Millwood House Day Nursery Limited

Millwood House Day Nursery Limited Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY440936 Inspection date 19/06/2012 Inspector Carol Willett

p.1

Setting address Mill Wood, Collinswood Road, Farnham Common, SLOUGH, SL2 3LH Telephone number 01753645500 Email nursery@millwoodhousenursery.com 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.

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the setting

Millwood House Day Nursery is privately owned. It opened in 1991 and re- registered in 2012, upon becoming a limited company. It operates from a two storey house in Farnham Common, Berkshire. The children are accommodated in four age-related base rooms, with the baby room situated on the first floor. All children have access to a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. A maximum of 53 children in the early years age group may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 100 children aged from five months to under five years on roll. Full and part-time care is available. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. It is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. They close for a week at Christmas and all bank holidays. The nursery employs 21 staff to work with the children, all of whom

p.4

Description of the setting

hold appropriate early years qualifications. They also employ a cook, cleaner and administrator.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children play and learn in a mostly safe, child-friendly, stimulating environment where staff are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Staff promote children's welfare and learning needs well and enable all children to be equally included. Positive partnerships with parents, local schools and other professionals involved in the children's care, support their individual needs and progress well. The nursery has effective monitoring systems overall and shows a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 extend opportunities for children to develop their literacy and numeracy skills through an environment rich in signs and numbers and include words in languages of children attending  review the risk assessment procedure to ensure it covers everything the children come into contact with taking steps to minimise hazards  improve monitoring of children's development records to show their progress across all areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.4

the early years provision

Children stay safe and their welfare is safeguarded effectively, because staff have a clear understanding and follow good safeguarding procedures. There is a clear policy and staff know where to access important information and what to do if they have a concern about children's welfare. Effective recruitment and vetting procedures help ensure staff are suitable and qualified. Staff complete effective annual risk assessments and daily checks which include all the areas of the nursery. However, daily checking procedures are not fully effective. There are low canes in the garden, and split seating means foam is exposed and these are potential hazards for children. Staff's close supervision and good security measures promote children's safety. The nursery has all required policies, procedures and records and shares all documentation with parents to promote the children's welfare.

p.5

the early years provision

Staff are keen to continually improve the nursery and outcomes for children. There are good monitoring systems overall. But staff have not noted that children's development records do not always show observations and progress in numeracy. Staff show a good commitment towards driving improvement. They undertake qualification training and workshops, and they update first aid and safeguarding training. The views of parents help to inform the self-evaluation process and promote effective outcomes for children.

p.5

the early years provision

Staff organise the nursery well, so children play and learn in well-resourced, attractive age-related playrooms. Children access a good range of toys, resources and experiences that effectively promote their good progress in all skill areas. Staff deployment is good and they move well to support children's learning and effectively meet the children's needs.

p.5

the early years provision

Equality and diversity practices are good and all children are welcomed and included. Staff make good provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities. They work well with other agencies involved in children's care to encourage their progress and promote consistency of care and learning for the children. Staff follow a clear policy to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion and children's individual needs. Staff effectively organise the environment and resources so they are equally available to all children.

p.5

the early years provision

The partnerships staff develop with parents clearly promote continuity for the children. Staff engage well with parents and a good range of information is shared both verbally and in writing. Parents are kept up to date through newsletters, notice boards and the website. They are included and involved in their children's learning and they are encouraged to share their views through questionnaires. They feel happy with the service provided and the caring staff and explain that their children really enjoy coming to the nursery. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.5

and outcomes for children

Staff support children's learning effectively. They organise the playrooms so children can freely choose toys and engage in planned activities. They use good teaching skills as they model the use of resources and ask open questions to promote discussions to prompt children to think. Staff provide good support, which allows all the children to be actively involved in activities and promotes their independence. Activity plans cover all areas of learning and the systems in place for planning ensure the individual learning needs of all children are met. However, observations do not consistently show children's progress in numeracy.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Overall, the quality of the learning environment is good, indoors and out and children play happily. They make good progress as they play with the wide range of quality toys and resources and enjoy experiences that cover all areas of learning. They enjoy creative play with small world resources and love to dress up and paint. There are many opportunities and a variety of materials, both inside and out, for children to write and draw. Children enjoy a wide range of storybooks that promote their language and literacy skills. Older children enjoy reading to their friends and younger children listen and join in well with stories staff read to them. Staff and younger children enthusiastically sing and dance, as they match words and actions and develop good physical and creative skills.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children develop good problem solving skills. They freely access a number of resources that encourage them to match, sort and use numbers in different contexts. These include jigsaws, number games, books and songs. However, children do not see number labels in the preschool room, or the outdoor environment, to further enhance these skills. Children learn about diversity in society through the toys, resources and experiences provided. They learn about different cultural festivals through creative activities and food tasting. Staff and children speak a variety of languages. Labelling around the nursery does not include words in all the languages of the children, to encourage the use of home languages in play. Children are confident and lively as they actively play and explore. They develop good skills for future learning through the good range of experiences provided, including free access to computers and musical activity toys.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children are confident, play happily and show they feel safe, as they have good relationships with staff. They readily approach adults to talk or ask for help. They develop a good awareness of keeping safe, as staff gently remind children of safe behaviour. Children learn about good health and hygiene through effective daily routines. They know when and why they need to wash their hands. They learn about taking responsibility for the environment, as older children put their plates in the bowl when they have finished their lunch. There are clear hygiene routines and food is properly prepared and served. Children enjoy the healthy range of meals and snacks, which helps develop their awareness of healthy eating. They freely access outdoor play, where they use a good variety of toys to develop their physical skills. They develop healthy bodies as they excitedly use the pirate ship, climbing frame, slide and swing, run around and use wheeled toys. Children's

p.6

and outcomes for children

behaviour is generally good, as staff provide a positive learning environment and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 treat children with care and respect. Children happily share and take turns. Older children respond positively to staff's request to allow other children to use the computer. Younger children learn to play cooperatively, as they use the seesaw. Behaviour management strategies clearly promote children's confidence and self- esteem. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

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

p.8

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

p.8

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

p.8

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

p.8