Grange House Day Nursery

Grange House Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 305075 Inspection date 08/02/2011 Inspector Sue Anslow

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Setting address Smithy Lane, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port, CH66 3RP

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Telephone number 0151 339 9175 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

Grange House Day Nursery was originally established in 1989. It changed ownership in 2000 and is currently privately owned. The nursery is in a converted house which is situated in Little Sutton, near Ellesmere Port. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.15pm all year round. Children are age divided into three groups, operating from five rooms on two floors. There is an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 51 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 54 children aged from birth to under five years on roll, some in part-time places.

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Description of the setting

There are 12 members of staff, all of whom hold early years qualifications to at least Level 2. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four- year-olds and receives support from early years advisors.

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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 needs are met well in this small, friendly nursery. Each child has their own key worker who liaises closely with parents, tracks children's progress and ensures their learning and development is promoted. Partnerships with parents, local schools and early years advisors are fully established to support continuity of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. All children are welcome and fully included in all the activities, ensuring individual needs are met. Management strive to continually improve outcomes for children and systems for evaluating the setting are being undertaken.

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further?

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

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further?

 carry out emergency evacuation procedures more regularly to ensure every child is familiar with the process  develop the process of self-evaluation in order to identify the setting's strengths and areas requiring further improvement  adapt daily routines, such as mealtimes, to allow child-initiated activities to be completed or returned to later

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the early years provision

Children are kept safe from harm or abuse through staff vigilance and following written policies and procedures. Senior staff have accessed child protection training and the whole team are familiar with their responsibilities. The premises and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 equipment are clean, tidy and safe for young children. Risk assessments are carried out as required and safety certificates for utilities and appliances are in place. Children learn to keep themselves safe through good safety routines, such as, holding on to the banister rail when going up and down stairs. They practise road safety drills when out and about and emergency evacuation procedures from the building. However, fire drills are not held often enough to ensure all children are familiar with the procedure.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from ample play space indoors on two floors of the building, plus a large conservatory. They are also able to access outdoor play in the front garden which is safely enclosed and comprises of a covered area, grass and soft surfacing under the climbing equipment. Each room has an ample supply of suitable toys and play equipment for the children and correct ratios of staff to children are maintained. The manager and her staff team are enthusiastic and committed to updating their skills for the benefit of the children. They meet regularly and discuss all aspects of childcare and ways of improving outcomes for children. All recommendations raised at the last inspection have been put in place and ideas mapped out for future development. Rough notes have been made but not yet organised into an ongoing system of self-evaluation, incorporating ideas from the children and their parents.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are valued highly and many families register younger siblings into the nursery. Information is exchanged daily, both verbally and in writing. Notices and newsletters are displayed and given out, parents evenings are held and a comments box is situated in the entrance hall. Every new parent receives a Prospectus outlining the aims and routines of the nursery as well as a brief outline of the policies and procedures. Children are supported through their transition on to local schools and teachers visit the nursery to meet them during the summer term. Staff are happy to work closely with outside agencies and value any input from early years professionals. Individual needs are catered for very well and all are made welcome and fully included in the warm and friendly environment.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development as they progress through the nursery and then on to school. They receive warm attention from staff who are skilled and knowledgeable in the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Through their observations of children's interests and abilities, staff are able to plan a range of activities to excite their curiosity and imagination. All areas of development are covered during the week, including lots of outdoor play and occasional outings around the neighbourhood. Key workers record the children's development in their profile books and illustrate with photographs. Parents are able to look at the profiles and are encouraged to record any observations they have made at home.

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and outcomes for children

Physical development is promoted very well through freedom of movement around the rooms and out in the garden. Children are able to race around on the wheeled This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 toys, crawl through tunnels, ride or balance on the log train or draw shapes on the pathway with chalks. They enjoy being creative with the sand, both indoors and outside, and are able to experience a range of different materials, for example, paint, dough, jelly and shaving foam. Children use all their senses in their investigations of these media, which extend their experiences and lead to interesting discussions and further exploration. Children become increasingly independent as they grow and mature and, with encouragement from staff, they spread the butter and jam on their toast and put on their coats and boots for outdoor play. However, at present all toys and activities are put away to set out

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and outcomes for children

the snack tables, with different activities put out afterwards. This prevents children from naturally finishing their games or going back to a piece of construction they were building.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave very well and show a caring attitude towards each other. Minor squabbles are dealt with appropriately by the staff and children are encouraged to share and take turns. They learn to listen to each other during quiet circle times and thoroughly enjoy joining in with the action songs and rhymes. They are beginning to recognise letter and number shapes through signs and labels and are very proud when they are able to write the initial letters of their name. Role play areas and small world toys promote children's imaginations and enable them to make up their own games. They learn how things work as they press buttons on musical toys, build structures with different construction kits and manipulate the mouse in computer games.

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and outcomes for children

All children are welcome and included and their individual needs met in this small, friendly nursery. They learn about their local community and the wider world around them through appropriate activities and resources. They celebrate different festivals throughout the year and are currently learning Spanish, which they delight in showing off to their parents. Children are provided with a healthy diet of meals and snacks during the day, all freshly prepared on site. Any accidents or illnesses are managed well and several staff hold first aid certificates. 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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