Plym Bridge Nursery and Day Care

Plymbridge Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY294876 Inspection date 27/10/2010 Inspector Ruth Thrasher

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Setting address Miller Way, Estover, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 8UN

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Telephone number 01752 786444 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

Plymbridge Nursery School has been registered since 2004 and extended to include children aged under three years in February 2006 when it became part of a Children's Centre. It is located on the Tor Bridge High secondary school site on the outskirts of Plymouth. It is registered on the Early Years Register and operates together with the maintained nursery school and an out of school and holiday club. Children have the use of a large dedicated play room with a separate cot room, as well as the use of other rooms and facilities within the Children's Centre and a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 7:45 am to 6:15 pm all year round.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 38 children aged under three years, of whom 18 may be under two years, can attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 87 children on roll aged from birth to under three years. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three- and four -year -olds. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 15 staff to work with the children, all of whom have early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The manager has a level 4 qualification, seven staff are qualified to level 3 and the remaining staff have a level 2 qualification. The nursery has achieved the Bristol Standard quality assurance scheme.

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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

Children benefit from a committed and well qualified staff group who are aware of the children's individual needs and interests and plan an interesting and challenging range of activities to enable them to make good progress in most areas. The attractive environment is well resourced and the children benefit from being part of the children's centre and having access to the range of facilities and support of qualified teachers and specialist staff. Staff reflect on their practice and have developed good partnerships with other settings and with parents to ensure children are effectively supported.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the range of activities and experiences to ensure children learn from the earliest age to value diversity in others and grow up making a positive contribution to society  review the organisation of staff deployment to ensure that children, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 particularly babies, are able to develop a settled close relationship with a a key person

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a very safe and secure environment and the security systems in place within the centre ensure that unauthorised people are unable to gain access to the children and that children are safe within the setting. There are robust procedures in place to ensure that staff caring for children are suitable to do so. The design of the building ensures that children are safely supervised when using the bathroom or having their nappies changed, without staff having to leave the room. Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of safeguarding issues and are all currently in the process of updating their training.

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the early years provision

The nursery management demonstrates a good capacity to evaluate the quality of the provision and improve practice through completing a self-evaluation of the whole nursery and undertaking a quality assurance scheme. Staff are able to contribute their ideas at staff meetings and identify areas for improvement, such as the need for some seating in the outdoor play area to improve communication between children and staff.

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the early years provision

The nursery is well resourced with a good range of quality equipment, including wooden toys and furniture. There is an area that is separated from the main play area to ensure that crawling and non-mobile babies are protected but can join in the activities with the older children if they desire. This includes a cot room with subdued lighting where they can sleep safely with frequent checks by staff. Risk assessments and daily safety checks ensure that the children are kept safe.

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the early years provision

Inclusive practice is promoted by ensuring children's individual needs are met and appropriate support is provided for children in line with their development needs. For example, the nursery is improving support for children's language and communication through the Every Child a Talker program. There are no children currently attending the setting from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds, therefore children are not part of a naturally diverse environment where they can learn to appreciate the positive benefits of diversity. Staff feel this is an area they need to develop further to ensure that it receives sufficient emphasis in their planning of activities.

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the early years provision

Nursery staff work hard to develop good relationships with parents and carers. They spend time talking to parents when they arrive and collect their children to ensure important information is shared. They work closely with other day care settings that children attend, ensuring that they share information and work together to ensure consistency on important areas of children's development, such as toilet training. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children settle well at the nursery and have the opportunity to attend 'taster' sessions before they start. New children are made welcome as staff provide an activity on the table as they come in to the nursery that they know the child particularly likes. Children show delight in exploring the nursery environment and are able to self-select activities from the equipment, which is stored attractively on low-level shelving. The room is divided into different areas by the imaginative use of storage and equipment, which enables children to feel more secure in trying out the activities and exploring at their own pace. The outdoor play area is accessed directly from the main play room and this enables children to continue their learning and development outdoors.

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and outcomes for children

Activities are planned based on the staff's observations of the children's progress and the key worker system supports identification of the children's next steps in their learning and development. Key workers demonstrate that they know the children well and their particular interests are used to plan further activities, for example one child's interest in threading is extended to promote learning and another child's interest in exploring is extended into other areas. A child's passion for trains is used as the basis of themed activities based on 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and celebrated in a colourful wall display. Children's development is monitored through their learning journeys to show progress in the areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Staff provide a wide range of interesting activities to encourage children's learning and development, for example the Halloween theme was evident throughout the nursery with linked activities such as bobbing for apples in shredded paper and making pumpkin lanterns. The two-year-olds enjoy a weekly visit to the 'big nursery' as well as focused sessions with a qualified teacher using the interactive whiteboard and developing their communication skills. Babies and toddlers engage in activities appropriate for their stage of development, such as treasure baskets, musical instruments, water play with boats in the garden and using brushes to make marks on a tray of flour. The use of technology within the nursery and the emphasis on developing communication and numeracy skills, together with regular links with the 'big nursery', ensures that children are developing skills that will support them in the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to play safely in the well-resourced play room because staff are well deployed to supervise and support them as they explore and extend their play. There are weekly activity plans for the different areas, such as the role play, activity area, art table and baby section. Staff rotate between the different activities, spending about a week in each area before moving on. This has the benefit of ensuring that all the children get to know all the staff, however it does mean that the young babies do not have the consistency of one main carer to see to their needs and to build up a relationship, which is important for young children's development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles as they have regular access to fresh air and physical exercise and are given healthy drinks and snacks. Good

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and outcomes for children

hygiene practices are routine throughout the nursery, for example individual face flannels are used once and then put in a bucket to be washed. The interesting range of activities and positive role modelling by staff ensures that children's behaviour is good. 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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