The Lancaster School

Toad Hall Nursery (Haslemere) Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number 120283 Inspection date 10/03/2010 Inspector Louise Bonney

p.1

Setting address Chestnut Avenue, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 2AT

p.1

Telephone number 01428 654117 Email haslemere@toadhall-nursery.co.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

p.1

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

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Toad Hall Day Nursery is one of 15 nurseries run by Careroom Ltd. It opened in 1999 and operates from a former Victorian school, which has been converted for use as a day care facility. It is situated in Haslemere, Surrey. There are five classroom areas, a dining room and a large main hall in the centre of the building that is used for a range of physical play activities. There are two outdoor play areas, one with a hard surface and one with grass. Children are accommodated in age related groups with appropriate toilet and nappy change facilities. All meals and snacks are prepared on site in the nursery's kitchen. The nursery serves families from the local community and surrounding villages.

p.4

Description of the setting

The nursery is registered under the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 71 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each week day from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. There are currently 73 children aged from three months to under five years on roll, this includes 26 children in receipt of educational funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery has children with special educational needs and/or physical disabilities attending, and children who speak English as an additional language.

p.4

Description of the setting

The nursery employs 10 full time and three part time members of staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications. There are two staff currently attending training towards a degree and L3 qualification. The nursery receives support from a mentor from the local authority and is working towards the Quality Counts accreditation scheme.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The owner establishes an enthusiastic and committed team of staff, who thoroughly review their provision and implement changes that benefit the children. Children develop excellent awareness of health, safety and appropriate behaviour through the positive input of staff. Staff observe and assess children’s learning and development and often use their preferred learning styles to promote clear learning aims, which helps them make good progress. Staff develop effective relationships with parents and others, such as therapists and schools, which helps them identify and support children’s individual needs. Staff provide a welcoming and inclusive environment where most children develop awareness of their own as well as other cultures during activities.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 take account of individual children's interests and spontaneous play when This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 planning how to deliver their identified next steps in learning, inside and outside  plan an environment that is rich in signs, symbols, notices, numbers, words, rhymes, books, pictures, music and songs that take into account children’s different languages, home backgrounds and cultures.

p.4

the early years provision

The owner and manager ensure procedures and policies are well known to staff through their thorough induction and discussions during staff meetings. Staff attend training and show good understanding of safeguarding issues. They maintain documentation and records accurately, such as for incidents and accidents, and share these with parents. They thoroughly risk assess the environment and carry out checks daily to ensure there are no hazards. This safeguards the children effectively.

p.5

the early years provision

The owner and senior managers show ambition and continually drive forward improvements to the nursery. Area managers visit weekly and together with the manager and staff assess and monitor the provision, using various rating schemes and by working towards accreditation under the Quality Counts scheme. This helps evaluate the provision in depth. The manager has a clear plan which sets realistic targets for ongoing development and delegates areas of responsibility to her staff team, who enthusiastically embrace and take forward changes. Changes so far have improved, for example, opportunities for children to take responsibility, their access to technology, changes in the layout of rooms to better support activities, and new systems for carrying out observational assessments of their progress towards the Early Years Foundation Stage early learning goals. New equipment is on order for outdoor areas, in order to further support learning outside. This shows

p.5

the early years provision

a good level of commitment towards continual development.

p.5

the early years provision

The manager and staff effectively organise and deploy resources. Children cannot have free access to outdoor areas due to the layout of the premises, but all have planned opportunities for free access to the large inner hall and for their group to play outside at least twice a day. Children access an excellent range of resources which include natural and recycled materials, such as large boxes to sit in or corks and leaves for art or sensory activities. This supports sustainability. Most children have plenty of space for their activities and space allocation is currently under review by the owner.

p.5

the early years provision

Staff develop good relationships with parents. Parents receive clear information about the nursery and there are sensitive settling-in periods which help to develop trusting partnerships. Parents take children’s learning records home and attend half-yearly meetings with their allocated key-worker to discuss children’s progress. Staff are trying various ways to include children’s home experiences in their learning records, to more comprehensively assess their progress and target future learning. Staff establish two-way communication with other settings children attend and liaise closely with others involved with them, such as therapists. This This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 helps the nursery support any identified special educational and/or disabilities children may have.

p.5

and outcomes for children

Staff provide a wide range of activities and resources that help children make good progress in their learning and development. They assess children’s progress using photographs, samples of work and written observations. They identify their progress towards the early learning goals methodically, which ensures any gaps in their development are identified and achieved. Staff plan effectively for children’s next possible steps and show good understanding of how children learn. However, they do not always use plans sufficiently flexibly to use toddlers’ preferences like physical play in the hall to develop other areas of learning, such as number recognition. Staff work closely with therapists and parents to support any identified weaknesses in children’s development through the provision of purposeful activities.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Staff provide some support for children from other cultures and who have English as an additional language. Some rooms label resources well in other languages, list key words for staff to refer to and have visual prompts to support communication. Children celebrate similarities and differences. They watch DVDs of Chinese dancing and New Year celebrations, then make a model dragon and dance in the hall. However, children’s own cultures are not always similarly reflected through activities and the provision of resources, such as dual language books to share with parents or recorded rhymes and music, in order to further value and celebrate their own culture and language.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Staff skilfully interact with children to help them develop language and thinking skills. Children show curiosity and staff encourage them to examine and describe a grasshopper and rooting seed found in a planter. Children show imagination and recall as they act out a familiar story with staff in the playground. Children develop independence as they select their activities from the excellent range of resources available, which are easily accessible. They show excellent awareness of health, safety and behaviour issues. They describe clearly why they wash their hands to remove germs before eating and seek and receive excellent emotional support from the caring staff who value them highly. Children graphically describe why they need to take care when walking near cars and how to hold a stool safely when carrying it to the table. They cooperate very well and are kind and considerate towards each other. They spontaneously offer help to others less able

p.6

and outcomes for children

to cut up their sausage at lunchtime, sensitively waiting for their agreement before helping them. They show a very strong sense of belonging and safety as they welcome and seek quick hugs from staff visiting their room, wave goodbye to others being collected, and talk freely and openly about home experiences. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.7

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

p.7

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.7

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

p.7

Stage

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

p.7

Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

p.7

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

p.7

Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

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

p.8