House of Eden

House of Eden Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY427246 Inspection date 05/09/2011 Inspector Pauline Pinnegar

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Setting address Pioneering Care Centre, Carers Way, Cobblers Hall, NEWTON AYCLIFFE, County Durham, DL5 4SF Telephone number 01388722152 Email rushyford@edennursery.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

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

House of Eden nursery is one of six nurseries owned by a private provider. It was registered in 2011. It operates from three activity rooms and the learning suite within the Pioneering Care Partnership building. The nursery is located in the Cobblers Hall area of Newton Aycliffe and serves the local and surrounding areas. The nursery is accessible to all children and there are two fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play plus an enclosed courtyard.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round apart from one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 75 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 70 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery also offers care to children aged over five years to eight years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. There are systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 15 members of child care staff. All of these hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. 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

The friendly and secure environment created by staff ensures that children are safe, settled and happy, and make sound progress in their learning and development. Provision is inclusive and children's welfare needs are mostly met appropriately. Staff obtain information about children's individual needs and develop effective partnerships with parents and carers and local schools. Most documentation required for safe management of the nursery is in place. The management team have suitable vision for the nursery in order to bring about continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain information from parents about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 19/09/2011

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further?

 obtain prior written permission for each and every medicine from parents before any medication is given 19/09/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare)

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further?

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

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further?

 review the use of space, daily routines and adaptation of activities to effectively support children's learning and meet their individual needs  improve the procedures for hand washing and drying, potty training and nappy changing  develop systems to ensure that identified next steps are consistently used to inform future planning and meet children's individual needs.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is appropriately supported at the nursery. Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. This is further supported by a detailed written policy. Clear vetting and recruitment procedures have been established and evidence of enhanced disclosure numbers is available for all staff. This ensures all adults looking after children are experienced and suitable to do so. Children's safety in the nursery is mostly promoted well by effective procedures, such as signing in visitors and secure entry systems. Most documentation required to promote the effective management of the setting is in place; for example, consent to obtain emergency medical treatment and accident records. However, the nursery has not requested information from parents about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility. Also prior written consent from parents to

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the early years provision

administer non-prescribed medication is not in place. This does not effectively safeguard children and is a breach of the legal requirements. The risk to children is, however, minimised as effective procedures are in place to ensure that only named persons can collect children and staff gain verbal consent from parents before non-prescribed medicines are administered. Daily checks and a record of risk assessments are in place for the setting.

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the early years provision

Appropriate systems are in place to evaluate the nursery, including developing action plans and working closely with local authority early years advisors; this helps to ensure continuous improvement. Staff are also committed to ongoing training to improve their practice. The nursery provides a good range of age- appropriate resources, most of which children can access independently to help them to begin to make choices about their learning and play. Colourful displays of their work, along with photographs, help children to develop a sense of belonging and promote self-esteem. However, space, time and daily routines are not always used effectively to support children's individual needs to ensure that good use is made of the time they spend in nursery. This results in some children not being engaged in meaningful activities for periods of time. For example, they regularly move from area to area and mixed ages are grouped together for most of the

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the early years provision

time. Activities can go on too long and are not always effectively adapted to suit different age groups. Consequently, children begin to lose interest. The equal opportunities policy is clearly understood and reflected well in group practice. Staff This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 demonstrate a positive attitude to working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their parents, and to taking steps where appropriate to ensure that all children are fully included at the setting.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the positive relationships developed between staff and parents. Effective procedures are in place to gather feedback from parents and the management team ensure that any concerns are immediately addressed. Staff and parents share information verbally, about events and experiences in the children's lives, on a daily basis. Parents have access to their child's individual developmental records and they are encouraged to contribute and share information when they wish. Parents speak positively of the care their children receive and are especially pleased with the 'nurturing loving environment' staff have created. The nursery demonstrates a positive attitude towards working with local schools and nurseries to help to promote smooth transitions for children.

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and outcomes for children

Staff and management at the nursery are warm and welcoming and children have developed secure relationships with them, coming to them for cuddles, support and reassurance. This promotes children's sense of security in the nursery. Children enjoy a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities and receive a varied range of experiences across the areas of learning. Consequently, children enjoy their time at the setting and have a positive attitude to learning. Each child has their own file which includes photographs and observations of their learning, along with summary sheets of their development. Observations are clearly linked to the areas of learning and staff are using them to identify children's next steps in learning. However, it is not always clear to see how this is reflected in the planning. Nevertheless, most staff know the children well and as a result, they are making steady progress in their learning and development. Children behave

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and outcomes for children

appropriately in the nursery; staff encourage good manners and give regular praise and encouragement to promote positive behaviour.

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and outcomes for children

Staff provide some opportunities for children to explore technology. Young babies are encouraged to explore and investigate the space and toys around them while securing important skills for their future learning and development. For example, they show delight in pressing buttons on the electronic toys to create sounds and lights. A wide range of interactive toys and computer equipment helps children to begin to develop skills for the future. They confidently use the mouse to play matching games and listen to songs and stories through headphones. All children have regular opportunities to be creative; they enjoy painting, exploring foam and using glue to make pictures from scrap material. Babies also love to explore their senses using dry sand and jelly cubes. A suitable range of resources are available, such as, paints, chalks and pencils, providing opportunities for children to develop their early writing skills. Children's communication skills are fostered through

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and outcomes for children

various activities, including songs and rhymes, resulting in children developing effective speaking and listening skills. A good range of jigsaws, games and construction materials help children to begin to develop their problem-solving This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 skills. The nursery supports children's awareness of diversity by introducing resources that reflect positive images of race and gender. Children love exploring the outdoor environment; digging for worms, finding insects and moving crates around to make stepping stones. They have fun manoeuvring large tyres and watch them roll down the grassy bank in the garden. This also helps to promote children's physical development.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is satisfactorily promoted throughout the nursery. Mealtimes are promoted as a positive experience for all the children. They sit together and enjoy positive social interaction and enjoy a varied range of nutritional meals and snacks. Drinks are readily available and children have a choice of organic milk or water. However, staff do not consistently support children to adopt healthy practices such as hand washing before snacks and after using the toilet. Children also do not have suitable hand drying facilities as one large group of children share two hand towels. In addition, the procedures for potty training and changing nappies do not fully promote children's privacy and comfort. This does not fully promote children's health and prevent the spread of infection. Children are developing a sense of how to stay safe within the setting as they respond well to staff's gentle reminders of

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and outcomes for children

how to move safely indoors and outdoors. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 ensure the record of any medicine administered to a child who is cared for on the premises includes a parent/guardian/carer's consent (Records to be kept) 19/09/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 ensure the record of any medicine administered to a child who is cared for on the premises includes a parent/guardian/carer's consent (Records to be kept) 19/09/2011

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