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 development, achievements and progress. • Children use their imagination well. They express themselves freely and with confidence in areas such as art and craft, dance and role play situation.

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What needs to be improved?

• While there are no key issues to address, the following are raised as points for consideration: • opportunities for more able children to explore and understand simple addition and subtraction through practical activities • the organisation of the accommodation so that younger children's listening, concentration and interest levels are maintained and enhanced when working individually and in groups.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The nursery has made very good progress and has addressed both points for consideration from the previous inspection report. The children have access to a wide range of both natural and manufactured building resources. The garden now has a grassed area which acts as a natural safety surface for when children are using the large climbing apparatus.

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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 happy and motivated. They choose activities confidently and select resources purposefully to support their play. Children take care of their personal needs, such as putting on aprons and washing hands. Children build strong relationships with adults and with each other. They are learning to co-operate and take turns, and their overall behaviour is good. Children are very confident speakers and are able to express their own needs well.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children engage easily in conversation with each other and with adults. More able children are able to hold successful two-way conversations with each other. Children make marks and practice writing for a variety of purposes and there are plentiful opportunities to handle books. Children recognise their names and some are able to write their name forming the letters correctly. Children communicate their actions, ideas and needs confidently using a wide vocabulary.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good They have good opportunities to develop early mathematical experiences, such as counting specific objects or providing goods for sale in the "shop". Many children count to ten and some beyond. More able children are able to recognise some written numerals. Children successfully sort and match real objects by shape, size, quantity and colour. They are beginning to recognise pattern and shape as they participate in topic work.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good They have regular access to a range of technological equipment such as a computer and tape recorder, where they demonstrate good independence skills. Children are developing an awareness of their environment and the role of people within it through the use of regular outings and visitors. They are learning about living things and are able to make comparisons as they observe the changes in plants and growth in their pet fish.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing skills of balancing, throwing and running and have the opportunity to extend whole body movements into climbing and dance. They are developing good hand and eye co-ordination through the use of a variety of equipment to enable cutting, drawing and painting. Their good health is well promoted and they are taught awareness of changes in their body when they are active.

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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: Very Good Children are encouraged to express their creativity freely in art, dance and role play. Role play provides varied interesting opportunities which enhance the children's knowledge of everyday situations. They sing enthusiastically, explore sounds and musical styles and move rhythmically. Children have many varied opportunities to draw freely and are learning to apply paint in different ways.

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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 weakness to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • enhance the opportunities for more able children to understand simple addition and subtraction • organise the accommodation to ensure that children have every opportunity to develop their concentration, listening and perseverance in planned and group activities.

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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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