Bright Horizons Balham Day Nursery and Preschool

Balham Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY286661 Inspection date 05/10/2010 Inspector Denys Rasmussen

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Setting address 36 Radbourne Road, Balham, London, SW12 0EF

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Telephone number 020 8673 1405 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Asquith Nurseries - Balham is one of a chain of nurseries run by Asquith Nurseries Limited. It opened in 2004 and operates from three rooms in former school premises, which have been refurbished to accommodate the nursery. It is situated in a residential area on the borders of the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Wandsworth. A maximum of 63 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each week day from 07:30 to 18:30 for 51 weeks per year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 57 children under 8 years on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The nursery supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.The nursery employs 18 permanent staff and five supply staff; of these 14 staff including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The motivated and enthusiastic leadership has successfully created a friendly, supportive and professional atmosphere that provides a safe and stimulating environment where all families are valued and respected. Arrangements for engaging with parents and others are good and continuously developing. Effective self-evaluation ensures areas for improvement are identified and prioritised to enable continuous development of the provision; this ensures children's welfare and learning are successfully promoted.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure the window in the baby room does not pose a hazard to children.  develop the environment to be rich in print , for example, using names and labels that include words from different home languages, and by introducing communication systems such as Braille, pictorial and sign language. ·  develop the planning to ensure a smooth transition from lunch to afternoon activities in the pre-school room. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Robust policies, procedures and vetting systems that are clearly understood by staff ensure that children are well safeguarded. The environment both indoors and outside is generally subject to thorough risk assessments to ensure that risks to children are minimised. However, the window in the baby room has the potential to pose a risk to older children. Fire evacuation is practised so that the children learn how to leave the building safely and calmly. All the required records are well maintained and staff work effectively as a team, sharing tasks and responsibilities to ensure that the setting runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis, and that children have appropriate adult support. Good quality resources are well organised, provide a stimulating environment and allowing children to make choices in their play.

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the early years provision

The effective self-evaluation reflects on the feedback received from staff, the childcare and education training and development advisors and parents, to identify priorities for improvement. For example, staff were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess their knowledge of the welfare requirements and to identify any areas for support and further training. The nursery have met all the recommendations from the previous inspection and have their own development plan to facilitate continuous improvements. The staff have attended training to address attainment gaps, for example to support boy's learning, and there are plans to develop the garden to promote this. The staff's good knowledge of each child's background and individual needs helps them to provide an inclusive environment, where children feel valued and parents' wishes are respected.

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the early years provision

Parents receive comprehensive information about all aspects of the nursery through informative notice boards, regular newsletters, regular parent and key worker meetings, daily verbal feedback and the home contact books for the younger children. This keeps parents routinely informed about what their child is learning at the nursery and their child's achievements, progress and well-being. The good two-way flow of information and links with other settings supports consistency of care. Parents commented that their children are really happy to attend, they have progressed well since attending, they appreciate that there are both male and female staff, and felt that the staff met their child's specific needs well. Parents like the calm and home-from-home environment in the baby room, and commented on the good communication.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation stage, supporting children well to achieve good outcomes. Sensitive observations linked to the areas of learning are used to inform the planning. Planning is of good quality, using observations, children's interests and feedback from parents, to provide enjoyable and challenging experiences for each child across all areas of learning. However, the transition from lunch to afternoon activities is not as well planned which means This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 during this time not all learning opportunities are exploited fully.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have loving and caring relationships with children who form close attachments to them and other children in the nursery. This nurtures children's emotional development and helps them to feel safe and secure. The staff's skilful guidance supports children to display positive behaviour. The children understand the nursery routine and eagerly tidy up and wait in line by the door when ready to go outside. Children understand the rules, for example, reminding each other to walk in the playroom instead of running. Children are happy and enthusiastic, eager to play with their friends. They confidently access the large range of good quality play resources which are stored to encourage self-selection, supporting children to make choices in their play.

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and outcomes for children

Children are offered a good variety of healthy meals that are nutritionally balanced and prepared by the nursery cook on site, who ensures children's specific dietary needs are met. The older children are encouraged to make choices about what they want to eat by serving themselves to a variety of fruit and vegetables at mealtimes. Children are able to access drinking water independently from their labelled drinking bottles, encouraging their independence and supporting healthy habits. There are effective hygiene procedures in place throughout the nursery. Children's bedding is cleaned daily and the use of hand sanitisers is encouraged as people enter the nursery, which reduces the risk of cross-infection. Children follow simple hygiene routines that help promote their health such as brushing their teeth after meals and washing their hands appropriately.

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and outcomes for children

The attractive displays which include photographs of the children engaged in the activity support a sense of pride and achievement. However the environment has not yet been fully exploited to be rich in print, where children can learn about words that also include words from different home languages and communicate in a variety of ways such as through signing or pictures. Children are offered opportunities to experiment with a variety of textures such as jelly, sand, play dough and corn flour, and to design their own creations in the art and craft area. There are a good variety of resources to encourage sorting, counting and matching and to make and recognise shapes and patterns. Language development is supported well through story telling, discussion, role play and singing. Children are keen to find their name card to self-register on arrival and independently access equipment and make choices in their play. They are happy, confident and

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and outcomes for children

motivated to learn. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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