St Thomas' Hospital Day Nursery

St. Thomas' Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY268854 Inspection date 01/11/2011 Inspector Linda du Preez

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Setting address Gassiot House Lambeth Palace Road, London, SE1 7EH

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Telephone number 020 7188 6499 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 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

St Thomas' Day Nursery opened in 1989 and is run by the Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The nursery moved to the present premises, a purpose-built building on the hospital site, in 2003. It operates from three rooms, the largest of which is divided into three separate areas.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register for a total of 103 children under 8 years; of these, not more than 77 may be under 3 years and of these, not more than 53 may be under 2 years at any one time. The nursery provides full day care for children whose parents work for the Foundation Trust and other NHS services. It opens five days a week, all year round except bank holidays, from 7am to 7pm. Children attend on a full time and part time basis. There are currently 92 children on roll. The nursery is funded to provide free early education to children aged three and four years. The nursery currently supports children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 31 staff. Of these, one holds a degree in Childhood and Family Studies, two hold Early Years Professional Status, one holds a level 5 qualification and the remainder hold level 3 qualifications. The nursery also

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Description of the setting

employs a kitchen assistant. The nursery receives support from the Early Years Development Childcare Partnership.

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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 make exceptional progress in their learning and development due to the well-deployed, skilful and dedicated staff team. Staff value children as unique individuals and are committed to meeting their welfare needs overall. Supportive partnership with parents ensures continuity in children's care. Partnerships with other agencies are mostly in place and mainly effective. Accurate self-evaluation procedures ensure a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide more opportunities for children to develop their understanding of healthy practices with particular regard to hand washing before participating in all meals and food preparation  develop the arrangements for sharing relevant information during transition to ensure children's needs are met and that there is continuity in their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning

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the early years provision

Children are well protected and supervised as access to the premises is through a locked secure gate and visitors are required to sign in a book. Robust systems ensure the continued suitability of staff. Staff are fully up-to-date about current child protection procedures and training. Therefore, they are very clear of their roles and responsibilities in effectively protecting children. Good systems are in place to promote security as staff implement a range of safety procedures, such as risk assessments, audits and effective evacuation procedures. Established routines and excellent deployment of staff ensures that children in all age groups benefit from a high adult to child ratio and this promotes their safety throughout the day.

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the early years provision

The nursery has successfully addressed all of the recommendations made at the last inspection. Consequently, children enjoy many opportunities to express themselves creatively and enjoy an abundance of interesting and stimulating books. Staff tackle key priorities for improvement, which results in positive outcomes for children such as identifying ways in which to motivate numeracy skills by purchasing new resources for the role-play area, including tills and toy money. Quality audits carried out on a weekly basis ensure that high standards are maintained at all times. The management team drive improvement and support staff to ensure their continued professional development. Consequently, morale is high and staff are motivated to provide a quality environment which is interesting, attractive and enjoyable and for children.

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the early years provision

Resources are clean, safe and suitable for all age groups. Children access an abundance of stimulating resources, which promote all areas of development extremely well. All children are able to self-select resources indoors and outdoors, so are in charge of making their own decisions about what to play with. Staff offer an excellent balance of adult-led and child initiated play, they encourage independence and offer support when needed. Staff are all highly skilled at listening to children, whatever their age, and respond to their needs most effectively. They encourage older children to think critically by asking open-ended questions and showing a genuine interest in all they have to say. Equality and diversity is promoted throughout the nursery. Resources, such as posters and books, reflect people from different backgrounds in a positive way. Children who are learning English as an additional language receive one to one support and

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the early years provision

make good progress in their communication skills as a result. Staff have an extensive knowledge of children's backgrounds; this enables them to meet their individual needs very well.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with other professionals and agencies are mostly in place. The manager attends meetings with other agencies to support specific family needs, which effectively helps to support partnership working and continuity for children and their families. However, links with primary schools are not yet in fully place to ease transition to school and ensure continuity in children's learning and development. Relationships between parents and staff are relaxed and very well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 established. Parents welcome information about children's experiences throughout the day through detailed contact books. Parents also benefit from regular meetings with key persons to discuss their child's developmental progress and share learning priorities. Parents comment on how very welcoming and supportive the nursery is.

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and outcomes for children

Children form strong attachments to staff, who show tenderness and kindness towards the children with cuddles and verbal reassurance when necessary. Children's records show staff have initial discussions with parents about developmental starting points. Highly effective planning, observation and assessment systems set clear goals for each individual child. Consequently, children in all age groups enjoy a wide range of stimulating activities to promote their learning and development exceptionally well. Babies enjoy crawling around, selecting toys to feel, bang and shake. They squeal with delight at the sounds they produce. Staff encourage creative development by providing stimulating resources. Toddlers enjoy creating pictures using glue and glitter. Bright displays of their work around the nursery places value on children's efforts and contribution. Staff encourage children's language development by asking many open-ended questions

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and outcomes for children

and showing a genuine interest in what children have to say. This helps children to think critically and communicate with confidence. For example, children talk about their journey to nursery, describing the modes of transport and what the weather is like outside. Children make marks enthusiastically, producing recognisable symbols and letters; they enjoy drawing and create pictures. Staff encourage children to use mathematical thinking throughout their play. Whilst building with blocks children talk about how high the towers are and which towers have more or less blocks in. Children enjoy developing their understanding of information technology as they enjoy programmable toys. Older children enjoy computer programmes and type their names on the computer, calling out the letter names as they do so. This supports them in developing good skills for their future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. They make great strides in their physical development. They relish playing outdoors and using a rich variety of equipment to develop their skills, such playing on the see saw, jumping in and out of tyres and rolling hoops. They learn to wash their hands after toileting and prior to eating. However, staff do not implement this consistently, which increases the risk of cross infection. Children are developing a strong sense of safety. They effectively learn how to use the environment safely by taking supervised risks when outdoors. They receive good support from staff through discussions and clear explanations. Staff encourage all children to develop an awareness of keeping the environment tidy and safe. For example, babies place toys in boxes and clap with delight at their achievements, older children tidy toys, help sweep up sand and tuck away chairs. Children are extremely well behaved;

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and outcomes for children

they share and collaborate with each other in their play very well. Staff are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 exceptionally good role models, they create an atmosphere, which is calm yet stimulating, and opportunities to learn are limitless. 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 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1

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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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