Castleton Primary School

Lambeth College Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 144680 Inspection date 20/01/2012 Inspector Rachel Palmer

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Setting address Lambeth College: Clapham Centre, 45 Clapham Common South Side, London, SW4 9BL Telephone number 020 7501 5227 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

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

Lambeth College Nursery is situated within Lambeth College on Clapham Common South Side, in the London Borough of Lambeth. Registered in 2003, Lambeth College Nursery provides full day care for parents who are attending further education classes, and also offers places, where available, to staff working in the college. The nursery is open term-time only, on weekdays from 8.30am until 5.30pm. The nursery is located in a purpose built building, which has been totally refurbished to accommodate the provision. There are two self-contained group rooms, wash and toilet facilities, a nappy changing area, staff area, kitchen and an office. Children have use of an enclosed outdoor area. There are eight staff members who work on a full-time basis. Seven of the staff members have a recognised child care qualification. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for no more than 30 children from age two years to under eight years, at any one time. Currently there are 45 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education to children aged three and four years. The college receives support from the local authority. The nursery supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language.

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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

The children's welfare is promoted effectively and children's needs are met. Children make good progress in their learning and development and generally have a good range of activities and areas to choose from. The children co-operate exceptionally well and the nursery is innovative in promoting equality and diversity. The nursery has a committed partnership with outside agencies and a highly effective partnership with parents. Positive improvements have been made since the last inspection. All members of staff are consistent in evaluating their practice, contributing well to improving the nursery as a whole and showing a strong 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?

 promote the link between the indoor and outdoor environments so that older children can move freely between them, to make more extensive use of the outdoor space  extend the use of 'next steps' to further promote individual children's learning development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The nursery has an effective safeguarding system in place which staff follow carefully, therefore children are kept safe and secure. The staff place a strong emphasis on safeguarding and all have good knowledge of the nursery's safeguarding policy. A thorough weekly checklist of the nursery is carried out to identify any potential risks; additional daily checklists are also carried out to check all areas the children use are safe. All staff have current relevant first aid certificates. Robust appointment procedures include undertaking appropriate clearances to check that staff are suitable to have unsupervised access to children.

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the early years provision

The nursery manager places a strong emphasis on improving the nursery and is ambitious in regard to promoting improved outcomes for children. The nursery manager frequently reflects on the nursery practice in conjunction with local authority advisors, as well as staff, in order to identify what future improvements are required. Good overall targets are set to enhance outcomes for children, following mainly accurate evaluation. Useful regular appraisals identify staff training requirements and all staff have ample opportunities for keeping their knowledge and skills up to date, including in food hygiene, first aid and safeguarding. The manager successfully encourages staff to undertake further qualifications; several are currently undertaking relevant degrees.

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the early years provision

All staff are effectively deployed across the nursery making full use of their particular skills, knowledge and experience. The stimulating outside area provides children with space to run around and get some fresh air; however, access to the outdoor area is not as freely available for the older children as it is to the younger ones. Children's independent decision making is promoted through a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences, supported through effective use of a good range of resources.

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the early years provision

The nursery has an innovative approach to promoting equality of opportunity. Staff are completely aware of children's home languages, backgrounds and additional needs, and are highly successful in planning activities to promote these, recognising fully the uniqueness of each child. Information for parents is translated into home languages, for example, so staff can work successfully with outside professionals to get each child the extra support they need and give parents a full range of valuable information. This helps all children, including those learning English as an additional language, progress well. Staff promote different experiences in a variety of contexts to help children understand cultural diversity, such as the Chinese New Year. As part of Lambeth College, the nursery has effective partnership with another nursery to review practice and policies. The nursery has established useful partnerships both with other agencies and in the

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the early years provision

wider community. They liaise well with the local fire and police stations, for example, helping the children understand about different roles of people in their neighbourhood, so learning about the wider world. The nursery manager constantly reviews the partnerships with parents in order to make it as effective and inclusive as possible. For example, on noting a 'suggestion box' was under used, she introduced a revised system, leading to substantially increased feedback This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 from parents. In response to parental request, a first aid training session for parents was provided, so promoting children's wellbeing further. Parents enjoy excellent opportunities to support their children's learning. There are regular meetings with staff; parents are invited in to read books and to share their particular experiences with the children.

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and outcomes for children

The children respond well to the good nursery routine. The staff in the nursery are friendly, welcoming and know the children well, creating a warm atmosphere in which children feel safe, valued and respected. Staff have a strong understanding of the children's learning needs based on thorough and accurate observations and assessment that start when children enter the nursery. Planning is of high quality overall, although sometimes it is not always specific to extend learning when detailing children's 'next steps'.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a good range of activities including exploring materials such as paint, corn flour and natural resources. They enjoy using musical instruments. During group time the children enjoy singing both individually and together. Songs incorporate numeracy through rhymes such as 'Five little speckled frogs'. The children learn about rhyming patterns and enjoy 'hopping like bunnies'. Information and communication technology is widely used and children have good knowledge of how to operate a computer, which is a useful skill for children to carry through life, along with those gained for literacy and numeracy. Children also develop a strong sense of self, through the nursery's strong emphasis on equality and belonging.

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and outcomes for children

The children work exceptionally well with one another by themselves and also demonstrate excellent co-operation skills when required to work together. They have numerous opportunities to make a positive contribution to nursery life by either helping at lunch times by being the 'helper for the day' or by serving themselves as the older children do. The children respond outstandingly well to the staff and tidy up extremely willingly.

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and outcomes for children

In summer, the children help grow vegetables in the garden, which helps them learn that some foods grow. This experience supports their understanding of healthy eating, as well as demonstrating the nursery's commitment to sustainability. Children also learn to recycle. The children eat healthy snacks that include items such as fresh and dried fruit, crackers and cheese. This choice is a positive improvement since the nursery's last inspection. Children practice good hygiene routines, such as washing and drying their hands thoroughly after using the toilet.

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and outcomes for children

All children are settled, confident and have a good relationship with the staff. The children have a good understanding of boundaries and respond well to clear explanations on how to keep themselves and others safe, with older ones showing negotiation skills. Children are encouraged to take calculated risks through play, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 such as balancing on a low beam in the garden. This challenge develops high levels of confidence and helps children progress well in learning how to keep themselves safe. They learn that they cannot use some equipment outside when it rains, such as a small trampoline. Staff are mindful of the children's interests, however, so bring the equipment inside, therefore allowing children to continue enjoying this physical play. 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 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 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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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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