Katharine Bruce Day NurseryOfsted inspection, 24 Sept 2010

Katharine Bruce Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY305975 Inspection date 24/09/2010 Inspector Martha Darkwah

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Setting address Queens Park Court, Ilbert Street, London, W10 4QA

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Telephone number 020 7641 5835 Email katharinebruce@wcs.org.uk 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

Katherine Bruce Community Nursery was established in 1930 and re-registered in 2005. It is run by London Early Years Foundation under a management contract for Westminster City Council.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is located in the Queens Park Estate in Westminster. The setting is a purpose built single storey building consisting of three main rooms and four other rooms, a staff room, parent's room, creative room, and sleep room. Children have access to a secure outdoor area. It is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks in the year. Access to the premises is via a ramp.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 59 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 36 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery supports a number of children who have English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 10 staff, including the manager, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Additionally there are two students who are working towards an early years qualification.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both 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

Children are welcomed with warmth and affection into a lively, happy nursery environment. Staff members working with all age groups are qualified and experienced and they are devoted to the well-being of the children in their care. Parents are invited to contribute their observations to an 'All about me' booklet which helps staff to identify each child's starting points. They observe the children and show a good understanding of their individual needs, however, these are not always used effectively to plan for the children's next steps of learning. Cultural diversity and inclusion is highly valued and respected well overall. The provider and staff accurately evaluate the quality of the provision for children in the setting and the steps they take to implement improvements are effective and ongoing.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the learning plans to show clearer links to the information gained from This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 observing the children and the next steps, to support the planning of future activities  develop the range of resources for Information Technology  further develop the partnership with parents to involve them in their child's learning and development and how to support children's learning at home.

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the early years provision

Effective management helps to maintain good standards in the nursery. Every member of staff is checked for suitability at the time of their employment which helps to safeguard the children. Staff members have good awareness of child protection issues and procedures. They know the signs or symptoms that indicate children may be being ill-treated and the reporting procedures to fully safeguard children. The setting has in place a robust recruitment procedure that includes Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks, three references and a detailed induction period. Individual skills of the staff team cover a wide area of expertise, which is well used to provide a rich learning environment. Deployment of staff is highly effective to ensure that children are well supported and supervised as they move between their chosen activities indoors and outdoors. Comprehensive risk assessments are regularly carried out and recorded for the premises and for

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the early years provision

The manager is actively involved in working with the children each day, which means that she is fully informed about the quality of the provision for children. The manager and staff are active in their professional development. Many of the staff have worked in the nursery for some years and the manager ensures that they revisit the setting's policies and procedures documentation from time to time in order to keep their knowledge up to date. They put their learning to good use to maintain the development and ongoing improvement of the provision for children.

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the early years provision

A good range of detailed information is obtained via a pre-admission form and an 'All about me' booklet is used effectively to plan activities for children according to their individual needs and interests. The needs of every child is carefully assessed and staff work closely with parents and other agencies to ensure that children's individual needs are met. Staff work closely with the Early Years Professional who is guiding them and supporting the development and continuous improvement of the setting's provision for children.

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the early years provision

Through good use of evaluation, staff members have successfully developed their teaching methods to place greater emphasis on children learning through play and exploration. They have adopted a new system of planning and recording observations and assessments, however, these are not always used to plan for the children's next steps of learning. They are conscientious in their approach to ongoing professional development and their training helps them to provide a worthwhile programme of activities, based around the indicvidual children's interests. Every child has a learning journey, which maps children's progress towards the early learning goals and this is shared with the parents. Staff members take photographs of children as they engage in an activity to include in their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning journey's. There are a number of opportunities for parents to be involved

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the early years provision

in their child's learning and development in the setting. However, ideas of how to support children's learning at home is yet to be fully secure.

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the early years provision

Staff in all rooms complete the attendance records promptly as the children arrive, enabling a clear record to be available if there were an emergency evacuation situation. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures provide the framework for the successful delivery of care and education. Staff members enjoy very good relationships with parents and carers and the adults regularly share information about children's development and progress formally and informally. Parents say that they have every confidence in the staff, as they are very approachable and always ready to listen and their children are happy and look forward to coming to the setting to play and learn with their friends. They approve of the settling in procedure, which allows parents to be fully involved and children to spend short periods with the staff to gain confidence and a feeling of security. The manager and provider make generally good use of self evaluation to monitor

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the early years provision

the provision for children. They have delegated specific areas of responsibility to members of staff who evaluate their own area of work on a continuous basis. The manager and provider seek feedback from the whole staff team to find ways of maintaining good standards and to facilitate ongoing improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Staff members track and record the achievements of each child in all areas of their learning. They plan with care to help every child to make the very best progress. A particular strength in their work is the way in which they promote children's independence and the right balance of adult initiated and child initiated activities. Additionally, children enjoy free flow of in and outdoor opportunities with adequate resources in all areas of learning. Staff members have arranged toys and resources so that the children can easily access them and make choices and decisions. Every child is making good progress towards the early learning goals given their starting points. Good observation and assessment systems are in place, but not fully embedded. Although staff members clearly identify next steps for all children and plan suitable activities, the information gained is not always used sufficiently in the

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and outcomes for children

The children are busily engaged in worthwhile play and learning activities in all rooms. Children's art work is varied and colourful and made according to their own ideas. Staff members speak clearly to the children and they extend their vocabulary at every opportunity. Children select books to share with staff and through stories and discussions they learn the names of animals, parts of the body and colours. Children have easy access to mark making materials both indoors and outside. Staff members successfully encourage children to identify shapes and count, match and sort their toys. Older children are making good progress in recognising numerals and staff use real objects to introduce ideas such as 'how many' and 'how many altogether'. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff members are good role models for the children. They demonstrate polite ways of speaking and help children to behave with consideration for the needs and

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and outcomes for children

feelings of others. A range of interesting activities is planned to help children to develop an awareness of the festivals and celebrations that are enjoyed in different cultures. The programme comprehensively reflects the background of all of the children attending. Staff members are attentive and supportive towards children who are settling in, and work closely with parents to ensure the process is meeting children's individual needs. Children play peacefully and they can safely explore their environment. They play with stimulating toys and resources which attract their interest. Children are calm, happy and well behaved. They respond very well to all the staff who are pleasant, polite and firm. Children share their toys and they understand that they must take turns with favourite toys and resources.

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and outcomes for children

Children explore their toys and resources with rapt concentration finding new ways to play. Staff members provide them with a good range of sensory materials including sand, water, dough and corn flour, and the children handle them with pleasure. They jump about energetically and the staff members infect the children with their enthusiasm. Children go on trips to local places of interest, such as the science museum, a circus and further afield to Southend-on-Sea and Littlehampton. Each day they enjoy playing lively games and activities indoors and outdoors that promote their good health,such as, Yoga tots. They sing songs, clap hands, stretch and play parachute games. Children are cared for in a warm, well lit setting where they have easy access to a good selection of books, toys and resources. Tables and chairs are the correct height for the children to sit in comfort.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about good personal hygiene and healthy ways of eating. Staff members follow well established routines and procedures to maintain good standards of hygiene in the setting for the children. A dedicated cook prepares a good range of tasty, healthy meals for the children in a clean, orderly kitchen. The children eat their meals with obvious pleasure, serving themselves and many having second helpings. They enjoy fresh fruit snacks and they have drinks to hand throughout the day. The cook prepares menus which are regulalry changed and displayed for parents to see. The cook takes great care to ensure that children are given food that meets their individual dietary requirements. The children help to set the lunch table and to clear away after lunch. Parents enjoy a food tasting evening in which they support the nursery cook in devising the children's menu.

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and outcomes for children

A number of staff holding first aid qualifications are present throughout the day and all of the required information and written permissions are obtained from parents to enable staff to promote children's continuing good health and well- being. Children grow vegetables and bulbs in their own patch in the garden. They dig and look after the plants, making regular observations on the growing progress. Staff members organise cooking activities and talk about the ingredients and what constitutes healthy eating and a healthy life style. In this way they learn about healthy eating. Children learn to keep themselves safe through learning about road safety on walks and outings and through learning to walk indoors to prevent accidents. 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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