YMCA Little Whale Day Nursery

YMCA Little Whale Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY319060 Inspection date 29/06/2010 Inspector Judith Reed

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Setting address H M S Excellent, Whale Island, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 8ER Telephone number 02392 547182 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

YMCA Little Whale Nursery is one of seven nurseries run by the YMCA Fairthorne Group. It opened in 2006 and operates from a purpose-built building. It is situated on Whale Island, a Naval Base within Portsmouth. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children have access to secure enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 50 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 53 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 14 members of staff, all hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 are busy and enthusiastic about the range of activities available at the nursery. They make choices about their own activities in both the inside and outside learning environments. Staff are well aware of children's individual needs and ensure their ongoing development. Equality and diversity is promoted in a suitable manner. The management ensure ongoing development of the nursery through the self-evaluation process and training.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve risk assessments to include anything with which a child may come into contact  ensure hygienic hand washing routines are employed for all children  provide positive images that enable children to learn about and embrace differences in ethnicity, religion, culture, special educational needs and disabilities.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded, the whole staff team are aware of procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child. All staff take part in team training sessions on safeguarding, to ensure their knowledge is up to date. A safeguarding policy is in place and parents are made aware of this. Staff are vigilant regarding the safety of the children and risk assessments are completed. However, some areas are omitted from the risk assessments and therefore children's safety is compromised. All staff are suitability checked and appropriate recruitment procedures are in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 place. The staff have most required documentation in place for the efficient running of the nursery and registers accurately record children's times of arrival and departure. Self-evaluation is completed and an action plan for ongoing development of the nursery is created. During this process senior staff realised

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the early years provision

that risk assessment requires development and a team training session is planned for early next month. Staff have a professional approach to childcare and take part in regular appraisals. Training is valued and staff are encouraged to keep up their knowledge up to date. The whole staff team strive for continuous development of the nursery and all recommendations from the previous inspection have been acted upon.

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the early years provision

The nursery building is fully accessible and a toilet is provided for disabled people. An inclusion officer is in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have taken training to enable them to support children and staff with additional needs. Some posters around the nursery show children from around the world and those with disabilities. However, very few books or toys in day-to-day use reflect diversity. Staff include acknowledgement of some festivals in the planning and children learn about Christmas and Chinese New Year. Overall, the range of resources provided for the children is good. Babies under two years have a separate play area, changing facilities, sleep room and outside garden. All areas are well used and babies move around between inside and outside play throughout the day. Sufficient staff ensure their personal routines are followed. Children over two years have a spacious playroom and large outside play space,

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the early years provision

which are shared between the age groups. Children under three years mix happily with those over three years. All the children share the extensive range of equipment. A number of toilets and wash hand basins are available in the bathroom. Children rest in one part of the room on sleep mats and have their own personal linen. Staff remain with the children at all times. Appropriate adult to child ratios are maintained.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents is strong and parents feel well informed about the nursery. The management team have built a good relationship with parents and have an open door policy. A comments book is available in the entrance to the nursery as well as copies of relevant documentation. A 'Nursery Advisory Committee' has been created to enhance relationships between the nursery and parents. Parents are given copies of the handbook that includes policies and further information is available through the company website. All children under the age of two have a written daily sheet that informs parents of their day at nursery. For children over two years the key person gives a thorough verbal handover to parents. This communication is appreciated and valued by the parents. Key persons keep parents informed about children's learning and development. Regular meetings ensure that parents see their child's learning

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the early years provision

journey and discuss their next steps for development. Staff have an effective professional relationship with parents. Children are happy, settled, and secure in a setting where the key persons meet their individual needs. This means that children progress well given their age, ability and starting points. Staff value being part of the local cluster group; where they meet other early years providers, school staff and development workers. They receive support from advisors from the local authority, as well as their head office. The manager regularly meets other managers within the company to share ideas for good practice. Children's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 transition to school is supported through passing documentation; however, as children disperse to many different schools around the wider area it is difficult to build a relationship with all the schools.

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and outcomes for children

Children eagerly enter the nursery and are welcomed by familiar staff. They immediately move to their self-chosen activities. Staff know the children well as most begin at nursery as babies and grow up through the different areas. Staff work closely with parents to support all the children's needs. They are aware of children's starting points when they begin at nursery from talking to parents and asking them to complete some documentation. Children are very active learners as they move around and choose their own activities for most of the day. Two short sessions of key person activities are arranged, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. At these times, children sit with their key person in small groups to take part in activities according to their learning targets. Staff make incidental and longer observations of the children, which are used to set target for their next steps for development. Observations are included in the learning journey records

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and outcomes for children

alongside examples of work and photographs. Key people are fully aware of children's next steps and display a list for their key group as an aid for other staff. All areas of learning are supported through the broad range of activities available. For example, children develop an understanding of technology through using the computer. They confidently operate the computer, choosing their games and making the cursor move around with the mouse. Children gain knowledge and understanding of the world as a map is displayed and they send postcards while on holiday. These cards are pinned onto the map and show the countries visited. Children's creative development is enhanced through singing. Those in the pre- school group demonstrate their knowledge of signing when they sing 'I can sing a Rainbow'. Children enjoy painting the fence with different size brushes and water. They also join in printing with different items such as cotton reels. Staff move the

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and outcomes for children

painting table outside when it is not being used inside the play room.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the regular opportunities to access the outside play areas. Babies benefit from exercising their limbs in the fresh air. They learn to walk with baby walkers and are also interested in the sailors marching nearby. Older children go outside for long periods each day. They take opportunities to climb, slide and ride tricycles. They run across the area and enjoy the large sandpit. Children also build castles with large cardboard boxes and fabric. All areas of learning are supported through outside play. For example, children ask a member of staff to help build a car run; they manoeuvre tyres, drain pipe and boxes of cars to the area, stacking up the tyres until they are a suitable height to commence the run. The member of staff encourages children to think and make decisions. They experiment with different sizes of car and vehicle to see which goes down the run best. Children automatically go to the bathroom to wash their

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and outcomes for children

hands after playing outside. Children make healthy choices about what they eat or drink during snack time, which is arranged café style. Children can choose when they are hungry or thirsty. They come to the table to help themselves to pieces of prepared fruit and pour their own drinks of water or milk. They are also able to cut This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 up the fruit themselves if they choose. Lunches are brought into the nursery from the head office kitchens. Environmental health officers are satisfied with procedures for managing this process. Menus are displayed and the nursery is proud of the healthy eating policy. However, the menu is not always adhered to and children receive a lunch of sausages, chips and beans during the inspection. Children enjoy sitting in small groups with staff and skilfully serve themselves from bowls. Good manners are encouraged. Babies hands are cleaned using a shared

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and outcomes for children

bowl of water and a shared hand towel, therefore they are not protected from cross infection. The changing mats in both nappy changing areas are split and therefore cannot be cleaned thoroughly to prevent cross infection. Babies' food is also brought into nursery in individually labelled small pots. Staff can heat it as necessary in the microwave and feed the children when they are ready, according to their personal routine. Children learn about keeping themselves safe in the sun and find their own sun hats in the box. They have sun cream reapplied by the staff after lunch. Sun safety posters are displayed and children help themselves to drinks at any time. They learn about taking risks within their play and still keeping safe.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a positive attitude towards learning and participation by making independent choices about what they do and when. They remain inside until after morning welcome time, around 9am. Children play in small groups and on their own. They share toys, take turns and are encouraged to help tidy toys away before group times. Children are able to experiment and explore with each other during the continuous provision and are encouraged to interact positively with their peers. Children begin to learn about feelings. They are helped to understand that they may have strong feelings and how to manage them. Staff are trained in the use of a persona doll and use this to help children accept differences and similarities. Children develop skills for the future in all the activities they take part in. They are confident when talking to visitors and asking questions. They apply skills in communication, literacy, numeracy and information and communication

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and outcomes for children

technology so they are prepared for transition from the nursery to school. 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 3 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 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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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