Lighthouse Day Nursery

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Lighthouse Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 305962 Inspection date 09/02/2009 Inspector Elaine Marie McDonnell

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Setting address 34 Yarm Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 3NG

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Telephone number 01642 640022 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises 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. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Lighthouse Day Nursery has been registered since September 1996 and is owned by a private provider. The nursery is situated within The Lighthouse Fellowship Centre, which is a multi-purpose building in the centre of Stockton-on-Tees. The nursery accommodates the rear of the building, with exclusive access via a side entrance. Children are cared for in five main areas, depending on their age and development, all are situated on the ground floor. Children share access to an enclosed, outdoor play area. The nursery operates each weekday for 51 weeks of the year, from 07.30 until 18.00. It is closed for a week at Christmas time and it also closes for public holidays. Out of school and holiday care is also provided within a designated area of the nursery and children can be taken to and collected from local schools and nurseries.

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Description of the setting

The provider is on the Early Years Register and is also on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 46 children, under eight years old may attend at any one time and there are currently 45 children on roll, aged between six months and 11 years old. Of these, seven children are in receipt of funding for early education.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 18 members of staff employed to work directly with the children, of these, 15 members of staff work on a part time basis. There are nine members of staff who have a level 3 qualification and four of these are working towards level 4. Most of the remaining staff have a level 2 qualification and they are working towards level 3.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory. The setting works well in partnership with parents and carers, to ensure that children's individual needs are met. Children are generally safe and secure and the environment is welcoming, giving children easy access to a varied range of activities and play experiences. Children are making satisfactory progress in their learning and development, given their age, ability and starting points. An effective self-evaluation process, ensures that areas for improvement are highlighted and addressed, resulting in the provision maintaining continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that all staff promote children's language development by encouraging conversation  take reasonable steps to ensure that hazards to children are kept to a minimum, for example, the removal of bibs when babies are put down to sleep  ensure that emergency evacuation procedures include all relevant This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 information, such as the assembly point, and that procedures are understood by all staff  ensure that rooms are maintained at a temperature which ensures the comfort of the children and staff, including non-mobile children.

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provision

All records and documentation required for the safe and efficient management of the provision are available, up to date and most include all relevant information. Attendance records and observations confirm that adult to child ratios are maintained throughout the day. There is a varied range of policy and procedure documents available, including complaints, which supports the management of the setting and on the whole, they are understood by most staff.

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provision

Appropriate recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are in place, as well as a supervision and appraisal system, to assess the suitability and ongoing training needs of all staff. Staff have appropriate access to ongoing training and development courses and they have attended training in relation to special needs, information and communication technology and communication, language and literacy since the last inspection.

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provision

The manager demonstrates a very positive attitude towards improvement and has implemented an effective system, to evaluate the quality of the provision. Areas for improvement have been identified and appropriate improvements well implemented. This ensures the continuous improvement in the provision.

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provision

Risk assessments are effectively conducted by the manager and appropriate actions are taken, to manage or eliminate risks to children. However, at the time of the inspection, babies were put to sleep wearing bibs. Also, not all staff are fully aware of the emergency evacuation procedure, such as the assembly point. All rooms within the nursery, did not warm to a comfortable temperature until late afternoon, as a result, some children and staff were cold for much of the day. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of child protection and safeguarding issues and they are able to put procedures into practice. Some staff have had access to additional safeguarding training, since the previous inspection and this is to be extended to all other staff this week.

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provision

Very good improvements have been made since the last inspection and improvements have had a positive impact on the overall quality of the early years provision and the outcomes for children. For example, the observation and assessment process has been very much improved, to ensure that information is used to inform future planning for individuals and ensures that all areas of learning are covered in sufficient depth. Activities that offer physical challenges and opportunities for physical activity outdoors, are now planned for each age group and on a regular basis, promoting children's overall health. Staff have started to obtain good information on children's starting points and capabilities on entry and this is used as a basis for their individual care. The system of self-evaluation is now very effective and results in many improvements in the provision, since the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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provision

previous inspection. A system for liaising with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage has been introduced and will allow children a smoother transition to other settings. Inclusive practice is appropriately promoted within the setting and is now better understood by staff.

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provision

The setting works well in partnership with parents and carers. Parents are kept informed about their children’s achievements and progress through regular discussions with staff, through the use of daily diaries, assessment sheets and individual learning files. Parents receive good quality information about the setting, in the form of a parent pack and they are asked for their views about the provision. All parent questionnaires that are returned are very positive. Parents are made aware of their child's key person and they are invited to visit the nursery every eight to 12 weeks, to view their child's assessment records.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The learning environment helps children to progress towards the early learning goals, as they have access to a varied range of resources and activities within the five separate play areas. There is a range of planned, purposeful play and exploration, both indoors and outdoors and the quality of planning in all rooms is good. Staff receive good support from management and from the local authority, with the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's individual learning and development is recorded and information from observation and assessment is appropriately used in all rooms, to inform future planning and to ensure that children achieve as much as they can, in relation to their starting points and capabilities. Planning takes account of individual needs and interests, as well as the different areas of learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children learn about keeping safe, when involved in fire drills and during different activities, such as when the fire brigade visits. They have regular opportunities to play outdoors and to participate in physical activity. Children begin to learn about why exercise and healthy foods are good for them, through discussions with staff and different activities, such as food tasting. They learn to understand and adopt healthy habits, such as good hygiene practices and they also show an awareness of their own needs, with regard to eating and drinking and they ask for more food if they want it.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy their learning and those in the pre-school, show high levels of involvement in activities, younger children show increasing independence, when selecting and carrying out activities. Younger children seek out others to share experiences with in the role play area. Pre-school children talk about who their friends are at nursery and form good relationships with adults and peers. Children are well behaved and behaviour is appropriately managed within the setting.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Pre-school children show an interest in numbers and counting and use number language spontaneously, such as when counting coloured pencils and some children can count confidently up to 10 and can say one more or less than a given number. Adults help children to work independently and with each other, for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 example, different activities are provided that enables different numbers of children to participate, such as only one child at the computer but two in the water and children are in the habit of counting and reminding each other, how many are allowed in each area.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Adults encourage children to join in, to make friends and to respect each other, taking into account their diverse needs and backgrounds. Children learn about other cultural backgrounds and celebrations as well as their own, for example, they learn about Christmas, Easter and Chinese New Year. In the pre-school room, these activities are further developed around children's interests, for example, they learn about different animals, following the Chinese New Year theme. Children have some opportunities to make choices and decisions, such as about what they would like to play with and they can also choose what they would like to eat, if they do not want what has been prepared for lunch. Children also demonstrate a sense of pride in their achievements, for example, when showing others pictures and models they have made.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Adults satisfactorily support children's learning, by being involved in their play with them. Some adults help children to make as much progress as they can in communicating, literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology. However, not all adults engage children in conversation or encourage conversation. Adults help pre-school children to be active, inquisitive and independent learners. A new system has been introduced, whereby a child takes home the nursery's pet hamster each weekend and with their parent's help, they write in a book about what happened whilst they were caring for the hamster. Adults also help pre-school children to develop collaborative and problem solving skills, for example, children are encouraged to work out how many plates and chairs are needed at snack time.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

There are no children with any learning disabilities attending the setting, however, there are some children whose parents first language is not English, but they want their children to speak English at nursery. Staff comply with this but they also obtain books, which display dual languages. 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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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 3 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 3

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 3 How well are children helped to be healthy? 3 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 3 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

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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