Partou Playdays Day Nursery & Pre-School

Playdays Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY285293 Inspection date 21/02/2011 Inspector Lesley Sharples

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Setting address Blackrod Old Grammar School, Blackrod, Bolton, Lancashire, BL6 5ES Telephone number 01204 698596 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

Playdays Daycare Nusery has been registered since August 2004. The registered provider is a limited company. The nursery is situated in Blackrod in Bolton within a former grammar school building. Facilities for children are set within a two-story building and comprise of two rooms on the first floor and three rooms on the ground floor. There is an outdoor play area to side of the nursery for babies and one to the rear of the building for older children.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Registration is for a total of 96 children. There are currently 167 children on roll, of these 157 children are within the early years age range. The setting supports children with special educational needs/disabilities. The setting is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round apart from Christmas, and offers additional care for older children during each school holiday.

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Description of the setting

There is a staff team of 28, of whom 22 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager, deputy and one other member of staff have completed a foundation degree in early childhood studies. Support staff are also employed as there is a qualified chef and administrative support. Membership of the National Day Nurseries Association is retained and the setting achieved the national 'Quality Counts' accreditation award.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's unique individual needs are valued and exceptionally well met, so they make rapid progress in their learning and development. Excellent partnership with parents and other professionals ensure children are fully supported. The nursery is developing partnerships with others settings that children attend. Children's welfare is expertly promoted through stringent practices. The motivated staff team are highly knowledgeable. They strive for continuous improvement in all aspects of practice, through effective and inclusive evaluation methods, which have a positive impact for children.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 further developing partnership working with others delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage so that planning supports continuity in meeting children's development needs. 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 safety and welfare are given the utmost priority within this nursery. The designated safeguarding member of staff trains all staff. As a result, they clearly understand their roles and responsibilities and the procedures to follow. Policies and procedures are revised and implemented to ensure the efficient running of the setting. Risk assessments and procedures ensure children are kept safe both on and off the premises. Children's safety is further assured through staff checks and the use of fingerprint access to areas where they play.

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the early years provision

There is a strong commitment to ensuring both social and educational inclusion is promoted within the nursery. Excellent and positive partnership with parents, as well as other professionals involved in the life of the child, underpins the two-way flow of information. This maximises all children's potential. Parents are kept extremely well informed through various means, including noticeboards both outside and inside the entrance area. Their views are sought and valued and innovative communication ideas, such as newsletters, the website and the yellow sticker board, assist with this. Procedures to help children settle into nursery life benefits them so they feel included. This gives reassurance to parents. The nursery celebrates the role of dads and an open day at a weekend provided opportunities for team games and planting in garden areas. One parent offers his time to talk with the older children about his role as a police officer, bringing his various hats

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the early years provision

and helmets for them to try on. Another parent shares her Hindu culture by using henna to do hand painting for children.

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the early years provision

The deployment of superb resources successfully promotes children's learning and development and understanding of diversity. High quality furniture and equipment emphasises sustainability, is safe and totally suitable to meet the needs of all children. Rooms are thoughtfully organised so that children move about freely and easily access all activities and resources. Full use is made of the local toy library to increase variety and widen choices. Areas are created to provide restful spaces in all rooms so that children have a balance of vigorous and quiet times in their day. The nursery received recognition for their setting design at an awards ceremony in London recently.

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the early years provision

The nursery strives for excellence. There is ambitious vision for the future and for continuous improvement to provide high quality care and education. This is achieved by self-reflection and identifying targeted areas for developing practice. The views of staff, parents and older children are sought in order to gain the wider view. All recommendations made at the last inspection have been implemented. Recently, the manager and another member of staff visited outdoor settings in Norway following completion of their foundation degree. This was paid for by the registered provider in recognition of their achievements. This inspires developments for children to become closer to nature for their own setting. The setting has vastly improved the outdoor learning areas for children. It is an exciting place for children and is extremely well used in all weathers. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

All children throughout the nursery are happy, settled and meaningfully engaged in their play. Their environment is warm and welcoming, vibrant, visually stimulating and promotes all six areas of learning successfully. Staff's expert knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage is reflected in the individual children's learning journey. Observation, assessment and planning for next steps are exceptional. The systems in use effectively gather information about children's starting points and then monitor progress to identify gaps, so that all areas are covered equally. Parents are invited to contribute to their child's planning sheet and this fully assists key persons to ensure children follow their interests, which makes learning fun. Parents are given ideas and suggestions to do at home, ensuring children achieve and make rapid progress. Liaison with other settings that children attend who also deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage is not yet fully

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and outcomes for children

established, to ensure there is continuity in meeting children's developmental needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children are fascinated by the world around them. They are surrounded by Chinese artefacts as they celebrate Chinese New Year, and the inclusion manager makes concerted efforts to promote diversity with positive images of different cultures and disability. Children are learning simple Spanish with a member of staff who speaks it fluently, contributing to skills for their future. A wealth of treasure baskets enable children to explore for themselves from a vast range of sensory experiences, especially for babies. Simple technology, for example a microphone, clock, tills, computers and the interactive white board, promotes learning for children's future social and economic well-being and prepares them for school. Children discover living things as they search for creatures with magnifying glasses in the bug area. They plant herbs and flowers and can access water from the water pump or water butt to look after them. Children regularly go out of the

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and outcomes for children

nursery, for example, they join in a group with older people who teach them to knit and sew. This promotes their social development extremely well.

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and outcomes for children

Babies are happy and content as they enjoy sensory experiences with rice, pasta and lentils. Toddlers and preschool children enjoy being creative and are illustrating the song book with detailed representations of the themes, such as Little Miss Muffet and the spider. Artwork displayed shows their skills in collage making and children are absorbed when painting at the easel. There are many references to numbers and letters within the environment and children mark make in a variety of ways. The attention to detail in ensuring pencils and crayons are sharpened means that children have appropriate materials to write with. Outdoor resources add opportunities for problem solving, reasoning and numeracy in. Sand and water play with containers and number rhymes assist children in early counting. They have favourite stories, joining in with repeated phrases, and have a wealth of choice and opportunity to look at books for themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and well-being is fully assured. They have very strong attachments with their key person, especially in the baby room, and older children know who they can tell if they feel upset. Fire procedures are also regularly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 practised and evaluative comments are recorded. This means they feel safe and secure in the nursery. Outdoor experiences in all weathers promote their physical development, for example they climb trees, balance on the beam and jump in puddles. Wellingtons and waterproof suits are worn for this to maximise enjoyment. Younger children sleep outside are warmly tucked up in blankets and wear hats and gloves, so benefit from plenty of fresh air. Children also go swimming, gaining early confidence in water. The qualified chef cooks healthy and nutritious meals to meet dietary needs and there is access to plenty of drinks to

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and outcomes for children

keep children hydrated. Children dig up potatoes they have grown and have input into the planning of menus. Children learn healthy routine habits including using tissues to blow their nose, disposing of them properly and then washing their hands. All children are happy in their play and learning. Their behaviour is exemplary and manners are encouraged. They learn to stay safe through gentle reminders from staff who take the time to explain consequences. Positive reinforcement and an abundance of praise boosts children's confidence and self- esteem, laying down firm foundations for their future. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1

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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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