Puddleduck Nursery

Puddleduck Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY428371 Inspection date 08/11/2011 Inspector Josephine Geoghegan

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Setting address St. Antony With St. Silas Community Centre, Merttins Road, LONDON, SE15 3EB Telephone number 02072528448 Email contactus@puddleducknurserynunhead.co.uk 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.

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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

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

The Puddleduck Nursery has been established since 1996 and re-registered in 2011 due to a change of owner from joint providers to single ownership. The nursery operates from a community hall situated in the Brenchley Gardens area of the London Borough of Southwark. Children have access to a large main hall and a smaller hall that has direct access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 39 children aged from two years. It is open from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks of the year. There are currently 62 children on roll who attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children.

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Description of the setting

The setting supports a few children who have identified special educational needs and/or disabilities and a few children who are learning English as an additional language. A team of seven staff work with the children including the manager, all of whom hold suitable qualifications, and one staff member holds the Early Years Practitioner Status.

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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

Good systems are in place to ensure the needs of all children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are met effectively, with outstanding aspects relating to promoting equality, engagement with parents and partnerships. Staff show high regard for catering for children's individual needs. Overall, they provide a well- balanced curriculum, which supports all areas of children's learning and development, although some activities are less well organised than others. Staff implement a broad range of policies and procedures that promote children's welfare, although a few documents are out of date. The capacity to maintain continuous improvement is strong as staff use a range of methods to evaluate the quality of the service effectively.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 make available to parents a written statement that provides details of the procedure to be followed in the event of a parent failing to collect a child at the appointed time (Safeguarding and Welfare) 22/11/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 review the deployment of staff during whole group times and meal times to further promote children's independence and ensure children receive a well- organised and relaxed experience.

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the early years provision

Robust systems are in place to help safeguard children and promote their welfare. Staff attend safeguarding training and keep appropriate polices and procedures easily accessible; this means they are able to take prompt action if they have any concerns regarding children's welfare. Most required documents are in place and used appropriately. In addition, the suitability of staff to work with children is verified through vetting checks and systems of induction and appraisal. A broad range of policies and procedures are in place, these are discussed with parents during children's settling-in time. However, the procedure to be followed in the event of a parent failing to collect a child at the appointed time is not currently available to parents in writing, which is a legal requirement. Staff conduct risk assessments and safety checks to promote children's safety at the setting and while on outings.

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the early years provision

Staff show a strong commitment to driving improvement. They work closely with the local authority to complete a quality assurance scheme. They use various methods to evaluate the quality of their service, including participation in interesting research aimed at promoting the outcomes for children. Overall, deployment of resources is effective as children benefit from a well-organised learning environment. Staff mainly use the time that children attend effectively, although the whole group and lunchtime routines are less well organised.

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the early years provision

Excellent systems are in place to promote equality and diversity. Children are able to learn about diversity through well-planned activities, which relate to a variety of cultures. They use books and resources that promote positive images of people in the community and learn about aspects of their environment through local outings. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children's individual needs are met effectively. They strive to promote inclusion for all children and embrace the challenges of catering for children's specific additional needs. The use of the Common Assessment Framework is securely embedded in staff practice. They show high regard for following appropriate procedures regarding the assessment of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, they have developed excellent partnerships with a range of professionals who support individual children. In addition, they work closely with

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the early years provision

the local authority, for example working together to provide open evenings for parents regarding children's transition to school.

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the early years provision

Engagement with parents is highly effective as staff ensure parents are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 purposefully involved in the life of the nursery. They provide open evenings and workshops relating to subjects that parents express an interested in. Parents share information about their children's abilities during the settling-in process and contribute to regular assessment reviews with their key person. In addition, parents add photos and comments to children's individual books, creating a seamless record of their progress at home and the nursery. For example, children take turns to take home their key group teddy bear mascot for the weekend and add photos to show the other children what they have been doing.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from a vast amount of indoor play space, enabling them to spread out and move freely during play. The learning environment is bright and welcoming with displays of children's creative work, photos and information for parents. Children are provided with a broad range of good quality resources, including child-sized furniture and toys that support all areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with a balanced diet of meals, which are freshly prepared on the premises. Staff show high regard for ensuring children's individual dietary needs are catered for, and share information with parents on a daily basis. Children adopt healthy lifestyles as they make choices of snacks, fresh fruit and water throughout the day. They make some choices at mealtimes about the foods they would like to eat, although staff serve most of the food. This does not fully promote their independence, and lots of movement by staff during meal times creates a less relaxed experience for children. Healthy lifestyles are also adopted by children because they frequently use the wheeled toys and climbing apparatus during indoor and outside play, developing their physical skills. In addition, they enjoy music and movement sessions with a peripatetic teacher. Staff show high regard for maintaining good hygiene standards and promote children's good

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and outcomes for children

hygiene habits through well established routines; this helps to stop the spread of infection.

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and outcomes for children

Staff follow children's interests well and extend their learning through a good balance of learning opportunities including free play and adult led activities. Staff have established clear and consistent methods of assessing children's progress. They are developing methods of tracking children's learning priorities, which aid the planning of activities. Staff successfully differentiate the key-group-time activities to cater for the needs of children of different ages and abilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good relationships with staff and each other. They play cooperatively, freely engage in conversations and follow the daily routines well. This shows that they are making a positive contribution to their learning environment. Children are also supported well in learning expectations of their behaviour, including sharing and taking turns during play. They feel safe and secure because they are offered lots of support and cuddles by staff. They also participate in well-established routines that promote their safety, for example lining This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 up before they go outside and participating in regular emergency-evacuation drills.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing good language and communication skills. They are confident speakers and use books purposefully. Children become engrossed as they re-enact a well-known story with staff; this also enables them to be creative as they join in the actions imaginatively. They make purposeful marks while using paint and drawing materials. Older children draw representational pictures of people and confidently use scissors to cut them out. They make good attempts at writing the letters of their names.

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and outcomes for children

Children show a keen interest in technology while using the laptop and follow the programme with support from staff. They learn about nature and living things as they grow plants in the garden. They become engrossed in role play and imitate adults while using the well-resourced home corner. Children show good problem- solving skills as they use a range of puzzles and build with construction sets and large crates and planks of wood in the outside play area. Overall, children enjoy the activities and achieve new skills that support their future learning. They participate in a broad variety of activities that promote all areas of learning effectively and benefit from high levels of individual support from staff. 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 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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