Albert House Day Nursery

Albert House Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 511401 Inspection date 26/09/2011 Inspector Mary Henderson

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Setting address Albert House, 192 Manor Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2JD Telephone number 01782 844377 Email alberthousenursey@btconnect.com 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

Albert House Day Nursery opened in 2000. It operates from four rooms within a large detached house in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. There are local shops, a park and school nearby. The nursery serves the local area. All children have sole use of a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open on from 7.30 am to 5.45 pm each weekday all year round. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 42 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 30 children aged from birth to under five years on roll. Children attend a variety of sessions or attend for full day care.

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Description of the setting

The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. There are eight members of staff seven of whom have an early years qualification. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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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 management and staff foster positive relationships with the children and their parents. They also liaise well with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage which further promotes inclusion for all children on roll. There is a good range of resources available to children for both indoor and outdoor play. The staff make good use of resources, equipment and outings to provide a broad range of opportunities to extend children's learning and development. Most systems to evaluate the provision and children's staring points are fully identified are in place. Most systems to provide opportunities for staff training are also in place.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure parents are fully included in the identification of their child's starting points across all areas of their learning and development  ensure parents are included in the self-evaluaton procedures of the setting  further extend opportunities to use training made available by the local authority and other sources to enhance and develop practitioners skills.

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the early years provision

There are strong relationships between the staff and children and their parents. Positive relationships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are also well fostered. This promotes inclusion for all children on roll. Risk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 assessments identify possible risk to children in the indoor and outdoor areas and all outings involving the children. The children are safeguarded because all staff have a good understanding of the policies and procedures to be followed. All adults are suitably checked and vetted.

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the early years provision

The staff have a good understanding and a strong committement to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Embedding ambition is good. However, currently, the staff do not take up all possible opportunities to further enhance their practitioner skills. The self-evaluation systems in place are include input from the children, staff and management. However, the systems do not yet fully include all parents on roll.

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the early years provision

Engagement with parents is good. There is written and verbal two-way exchange of information to ensure each child's needs are identified and met. There is a broad range of displayed information to keep parents updated about the provision. The parents have free access to their child's learning and development files which provides information about their child's ongoing progression. However, parents are not yet fully included in the identification of their child's starting points across all areas of their learning and development. Parents have free access to all policies and procedures.

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and outcomes for children

The children are beginning to find out about their environment, identifying features and noticing the natural world. They enjoy a range of outings to places of interest. This includes visiting the local allottement where they look at the variety of flowers and vegetables. During such outings the children also notice buildings around them and the changing seasons and look around for mini-beasts. This all feeds into children's current and ever changing interests. Children also visit the local supermarket to buy ingredients for baking activities. A favourite visit for the children is the pet shop. They like to buy fish food and talk about the large iguana that lives there. Children of all ages like to visit the local park where they explore the equipment as they climb and balance and crawl through and over. Younger toddlers and babies enjoy outings and walks in the fresh air with their key workers with whom they have close attachments. All children enjoy their daily outdoor play

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and outcomes for children

as they ride their trikes, climb and balance and run around in the fresh air.

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and outcomes for children

The children are becoming more aware of a healthy lifestyle. They know to wash their hands after coming in from outdoor play and after using the toilet. They also wash their hands before they eat and talk about the germs on their hands. The children are provided with a healthy balanced home cooked meal, healthy snacks including fruit and toast and drinks of water throughout the day. Children plant, grow and harvest some of their own vegetables and fruit which is included in their meals. They learn about personal safety during outings as they talk about the Green Cross Code and cross the road under close supervision of the staff at all times. They are also all included in the fire evacuation procedures of the setting. Children's understanding of keeping safe is further fostered through role play, discussions and story time. Children of all ages show a good sense of feeling safe This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

in their environment as they smile and giggle with their peers and the adults caring for them. They learn about the importance of team work as they tidy up together and cooperate with one another during activities. They show confidence in making their own decisions about what they want to do and seek comfort and assistance when they need to.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their creative play. They use pencils to mark-make, paints to create their own pictures and explore the glue and explore with enthusiasm as they push their fingers through the shaving foam or push spaghetti into dough to make hedgehog models. This also supports their small muscle movement skills. Resources are easily accessed by the children as they are labelled and low reach. They can also look through the resource scrap book to make choices of equipment they cannot see.

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and outcomes for children

Children's skills for the future are fostered well as they explore technology using the computer to explore various programmes which support their learning about numbers, calculation and following simple programme instructions. Children's problem solving skills are further extended as they explore puzzles and build towers, counting how high they can go.

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and outcomes for children

The children are beginning to understand that people have different needs, views, cultures and beliefs. They play with a broad range of resources that depict positive images of diversity including positive images of disabled people. They also enjoy exploring various festivals across the calendar year through art work, stories and food tasting. 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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