Forest Hall Day Nursery

Forest Hall Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 310208 Inspection date 08/03/2011 Inspector Lynne Pope

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Setting address Springfield Park, Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 9AG Telephone number 0191 266 2545 Email info@foresthalldaynursery.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.

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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

Forest Hall Day Nursery opened in 1992 and is one of four nurseries run by Northumbrian Trust Day Nurseries. It operates from Modular buildings and has access to an enclosed outdoor play area. It is situated in the Forest Hall area of Newcastle upon Tyne. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm for 52 weeks of the year. The out of school club is open from 7.30am until 9am and from 3pm until 6pm during school term time. During school holidays it is open from 7.30am until 6pm. They are registered by Ofsted on the Early Years register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the childcare registers for a maximum of 87 children at any one time with no more than 18 children aged under two years. There are currently 124 children from three months to ten years on roll, some in part-time places. The setting is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 19 staff. Two staff hold an early years qualification of Level 2, 11 staff hold a Level 3, two staff a hold a Level 4. The provision is registered to accept government funding for three and four-year-olds and receives support from the Early Years Support Team.

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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

The enthusiastic and dedicated management team has a very clear vision for the setting and along with staff create an inclusive environment where individuals are respected and valued. Children make good progress as they take part in adult-led and child-initiated activities based on the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are cared for in a very safe and secure environment and all records are in place to meet requirements. The very effective partnership with parents ensures that they communicate well, to put the children's needs first. Good links have been developed with most of the provisions that children attend as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop the outdoor space where possible to link the indoor and outdoor environment so that children can move freely between them  ensure effective communications between settings to ensure that all children's needs are met and there is continuity in their learning. 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 is maintained very effectively in the setting. A range of comprehensive policies and procedures are effectively implemented to ensure the smooth day-to-day running. Staff have a very good understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children and capably describe procedures for working with relevant agencies to protect children from harm or neglect. Comprehensive risk assessments have been carried out on all aspects of the provision which contributes towards children being cared for in a very safe environment. Robust procedures ensure that new staff are suitable for their role and have more than adequate qualifications. Induction procedures and ongoing supervisions where staff performance is reviewed and any training needs are identified, contribute towards staff remaining suitable.

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the early years provision

The premises are well maintained and attractively presented to help children to settle happily. Displays of their work, photographs of activities and age-appropriate resources which are easily accessible, create a child-friendly environment. This helps to develop their independence. Children have access to the outdoor area daily, however, the indoor and outdoor environment is currently not linked so that children can move freely between them. Staff work very closely with parents and other agencies that may be involved with children that have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language, resulting in them making good progress. All children are fully integrated into the setting and activities are provided based on each child's interests.

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the early years provision

The settings strong commitment to improvement enhances all aspects of the provision. The staff team has contributed to an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and a development plan has been constructed. Staff have been consulted about their role as a key person for the children through a questionnaire. This has resulted in the management listening to staff and implementing changes. Records such as accident and medication records are analysed each month to see if any changes need to be made. For example, if a pattern of accidents are frequently recorded. The recommendation raised at the last inspection has been implemented. An impact absorbing surface has been installed in the garden along with some new resources.

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the early years provision

Parents are involved fully in all aspects of their child's learning and development. Settling-in visits are offered to new children and staff discuss their child's needs and the parent completes a child profile. This helps staff to plan appropriate activities for their child. Staff keep a record of children's progress in learning journals which parents can access at any time. They are encouraged to write their own comments about their child's progress at home which gives a full picture of their development. Parent's evenings are held twice a year where they can discuss their child's development and what the focus will be for future development. Newsletters are produced every four months, informing parents of forthcoming events and topics. Parents stated that they are very happy with the care and learning that their child receives and feel that they know what their child does while in nursery and that they could raise any concerns with staff. Some

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 relationships have been established with other providers, such as schools and nurseries, through a daily diary being shared, however, this has not been implemented for all of the children to promote consistency and continuity of children's care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development due to the effective organisation of the provision and knowledge of staff. They are encouraged to participate in activities, taking account of their diversity and they learn respect for others and inclusive practice is promoted for all children. All staff contribute to the plans in each room based on children's interests. They observe children's activities and record them in a learning journal, noting down what the next development step will be. This information is used for future plans.

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and outcomes for children

A good variety of clean and safe play equipment is well maintained. They enable children to explore, discover, use their imagination and learn social skills. Babies explore the playroom and garden with enthusiasm from the close security of staff, while older children develop a positive approach to activities. Young children take pleasure in making a variety of sounds which develop into recognisable words. The use of resources such as story bags stimulates children's interest in stories. Staff use appropriate props as they read from a book and children discuss various aspects of the story and try to predict what might happen. Children are encouraged to express themselves through drawings. For example, they used crayons to express what they felt while they listened to music. Early numeracy skills develop as numbers are used in everyday activities. Children learn to judge the weight of items as they try to guess which will be heavy or light on the scales.

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and outcomes for children

Staff use the community as a resource as they have visitors come in to work with the children, such as a fire and police officer and a dentist. Children also go out into the community as they are invited to visit the local residential home for events and celebrations. This helps children to gain an awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others. Children learn the benefits of being active as they enthusiastically access the outdoors. They learn to negotiate the space around them as they run around or ride on bicycles. They throw various sized balls, crawl through the tunnel and explore the sand pit with their bare toes.

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and outcomes for children

The staff ensure that they uses appropriate strategies to manage children's behaviour. Children are encouraged to develop the habits and behaviour appropriate to good learners, their own needs and those of others and have excellent self-esteem because they receive lots of praise for their efforts. Older children are encouraged to show acts of kindness towards others and their efforts are recorded and displayed on the 'kindness tree' which is displayed in their room. Children's health and well-being is promoted well. Cooked meals are freshly prepared on the premises. Children's independence is promoted as they make their own choices and when physically able, serve themselves. All staff have the best interests of the children at heart. The cook works with the children to help develop their understanding of healthy eating. They show curiosity as she shows them a bread maker and talks about the parts and how it will work. They make various

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 breads and observe as the bread bakes and stimulates their sense of smell. Children are cared for in a very safe environment. All visitors have to identify themselves and sign the visitor's record. Children learn how to keep themselves safe through timely reminders from staff. For example, they are asked to consider what might happen if the floor is wet and realise that they might slip. Monthly emergency evacuation procedures are practised, so that children become aware of what to do in such an event. 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 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 2

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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 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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