Ladywell Community Nursery Centre

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 02/11/2004 Inspector Name Linda Dawe

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Little Ones Day Nursery Setting Address St Boniface Hall Pinhoe Road Exeter Devon EX4 8AF

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Little Ones Day Nursery Address Pinhoe Road Exeter Devon EX4 8AF

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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

Little Ones Day Nursery occupies a large church hall, which is situated in a Sure Start district in the Whipton area of Exeter. Two separate children's areas have been created in the room, one for pre-school children and toddlers and the other for babies. There is also a bathroom, baby changing facilities and baby sleep room. The nursery has a kitchen where children's meals are cooked. Children have access to a large, securely fenced and equipped outdoor area. The nursery was registered in 2001 and is registered to provide care for a total of 36 children. There are currently 77 children on the register, 21 of whom receive nursery education funding. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 07:45 to 18:00 and is open all year round except for bank holidays and Christmas week. Little Ones is run by a limited company that also manages two other nurseries in the Exeter area; the two managing directors have regular daily input in running the

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Information about the setting

nursery. There are 16 full and part-time staff employed at Whipton. The manager has a level 3 qualification and is working towards level 4; most other staff have a level 2 or 3 qualification and some are working towards level 3 or 4. Staff have experience in caring for children who have special educational needs as well as English as an additional language. The nursery receives support from Devon Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, and belongs to the National Day Nursery Association. The nursery gained ‘Quality Counts’ accreditation in February 2004 and the Investors in People award in March 2004.

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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?

Little Ones Day Nursery provides good quality nursery education overall, which enables children to make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development; creative development; knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. They are making generally good progress in the areas of communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Teaching is generally good. The dedicated and committed staff team know the children well, have a satisfactory knowledge of the stepping stones and plan an interesting and appropriate range of activities. However individual children's assessments and goals are not sufficiently linked to the stepping stones and plans. This leads to more able children lacking challenge in activities throughout the day. Routine activities are not always used effectively to promote learning in literacy and

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How effective is the nursery education?

mathematics. Children with special needs are supported well, staff have strong links with parents and external agencies to ensure children make good progress in all areas of their development. Staff manage children's behaviour well using praise and encouragement effectively. Leadership and management are generally good. The owners of the nursery provide strong leadership and are constantly evaluating their practice and have a generally good ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. Staff are offered regular opportunities for training to support their professional development. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are actively encouraged to be fully involved in their children's learning. They are consulted fully about their children's individual learning plans and invited to be involved in their children's learning by bringing in items from home to support topics. They are provided with

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How effective is the nursery education?

high quality information about the setting and its aims and objectives.

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What is being done well?

• Children with special needs are included in all activities. Staff work closely in partnership with outside agencies and parents to make sure children gain as much as possible from activities. • Children's physical skills are promoted very effectively through a range of indoor and outdoor activities that are undertaken regularly. • Staff recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents, are proactive in making sure this works in practice and well-attended parents evenings confirm this. • Children are enabled by staff to be independent and confident in their play.

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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?

• assessment and planning to ensure appropriate emphasis is given to children's progress through the stepping stones and to ensure that all children receive sufficient challenge. • opportunities for extending children's learning, in particular in the area of mathematics.

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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 All children show very good levels of independence in self-selecting activities. They follow a plan, do and review system, where they can choose which activity they would like to take part in. This gives them confidence and promotes their self-esteem. Children enjoy preparing their own snacks, which they do with confidence and dexterity, sharing the prepared fruit with their peers and building positive relationships.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident to express their needs and feelings verbally. Staff use Makaton effectively to enable children with special needs to communicate and be included in discussions. Children enjoy selecting books and handle them correctly. They are encouraged to use language for thinking by staff using open questioning effectively. Children experience a print-rich environment, but staff do not reinforce their attention to print sufficiently.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Focussed topics enable children to learn about shape, position and weight, for example they experiment with volume during water play and can confidently identify basic shapes during craft activities. However more able children are not sufficiently challenged in this area. Children have limited opportunity to develop and consolidate their mathematical skills during activities and free play.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing a very good awareness of their local environment and community, for example, as a result of well-planned visits to the nursery by the dental hygienist and trips out to the local shops, sports centre and synagogue. They are keen to talk about past and present events in their lives, which they do regularly. Children explore how things work using a variety of well-planned resources.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children move confidently around the nursery, both inside and out, showing a good awareness of space. They have regular opportunity to develop their large muscles when dancing and moving to taped music. Children's small muscles are effectively developed through regular use of small tools such as scissors and glue sticks. Children understand the importance of staying healthy by regularly washing their hands and cleaning their teeth.

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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 become engrossed in role play, acting out their own stories, delegating and taking roles in small groups. They include adults in their imaginary play, who give them appropriate support when needed. Children regularly explore colour and texture and use descriptive language to express what they feel, see, hear and smell.

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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 assessment and planning to ensure appropriate emphasis is given to children's progress through the stepping stones and to ensure that all children receive sufficient challenge • ensure incidental opportunities for extending children's learning are taken up, in particular in the area of mathematics.

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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