Oaklands Small School

Happy Child Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 118136 Inspection date 30/09/2011 Inspector Angela Jackson

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Setting address 283/7 Windmill Road, Northfields, Ealing, London, W5 4DP

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Telephone number 020 8567 2244 Email northfields@fsmail.net 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

Happy Child Day Nursery opened in 1999 and is one of 13 nurseries run by Happy Child Limited. The nursery operates from four play rooms and children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. It is situated in Northfields in the London borough of Ealing and serves the local and wider community. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, for 52 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 33 children at any one time; of these no more than 17 may be aged under two years. There are currently 48 children on roll aged four years and under. The nursery is funded to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery employs 12 staff. Of the 11 early years staff, the manager holds a level 4 qualification, three hold a level 3 and five hold a level 2. One

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Description of the setting

member of staff is working towards Early Years Professional Status. 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff have a sound understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage overall and promote inclusion suitably. As a result, children are making satisfactory progress in their learning and development, although the systems in place to support younger children require further attention. The nursery equipment is used well and generally good steps are taken to make sure children are kept safe. Staff form good relationships with parents and with local schools and this support means children are supported well at transition. Some improvements have been achieved through the evaluation process and recommendations from the previous inspection addressed. Not all areas for development are identified, however, but with support from the parent company, the nursery shows it has suitable capacity to maintain improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the arrival and departure procedures for children and staff  develop staff understanding of the key person role so that they are better able to help children become familiar with the nursery, feel confident and more settled, particularly in regard to the younger children  develop further the culture of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify more accurately the nursery's strengths and priorities for development in order to improve the quality of provision for all children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded because staff are knowledgeable about child protection issues. There are good procedures in place to manage any concerns staff may have about children in their care. Staff are appropriately vetted as being suitable to be employed to work with young children; visitors are accompanied at all times. Further measures taken to keep children safe include robust systems for carrying out risk assessment. Careful daily checks are undertaken on toys and resources to make sure they are in good condition and pose no threat to children's safety. Children are therefore able to move freely and safely around the nursery. Children are supervised during the day; however, arrival and departure procedures for both them and the staff, are not always clear.

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the early years provision

Most children make reasonable progress in relation to their starting points. Toys and resources are well organised and easy for children to access. The recently refurbished outdoor space provides an interesting and safe learning environment. There is a good range of activities available outside and many, including painting and drawing, are set up at ground level. Children are able to go outdoors for some part of the day throughout the year because the area is partly covered, so resources are used effectively to support children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The manager has a fair understanding of her nursery's strengths and weaknesses and is making some progress in identifying areas for improvement, although some are overlooked. The process of self-evaluation is not fully reflected in practice although aspects of it have helped formulate a suitable action plan. This means that children are benefitting from changes made since the last inspection including better equipped imaginative play areas. This demonstrates sound foundations for driving ongoing improvement.

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the early years provision

Children gain confidence and self-assurance in the knowledge that staff and parents value the skills they are developing. Parents are invited to many events over the course of the year that ultimately benefit children and they contribute their ideas for outings. Their views are also acknowledged when refurbishing the outdoor area. Children's learning journeys effectively chart progress over time and their record scrapbooks provide parents with a useful permanent record of their work. These records are always available for parents and are used more specifically at parents' evenings and coffee mornings to help parents feel involved in their children's development. There are suitable arrangements in place overall to meet children's individual needs and to promote equality and diversity. The policies for inclusion are generally appropriate. The premises are audited regularly to make sure they provide access to children with disabilities. Children are

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the early years provision

encouraged to share their experiences as they are supported in transferring to school. For example, they take their school lunchboxes to nursery to be admired by the other children and records are shared with schools. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The majority of children come into the nursery happily, although the key person system does not always work fully effectively to support some children, particularly younger ones. Children handle tools such as cutlery and scissors safely as they learn to take responsibility for their self-care and learning. Staff effectively promote children's understanding of keeping themselves safe as they learn to use 'walking feet' and know not to run about indoors. When playing outside, children are well supervised and there is good regard to their health, as they are kept indoors in relatively cool air, when the weather is very hot. At other times when it is sunny, staff make sure that children are protected with sun cream. This means children are able to paint, read or play with the trays of sand or toy animals outside, without their health being put at risk.

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and outcomes for children

Children's dietary needs and allergies are provided for well, owing to effective systems. The cook makes sure each day that she prepares separate dishes and labels them so that children are given the correct foods. All children understand that they have to wash their hands before eating and to maintain high standards of hygiene to help keep them healthy. Children see their contributions to the welfare of others valued and proudly wear the gown of 'helper of the day'.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop coordination and muscle control well through good activities. These activities include ballet, yoga and tennis. Some of these incur an extra cost for parents and this means that not all children are able to benefit. However, 'baby massage' and 'gardening club' provide babies and older children with reasonably good opportunities to enjoy fresh air and physical activities. They develop sound relationships with adults and other children. Staff observe children regularly and use their assessments to track each child's progress. The planning system is effectively used to monitor the resources and activities that children use each day. However, it is used less effectively and consistently, to check that individual children's needs are met. There is a mainly good balance of child led activities with those that are adult led. Babies choose to play with the sand and many older children enjoy drawing creatively or using

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and outcomes for children

playdough. There is a good selection of books set within comfortable reading areas indoors and outdoors. These provide children with good insight into difference and diversity in the local and wider community. Overall, there is a fair range of resources that encourage children's use of technology. Children in the pre-school children develop good skills in using and understanding computers. They benefit from associated programs that help with their communication and number skills, as they have regular training sessions with a specialist company. Older children are developing good language skills too; however, staff interaction for the younger ones does not always support such developing speaking skills as much as possible. As a result, overall, children make suitable progress in acquiring and practising skills for their later lives. 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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