Skerne Park Academy

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/03/2004 Inspector Name Kim Mundy

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Uxbridge Early Years Centre Setting Address 57 Park Road Uxbridge Middlesex UB8 1NN

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name The London Borough of Hillingdon Address Julie Revels, Phase Two Ground Floor Civic Centre Uxbridge Middlesex UB8 1UW

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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; 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

Uxbridge Early Years Centre opened in 1970. The registered provider of this setting is the Hillingdon Local Authority. The setting operates from purpose built premises in Uxbridge and it is close to the town centre and other local amenities. There is access to three play rooms, a parents' room, office, toilet and laundry facilities. There are three garden areas, one with fixed climbing equipment. The setting provides care for seven children who meet the children in need criteria and other children from the local residential area. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 18:00 for 52 weeks of the year, excluding public bank holidays and three staff training days. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 38 children from six months to three-years-old on roll. This includes four funded three-year-olds. The centre provides support for children who have English as an additional language and special educational needs.

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Information about the setting

There are nine staff working with the children and all of the staff hold relevant National Nursery Examination Board (NNEB) and NVQ level 2 and 3 childcare qualifications. The setting receives support from the Hillingdon Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and Sure Start.

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How good is the Day Care?

Uxbridge Early Years Centre provides a good standard of care for children from 6 months to 5-years-old. This setting is very well-organised. The staff have a good understanding of their role and responsibilities and the children are very well cared for. Staff have good opportunities to develop their childcare knowledge through attending various training courses. Each member of staff is responsible for a small group of children,

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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 co-ordinating their care and development. The necessary paperwork is well-organised and attention is given to detail. The care of the children is very good. Staff plan interesting activities using the wide range of toys and resources available. Children have good opportunities to make progress in all areas of their development. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) attends on going training and the children are offered appropriate support. Staff manage the children's behaviour consistently and they place a high priority on meeting the children's individual needs. The premises are clean and well maintained. There is a strong emphasis on children's safety and all the required safety policies and procedures are in place.

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How good is the Day Care?

There are good arrangements to ensure children's well-being, for example, daily cleaning routines and giving medication. Children learn good hygiene practices through daily routines. The cook plans nutritious meals and uses fresh foods as much as possible. Children are offered a nutritious and well-balanced diet. Partnership with parents is good. Staff give daily feedback about the children's routines, activities and achievements. There are opportunities for parents to meet with staff formally to discuss their child's progress at nursery reviews and open evenings. The manager arranges translation and interpreter services as required. Staff monitor the children's progress and they keep a record of their observations to share with parents.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the setting was required to conduct a risk assessment and to ensure that garden plants were safe for the children. Suitable contingency arrangements were required to cover emergencies and unexpected staff absences. Hazardous garden plants have been removed. Risk assessments and contingency plans have been successfully implemented to improve the children's safety on the premises. The setting was also required to nominate a named member of staff for behaviour management. A named person has been identified and this ensures that children's behaviour is consistently handled. This setting has made good progress in these areas for improvement since the last inspection.

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What is being done well?

• The setting has a very clear operational plan, which includes detailed policies and procedures. The staff are very clear about their role and responsibilities and there are very good communication systems in place between staff and parents. This ensures that the children are cared for according to their parents' wishes. • The staff provide a very caring and stimulating environment for the children. They plan a wide range of interesting activities to help the children to make

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What is being done well?

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 good progress in all areas of their development. • The premises are very welcoming, clean and well maintained. The space is well organised to meet the children's needs. There is a range of good quality furniture, toys and equipment. Children's art work is attractively displayed. • There is a strong emphasis for children's safety at this setting. Children are safe and secure on the premises. • The staff place a high priority on meeting the children's individual needs at this setting. They are able to access specific training to extend their childcare knowledge and skills. The staff work well in partnership with other professionals to provide appropriate care for children with special needs. • The staff work well as a team, they are enthusiastic and professional. The

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What is being done well?

manager identifies the settings current strengths and weaknesses regarding the children's learning and staff are keen to develop the service provided. • All of the required paperwork is in place. It is detailed, accurate and up to date.

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What needs to be improved?

• the staffs' knowledge of the 'Protection of Children Act 1999'.

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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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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 13 gain knowledge and understanding of the Protection of Children Act 1999 and where possible attend relevant training in this matter.

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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?

Uxbridge Early Years Centre provides a good provision and the children are making generally good progress in all areas of learning. They are making very good progress in physical, social, emotional and creative development. The quality of teaching is good. The staff have a sound knowledge of the stepping stones towards the early learning goals and they offer a well-balanced curriculum. However, staff do not consistently evaluate activities to help them plan the next steps for children's individual learning. There is a very good range of toys and resources and staff use these to plan interesting activities that help the children to develop and learn. Staff offer several opportunities for children to consolidate their learning. A key strength in communication, language and literacy is due to the staffs' ability to question and extend the children's vocabulary and thinking. Staff manage the children's behaviour well and this helps the children to become highly involved in

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How effective is the nursery education?

activities. The staff offer lots of praise and encouragement to help the children to develop confidence and self-esteem. The leadership and management is good. Strong leadership skills enable the staff to work effectively as a team. The children are offered good opportunities to help them to develop and learn. There are effective communication systems in place for the manager, staff and parents. The manager offers appropriate support and clear guidance to the staff. The staff team are professional and enthusiastic. Partnership with parents is very good and this has a positive effect on how the children learn. Parents receive daily information about their child's activities and achievements. Information about the early years curriculum is displayed and discussed with parents and they have good opportunities to be involved with their children's learning. Staff provide written reports about the children's progress and

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How effective is the nursery education?

this is shared with parents at nursery meetings and open evenings.

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What is being done well?

• Staff have a sound understanding of the early learning goals and provide exciting and suitable activities to extend children's learning. They are very keen to help the children to make progress in all areas of learning. • Children have many very good opportunities to develop their personal independence. They are very well behaved, interact positively with one another, share and take turns. All children display a high level of involvement in activities. • A key strength in communication, language and literacy is due to the staffs' abilities to skilfully and sensitively question and engage children in conversation. Staff build their confidence through offering lots of praise and encouragement. The children are developing good pre-writing skills, through

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What is being done well?

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 practical activities. They have many of opportunities to recognise and learn letters and words. • Children use numbers confidently in practical activities and explore mathematical language to describe and compare shape, position, size and quantity. • Children have many good opportunities to explore creative activities such as music, movement, dance and role play. They participate enthusiastically, enjoying these experiences. • Partnership with parents is very good. Parents receive regular feedback about their child's progress towards the stepping stones of the early learning goals.

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What needs to be improved?

• the evaluation of the activities, to help the staff plan the next steps towards the early learning goals for children's individual learning. • the programme for knowledge and understanding of the world, to offer further opportunities for children to explore and investigate living things and to ask questions about why and how things work. • the programme for communication, language and literacy, to locate books for information and to offer children opportunities to make up their own stories. • the outdoor space, to plan activities which are linked to current themes to give further opportunities for children's learning.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the setting was required to provide more challenging climbing equipment to support work carried out in physical development. New garden equipment has been provided and the children now have good opportunities to climb. This equipment also includes provision for balancing, sliding and crawling. The setting has made good progress since the last inspection.

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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: Very Good Children are making very good progress in this area. They have very good opportunities to increase their independence when selecting toys and carrying out activities. Children speak clearly and confidently in familiar groups and they are developing their ability to share and take turns. Children are developing an understanding of right and wrong, they are well-behaved and are able to sit and concentrate at discussion time. They form good relationships with adults and each other.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area. Staff skilfully support activities to extend children's thinking and language when asking questions and giving new information. Children have many opportunities to write, recognise letters and words, for example, during imaginative play in the office. There are too few opportunities for children to locate books for information. Small group work encourages the children to speak confidently, sharing their own experiences and ideas.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in mathematics. They are able to count confidently to ten. Children use mathematical language during their play. They are able to solve mathematical problems when building, constructing and doing puzzles. Children have many opportunities to sort, size and weigh objects. There are too few opportunities to recognise and recreate patterns. Children are beginning to do simple addition and subtraction when joining in simple number songs and daily routines.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area. They have good opportunities to learn about different cultures and beliefs through celebrating festivals, for example, Holi. Children do not have enough opportunities to explore living things and to ask why and happen. Children have access to information technology and are confident when using the computer and mouse. Children have good opportunities to build using a range of materials, for example, junk modelling, play dough and bricks.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in physical development. Children are using small and large equipment with increasing control, for example, rolling pins and climbing equipment. They move confidently in and out doors, showing an awareness of others around them. Children have good opportunities to find out about the importance of staying healthy. There are some missed opportunities during out door play due to the lack of planning.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are making very good progress in creative development. They have very good opportunities to explore colour, shape, space, texture and form in two and three dimensions. They respond enthusiastically to what they see, hear, smell and touch. Children know and enjoy familiar songs and rhymes and they have good opportunities to explore music, dance and movement. Children enjoy good quality imaginative play, for example, in the fruit shop when weighing, counting, using cash tills and money.

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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 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

• evaluate the children's involvement in the activities to help plan the next steps for their individual learning. • offer further opportunities for children to observe living things and to ask why and how things happen. Use books for children to locate information and provide opportunities for children to make up their own stories. • plan the use of the out door play space, to provide further learning opportunities linked to the current theme.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

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: 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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