Maidendale Nursery

Maidendale Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY358816 Inspection date 12/09/2011 Inspector Janet Fairhurst

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Setting address Firth Moor Community Centre, Burnside Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 4SU Telephone number 01325 363121 Email glenis.thomas@firthmoor.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

Maidendale Nursery first opened in March 2004. It was registered again to a board of trustees in June 2007. The nursery is situated within Firthmoor Community Centre in Darlington. It operates from four playrooms within the building and has associated facilities, such as an office, staff room, milk room and laundry. Children have access to two separate enclosed outdoor play areas. It is open each weekday between the hours of 7.45am to 6pm all year round, with the exception of public holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Out of school care and wraparound care are also provided for children attending of school or nursery school age. A maximum of 60 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 90 children on roll, 74 of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 20 members of staff employed to work directly with the children, all of whom, with the exception of one, have an early years qualification. The setting receives support from the local early years development officer and advisory teacher.

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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 nursery provides a warm, nurturing and inclusive environment where children are happy and settled. Staff have a clear understanding of children's care and learning needs, which ensures good outcomes in children's care and learning. Staff work closely with parents to make sure they have a detailed knowledge of each child's needs. The staff and management team have evaluated their work and are proactive in continuously adapting and developing ways to enhance the provision they offer. This positions them well to improve the outcomes for children and enables them to continuously develop the provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 make the information available to parents more accessible, for example, by including the regulator's contact details in the parent handbook  continue to build links with all other providers offering the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure there is consistency and coherence in the children's learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

All children are safeguarded effectively because all staff are aware of child protection procedures and know how to implement them to protect the children in their care. Full written policies and procedures are in place and are shared with parents to ensure they are aware of staff responsibilities towards safeguarding their children. The complaints policy is included in the parents handbook, however, the regulator's contact details are not included. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure all adults working on the premises are suitable to do so. Full written risk assessments are carried out and are reviewed regularly to ensure children enjoy a safe and secure play and learning environment. All children use a wide variety of resources, equipment and play materials that are suitable for their age and stage of development. The four main playrooms are set up to enable the children to explore and investigate their surroundings. Low-level

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the early years provision

units and clearly labelled resources enable children to self-select activities and resources, promoting their independence and decision making skills from an early age. The setting benefits from a Specialist Educational Needs Coordinator, who is confident in her role and positive about working with other providers to meet children's individual needs. Effective procedures, such as gathering key words from parents, ensure that children with English as an additional language are included at the setting.

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the early years provision

All children benefit from the clear and open lines of communication between the staff team and their parents. The two-way flow of information ensures the children's individual needs are being met. Parents are able to speak to the staff at any time and have access to their children's records on request. Parents are able to make written contributions to these to involve them in the children's learning. In addition, the nursery organises two parents evenings a year to discuss the children's progress. To promote further parental involvement in children's learning, plans are in place for the pre-school children to take home 'chatter bags'. The contents of the bags include useful resources, along with ideas and suggestions that parents can use to extend and consolidate children's learning at home. Parents speak highly of the setting, particularly commenting that they have enjoyed watching their children's confidence, communication and social skills grow

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the early years provision

and develop. Several of the children also receive education and care in other Early Years Foundation Stage settings. Staff have devised a system to enable them to share relevant information and ensure they can provide consistency in children's care and learning. Although this is proving to be helpful, it is not successful in all the settings. Therefore, not all children's needs are being effectively met.

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the early years provision

Through self-evaluation and reflection, the staff team are encouraged to plan and develop the service on offer. Regular supervision, planned inductions for new staff, and opportunities to undertake training opportunities all help to motivate and encourage the staff to provide a good service. All recommendations from the previous inspection have been effectively addressed. This helps to promote outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children separate from their parents confidently and are eager to be active in the good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities which cover all areas of learning. All children are making good progress towards the early learning goals because the staff team have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Key persons are responsible for planning. This helps to ensure that plans are based on children's individual needs and interests. Individual learning journey files include examples of the children's work, photographs and narrative observations which are linked to the areas of learning and identify children's next steps.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy opportunities for free choice in their play and become happily engaged in their exploration. For example, babies examine the lights in the sensory cube and stare intently at their reflection in the mirror, developing a sense of self. The older children show curiosity and ask many questions to learn more. For instance, the children making play dough ask 'how will it be cooked?'. Staff encourage them to think how it could be cooked and offer suggestions for them to choose from. All children practise their emergent writing skills in a variety of ways and use a broad selection of mark making materials. Young babies swirl shapes in the trays of shaving foam while older children competently use pencils, chalks and paint to make marks. Children handle books with care and enjoy listening to stories. Communication skills are effectively promoted as children look at the pictures and retell their favourite stories to their peers, demonstrating their

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and outcomes for children

understanding that text has meaning. Children count at every opportunity and some are beginning to recognise written numerals and understand simple addition. They are beginning to use mathematical language to describe size, shape, quantity and position during free play and practical activities. All children use their imaginations well during art and craft activities and role play. For example, children decide they want to make a birthday cake and they start collecting items and ask a member of staff to make a list of what they have. The children use threading beads and other items as their ingredients, mixing the cake and waiting for it to be cooked in the pretend oven.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a loving and caring relationship with children, who form strong attachments to familiar adults and other children within the nursery. Staff know individual children well and provide them with a good level of sensitive and appropriate support. Children have good opportunities to learn about the world around them, including local walks around the community they live in. The children are encouraged to take care of the nursery guinea pigs and carefully hold and stroke them, developing a valuable insight into how to care for living things. The children celebrate festivals and use resources in their play which help them become aware of diversity and different cultures. Older children use the computer, developing skills to play matching and number games. This helps them begin to develop skills for the future. All children, including babies, have good access to the outside area. This helps to promote their physical development as they climb, ride

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and outcomes for children

on bikes and use crates to jump and balance. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are busy and occupied at all times during their nursery day, which has a very positive impact on their behaviour. All children behave exceptionally well because staff implement clear rules and boundaries consistently. As a result, children know exactly what is expected of them. Staff are positive role models, thanking the children for their help, recognising their efforts with stickers and offering praise and encouragement to develop their self-esteem effectively. In addition, one child is selected for their hard work during the morning session, and as a reward is allowed to take the dinosaur toy home for the night. The selected child beams with delight, which really emphasises the impact this has on the children's sense of achievement. The children are well nourished and their health

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and outcomes for children

and dietary needs are consistently met. Lunchtime is a social occasion as staff sit with the children and encourage them to adopt good practices, such as good table manners. Children have good opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff remind them of the consequences of playing near the doorway and that they could possibly jam their fingers or be knocked over. 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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