St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Abingdon

Little Fingers Community Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 123166 Inspection date 19/10/2011 Inspector Yasmine Hurley

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Setting address St. Stephen's Church, Manfred Road, Putney, London, SW15 2RS Telephone number 0208 874 8649 Email Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

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

Little Fingers Community Nursery was registered in 1989. It supports a Christian ethos and operates from premises within St. Stephen's Church in East Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The nursery uses a large play room, the church hall, an enclosed outdoor play area, a kitchen and toilet facilities. The nursery is open Monday to Thursday for sessions from 9.30am to 3pm during term time and is registered on the Early Years Register. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 24 children under eight years at any one time, all of whom may be in the early years age group. The provision is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. The nursery currently supports a number of children learning English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are five members of staff, all of

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Description of the setting

whom hold appropriate early years professional 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 well cared for in a welcoming and child centred environment. They enjoy a choice of interesting activities and make good progress overall in their learning and development. Children's welfare is promoted effectively, ensuring that children are cared for in a safe and healthy environment and their individual care needs are met effectively. Generally, staff work well with parents and carers. They establish excellent working relationships with a range of professional agencies to ensure that each child's needs are successfully met. Effective self-evaluation systems are in place to ensure continuous improvement is maintained.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve existing systems for assessment further to ensure all relevant observations include details of what children need to learn next, achieving consistency across the staff team  develop further ways in which parents are supported and encouraged to contribute to their children's assessment records.

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the early years provision

Policies and procedures necessary to safeguard children's welfare are well-written and implemented effectively by staff. There are robust recruitment and vetting systems in place to ensure that all staff are experienced and suitable to work This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 within their roles. Children are thoroughly protected from harm and neglect as staff have good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and how to safeguard children. Effective risk assessments carried out by staff help to keep children and adults safe and eliminate any potential risks. The nursery has robust procedures in supporting children with medical needs. Designated staff are responsible for first aid and health and safety. Staff have an excellent rapport with the local early years team and those agencies that support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, all children receive high levels

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the early years provision

of care and attention to support them in progressing towards their individual milestones.

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the early years provision

The staff team organise a stimulating learning environment, in which children can access resources easily. Staff promote children's independence as they encourage them to make choices from a broad range of good quality resources. Inclusion is effectively reflected in the nursery and staff have a good knowledge of each child's needs including children's starting points on entry to the nursery.

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the early years provision

Staff are highly experienced and qualified and all required training is completed and updated when necessary. The manager leads the staff team effectively, involving them in regular staff meetings, appraisals and allocating areas of special responsibility, so that all work as an effective team to drive improvement. The nursery's self-evaluation takes into consideration the views of parents, carers and other interested partners, such as, advice from the early years development worker. The nursery has addressed all recommendations raised at the last inspection, and identifies accurately where provision requires improvement.

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the early years provision

Management and staff work extremely hard to make sure parents feel included and are kept well-informed about their children's progress and welfare. Parents' views are always sought through discussions, questionnaires and emails. Discussions with parents demonstrate that they are very happy with the care and learning opportunities offered to their children. However, staff do not fully encourage parents to contribute towards their children's ongoing assessments. The nursery has excellent links with other professionals and providers and is very committed to the inclusion of all children. Nursery staff support children very well as they leave the nursery, having effective links with several schools.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well settled; they thoroughly enjoy their time at this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Activities planned include a good mix of adult-led and free-choice play. Children show an extremely strong sense of security, which gives them the confidence to explore and investigate their play environment. They make friends and form good relationships with adults. Children participate well at story time, music session and circle times which helps to encourage and extend their communication skills through the use of songs and discussions. Children are beginning to form initial letters of their names; learn to recognise their names using name cards. They enjoy using their new skills to solve This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 problems, count and reason making good progress in gaining skills for their future lives. For example, children confidently count to 13, recognise shapes, colours and

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and outcomes for children

match puzzles and construction pieces including measuring and calculating. Children explore, investigate and develop their knowledge and skills in both indoor and outdoor environments. This helps children to make sense of the world around them. Children immerse themselves in creative and imaginary play, using playdough, toy castles, miniature people, dinosaurs and animals. They extend such play of their own accord by adding new resources and developing ideas. Children enjoy exploring new resources. Staff provide careful assistance when necessary, guiding them through the words on the computer screen and helping them use the games. Staff create good learning environments, that meet the learning and development needs of all children. An effective 'key person' system ensures there are efficient methods for observation and assessment, undertaken by a particular person who knows the child and their family well. However, the existing systems for

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and outcomes for children

assessments do not always include sufficient detail about what children need to learn next. Staff make clear their expectations for children's behaviour, and children respond correspondingly. They behave exceptionally well, are polite and show an excellent understanding and awareness of themselves and others. For example, they respect other children, sharing toys and taking turns throughout activities and show tolerance towards them. Children have a clear understanding of how to stay safe. They demonstrate this by waiting their turn to use the slide and testing their abilities to use stilts for balancing. Regular fire drills help them to become familiar with the procedures, so that they learn to evacuate the premises quickly and in a safe manner. Children learn through staff discussions and outside visitors about the people who help us, such as the police and fire service. Children enjoy participating in activities that are organised by the nursery such as

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and outcomes for children

music session, sports session and have good opportunities to physical activities both indoors and outdoors. Children develop their control and coordination as they use the slide, balancing stilts, scooters, tricycles and have a good understanding about the importance of regular exercise and staying healthy. Children gain many valuable self-care skills as they wash their hands independently and help themselves to drinks and healthy snacks. They relish taking on such responsibilities. 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 1 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 1 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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