Granta Park Day Nursery

Granta Park Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 259680 Inspection date 27/10/2010 Inspector Deborah Kerry

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Setting address Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB21 6GP Telephone number 01223 471010 Email grantaparknursery@sunhilldaycare.com 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.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as 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

Granta Park Montessori Nursery is one of eight nurseries run by Sunhill Daycare (Europe) Ltd. The group registered in 2001 and operates from a purpose-built building on a science park near Great Abington. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The premises are accessible via a low step. A maximum of 78 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The facility is open each weekday from 07.30am until 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year (excluding Bank Holidays). This provider is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 69 children aged from birth to under five years on roll. Of these, 13 children receive funding for early education. Children come from the local and wider community. The nursery currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 17 members of staff, of

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Description of the setting

whom 11, including the manager, hold an appropriate early years qualification. There is one member of staff working towards a qualification. The nursery is supported by the local authority.

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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's welfare, learning and development is fully supported by the highly motivated staff, ensuring that the majority of their individual learning needs can be met. The new management team have in place clear aims and objectives to support staff and for children's learning. The nursery's action plan is regularly reviewed and up-dated to ensure that continuous improvement is maintained. The staff are fully supported in their training and development, so that practice in the nursery continues to provide positive outcomes for all children who attend. Partnerships between staff and parents works well in practice to ensure children make good progress in their learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in their play and learning; provide opportunities and resources to help children to see that their home language and ethnicity are valued  increase resources accessible to children and review how they are organised to provide children with more opportunities to independently initiate their own play and follow their own interests. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively supported as all staff has a good knowledge of the nurseries safeguarding children procedures. The nursery has undertaken training for all staff, so that they are all fully aware of the steps to take should they have any concerns about the welfare of a child. The nursery have recently reviewed and up-dated their safeguarding children policy to ensure that procedures are clear for staff to follow. Clear written risk assessments have been undertaken for all areas and equipment within the nursery to ensure that children are well protected from any potential dangers. The emergency evacuation procedures are practised on a regular basis. This ensures that children's safety is a high priority and is a reminder to develop children's knowledge on keeping safe. There is a range of policies and procedures in place to support the clear aims of the nursery which are shared with

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the early years provision

parents. Through the notice board in each room, they are kept fully informed about topics and activities within the nursery to ensure they are kept informed about their child's early education. Parents' views are sought through questionnaires when deciding on any changes to practice, ensuring that they are kept involved and their views acknowledged. Parents are kept fully informed and involved in their child's progress, as they can discuss their child's records with staff at any time. Parents are encouraged to add comments about their child's learning and development at home to the monthly board, so that they are fully involved and support their child's learning. The majority of staff hold early years qualifications or are undertaking training. This helps to support children in their ongoing learning and development. All staff have input with planning activities each week around the individual needs of their key children. The staff are

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the early years provision

supported in attending further training for their development to extend their knowledge and increase their experience. Through the regularly up-dated action plan the nursery's practice is reviewed and evaluated and areas for development to benefit children's learning and development have been clearly identified. All staff can input their ideas for development into the action plan to develop the practice in the rooms in which they work. The nursery has in place a comprehensive range of policies and procedures to support their good practice which are regularly reviewed. Feedback from parents on the nursery's practice is obtained through questionnaires and regular parents' evenings and open days. This knowledge is then used to ensure their needs can be met, to develop and improve the nursery's practice further. The management team have put in place effective measures to support the new manager to ensure that the running of the nursery remains

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the early years provision

positive and supportive towards all staff, parents and children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks and meals that promote their health. The nursery employs a cook who prepares the snacks and meals for children and ensures that their individual dietary needs are fully met. The nursery is having their menus reviewed by a nutritionist to ensure that they offer a wide variety of foods so that all meals are balanced and help to promote This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the good health of children further. Staff ensure that all children's health and medical needs are fully supported through the range of clear policies and procedures they have in place. Children have access to large equipment and a range of activities in the garden, where they can climb, crawl, jump and balance to support their physical development well. This also helps them to develop a positive attitude to exercise and promotes their healthy growth and development. Children

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and outcomes for children

are developing a good understanding around personal hygiene as they are encouraged to wash their hands before eating. Staff undertake regular observations on children's individual interests, the next steps in their learning have been clearly identified so that all six areas are included. Children's progress records are updated regularly and children's individual interests and needs are incorporated into the weekly plans to ensure that they are making progress. Plans show both adult and child-initiated activities, include any areas identified for future learning to support children's continued progress. The nursery employs designated staff with additional qualifications so that children with special educational needs can be fully supported. Children learn about the wider world and other cultures and beliefs through a range of activities throughout the year. Festivals around children's own backgrounds and beliefs are also celebrated within the nursery. This

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and outcomes for children

ensures that children are able to learn about their own, and the heritage of others. However, children with English is a second language, have no words in their home language displayed around the setting. This limits the opportunities for children to see that their home language and ethnicity are valued. Children are able to self- select age-appropriate resources as they are stored at a low level. Children are learning expected codes of behaviour, as they display good manners to each other and staff during the sessions. They all help to tidy away resources at the end of a session. This helps children to learn respect for their environment and how to care for their resources. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories read to them by staff. This promotes their interest in literacy and supports their early reading skills. Staff ask the children questions and give them instructions to follow.

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and outcomes for children

This promotes children's thinking skills and develops their understanding around communication. Children enjoy singing songs and rhymes from memory and experiment with sound as they play with musical instruments. Children create hedgehogs using clay and uncooked spaghetti, they manipulate the clay and shape it to form the body and use spaghetti to make the spikes. This supports children's developing imagination, creativity and their dexterity. Babies are provided with a range of textures and manipulative resources, they have access to sand. This allows them to experiment with textures and they can make patterns and marks to support their dexterity and early writing skills. Toddlers have opportunities to paint and older children have free access to a range of resources so they can write for a purpose. Some older children can recognise the letters in their names and some are able to write their own names. Younger children are provided with a range of

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and outcomes for children

pop-up and push button toys; and older children enjoy playing games on the computer and are developing good mouse control. These activities help to develop children's understanding of technology; staff ensure that resources are suitable for the children's differing abilities. At circle time staff link letter sound to children's names to develop their letter recognitions and literacy skills. They count how many letters are in their names to help them develop their knowledge around numeracy. Children are able to make choices in what they play with. However, there is a lack of resources for all children to access throughout the nursery which can limit their independence and opportunities for challenge. 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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