The Valley Primary School

Playzone Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 141848 Inspection date 30/08/2011 Inspector Cordalee Harrison

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Setting address Langland Road, Netherfield, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 4NP Telephone number 01908 394996 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

Playzone Day Nursery opened in 1998. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is purpose built and is located in the same premises as Hedgerows Sure Start Children's Centre in Netherfields, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Milton Keynes Council owns the nursery. The nursery consists of two main rooms for children, an office, kitchen, and nappy-changing, washing and toilet facilities. There is an outdoor play area. The nursery operates on weekdays for 51 weeks of the year. It opens from 8am until 6pm. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 33 children under eight years. Currently, there are 36 children in the early years age group on roll. The nursery is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or

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Description of the setting

disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. Six staff and a manager work in the nursery. The manager and one staff member hold foundation degrees. Four members of staff are qualified to level 3 in childcare and education and one staff member is qualified to level 2. The children's centre provides a range of services for parents and children. These services include, a crèche, a Citizens Advice Bureau, groups for fathers and working parents, access to health care professionals, including health visitors, a breast feeding group, toy library and book library, play sessions for children with additional needs and stay-and-play sessions for children and parents.

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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 in the nursery are happy and motivated to learn, and all are making good progress in their learning and development. The leadership and management teams organise systems effectively to meet children's welfare, with highly effective use of its resources. Routines in the nursery are properly established and suit the ages and stages of the children to whom they apply. The nursery works amicably with parents and other professionals to meet the needs of different users. The nursery shows good capacity for continuous improvement, addressing recommendations from the previous inspection to gain positive improvements for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 use assessment systems consistently to plan the next steps in every child's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 developmental progress and regularly review this approach.

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the early years provision

The nursery safeguards and promotes children's welfare effectively. Clear polices and procedures for the management of safeguarding are in place, and they are familiar to staff. Recruitment is managed consistently well to ensure that all checks and references are completed for all staff who work on the premises. Arrangements for safeguarding children are thorough and are regularly reviewed in line with the local authority's safeguarding procedures. Staff are experienced at working with appropriate agencies to deal with safeguarding matters. There are established procedures and practices to identify and manage risks and hazards to children in all areas of the nursery. Staff use them effectively to create and maintain safe physical environments for all children. Resources are of good quality and they are safe and appropriate for the different ages of the children who use them. Fire safety is well addressed. In addition, staff and children practise

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the early years provision

evacuation of the premises regularly so that they all know what to expect in an emergency.

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the early years provision

Staff give consistent attention to all aspects of health and hygiene. They use procedures and practices which reduce the risks of cross-infection and help children begin to understand the importance of good hygiene. Children eat food that is balanced and nutritious. Staff are supportive of all children at meal times; this helps children to enjoy their food and provides them with good examples of food that is good for their growth and development. Regular staff meetings, ongoing access to training and regular supervision contribute to developing staff's knowledge of learning and development and the welfare requirements. The nursery is using self-evaluation to drive improvement.

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the early years provision

The nursery makes efficient use of its essential resources for the benefit of children. For example, when necessary, the leadership and management teams redeploy staff to support the varying needs of different groups of children. Equality and diversity is a strong feature in the nursery. The nursery meets the needs of very diverse users. The nursery works closely with parents and other professionals who are involved in the welfare and education of children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities. Staff and parents know that the Special Educational Needs Coordinator is trained to work with them to make sure that the correct strategies and resources are in place for children who need them. Policies and strategies are in place to promote different aspects of equality and diversity. For example, resources are available to raise children's awareness of cultural diversity and disabilities. In addition, the nursery supports parents to attend classes that will

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the early years provision

improve their English and help them to develop their children's communication skills.

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the early years provision

Staff are interested and thoughtful in their engagement with parents. They regularly work with parents to develop the service. They share useful information with parents about children and support them to engage with children's learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 For example, in addition to contributing to and sharing children's observation records, they encourage parents to borrow books from the nursery to read at home with children. Parents praise the nursery highly and state that the staff are a credit. The nursery has strong partnerships with many relevant professionals, including children centre staff, inclusion officers, speech and language therapists, education psychologists and nursery class teachers, who work with the nursery for the benefit of the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children experience learning across all areas of learning through activities that are purposeful and stimulating. Although staff do not consistently plan the next step for every child, play experiences are good enough to help all children to make good progress in their learning and development overall. Children are achieving and enjoying as they learn through good quality play. Staff are careful to provide a wide range of well-resourced activities to support child-initiated play. In addition, they differentiate adult-led activities. This enables older and younger children to participate at levels that are in keeping with their stages of development.

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and outcomes for children

The baby room provides a rich environment that encourages very young children to test their senses. For example, heuristic play encourages even the youngest children to learn through first-hand experiences. All of the children enjoy playing outdoors. The well-managed outdoor classroom invites children to experience a good deal of their learning in the garden. Children explore and experiment through different creative activities outdoors, such as painting, the sand tray and pretend play. They use these activities to extend learning seamlessly across all areas. For example, as they take care for their dolls, they learn to dress them suitably for the weather. Throughout the nursery, children of different abilities make marks with a range of resources, such as sand, paint and soil. Older children show their progress as they write their shopping lists, and they are beginning to write for different purposes.

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and outcomes for children

Children solve problems as they use large-scale construction materials to build an obstacle course. They challenge their physical skills as they cross the course, testing their balance and coordination. Children are motivated to learn, and this sets good examples for others around them. For example, when children experiment with speeding the car down the water gutter, other children join the activity, and they learn from each other. They talk about what they are doing and decide to increase the number of vehicles. There are many examples of children's individual and parallel play as well as small group activities. Children show that they are able to cooperate with each other. For example, the excitement of finding a large spider in the garden is infectious for all of the children. It very quickly leads to a spontaneous large group activity, which staff extend with information to develop children's knowledge and interest.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good behaviour shows that they are developing useful skills for the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 future. They are learning that respect and consideration for others makes for a pleasant and safe environment for all. Children show that they understand the boundaries for behaviour, and they are quick to say sorry if they their actions interfere with other children's play. Individual learning plans for children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities are in place to help staff to tailor learning opportunities to meet the needs of these children. Individual learning plans are developed with professional advice, clear targets and regular reviews. The nursery effectively supports children who speak English as an additional language, by using tools such as familiar words, and picture recognition. The nursery demonstrates a positive attitude to the value of speaking more than one

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and outcomes for children

language. This helps all of the children in the nursery to begin to recognise the value of linguistic diversity. Children are learning about different aspects of healthy lifestyles. In addition to good hygiene and healthy food, which are regular parts of their experiences, they get plenty of fresh air and physical exercise each day. 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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