Merrydale Day Nursery and Pre-

Merrydale Day Nursery Broad Oak House, Coppid Beech Hill, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1PD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/10/2012 26/05/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children's communication and language skills are supported well. Pre-school age children enthusiastically participate in a variety of songs and rhymes. Younger children benefit from the encouragement of staff who listen and talk as they play.  Babies benefit from the relaxed and calm environment.  The outdoor environment provides a large secure attractive play environment with a sheltered decking area where the children benefit from opportunities for independent outdoor play.  Staff monitor most children's progress and development appropriately, identifying interests and next steps in learning to help them make progress.

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It is not yet good because

 Children in the baby room do not have sufficient opportunities to use resources to extend their skills and abilities.  While good quality books are available they are not displayed attractively to support the children's learning and interests.  The risk assessment does not take into account changes in the premises. Consequently sufficient provision has not been made to manage window safety in the new upstairs play room and nappy changing room.  Some of the resources, such as carpets in the baby room, are worn, old and marked.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 Observation of the children at play in all rooms.  Discussion with staff.  Observation of the premises, both indoor and out.  Scrutiny of learning journals and relevant documentation.  Discussion with parents.

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Information about the setting

Merrydale Day Nursery is one of 10 nurseries run by Complete Childcare Limited. It operates from a variety of rooms in a converted house situated on the outskirts of Wokingham, Berkshire. Children have access to enclosed gardens for outdoor play. Children come from a wide catchment area and attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 56 children on roll who attend a variety of different sessions. The nursery is in receipt of early years education funding for children aged three and four years. The nursery opens from 7.30am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 12 members of staff to work directly with the children. Of these, eight hold appropriate

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Information about the setting

childcare qualifications. Music and movement and French language lessons are provided by peripatetic teachers. The nursery also employs a cook and cleaner.

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must:

 provide challenging experiences that meet the needs of babies, for example offer low-level equipment so that they can pull up to a standing position, shuffle or walk and provide tunnels, slopes and push-along toys and trundle trikes indoors to support their physical development  assess any risks to children's safety, particularly in relation to the safety of windows and wires and plugs in the baby room

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 provide an environment and resources which are well maintained

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 create an attractive book area where children and adults can enjoy fact and fiction books together.

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who attend

Children aged two and above experience a good range of activities and play opportunities which are based on their individual interests and ideas. Staff plan an educational environment where good care is taken to cover all the areas of learning and this helps children develop skills for their future learning. Their appropriate observations of children's progress enable them to plan, taking into account individual children's interests and developing skills. The comprehensive information collected when children start the setting and when they change rooms helps staff to understand the uniqueness of each child. There records clearly indicate the progress children make. However, babies do not always benefit from such well planned learning and development experiences. For example, staff do not plan effectively for their developing physical needs. Most staff demonstrate a secure awareness of the areas of learning and this is clearly

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who attend

evident in their interactions with the children. Staff are skilful in listening and questioning young children in order to improve their learning. The adults show expression in their voices, sit at the children's level and make eye contact with them encouraging them to engage in activities and conversation. Children's language and communication skills are encouraged particularly well through the singing, rhyme and action songs they regularly undertake. They join in enthusiastically and clearly enjoy this activity which also helps build their confidence as they sing out in front of adults and their playmates. Children delight in the song book made by their key worker, demonstrating their developing awareness of the written word as they explain what it is. Staff encourage the children to think and make decisions through their patient interactions. Children anticipate a forthcoming event and make a small box for it. This provides an opportunity not only for

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who attend

practical creative skills but also a talking point where they recall and link ideas. For example, a child recalled as she decorated her box, 'my mummy said I can't have sweets' whilst another revealed he was dressing as a pirate for the special event. The adults respond with interest and encourage the conversation, drawing other children in. In the baby room the staff sit on the floor with the children and engage in play with them, asking for items and providing some narrative to the babies' actions.

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who attend

Children learn about shape size and position as they play with a variety of resources and the staff use mathematical language in their conversations with them. As they make the box they talk about squares and lines and finally the cube they have made. Opportunities to count are seized upon in the routine activities and songs. Children have opportunities to make marks with a variety of resources which they can access easily. The environment is rich with print. The staff frequently read to the children in the downstairs playroom and children listen attentively sometimes anticipating the story and sometimes identifying what is happening in the pictures. There are good quality fact and fiction books available but these are not displayed attractively to encourage the children's independent use or to support other activities around the setting.

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who attend

Records indicate children enjoy messy play as they develop their creative skills with dough and paint. Opportunities to express their thoughts, feelings and imagination are encouraged through dressing up activities. Good use is made of the outdoor play area to promote and extend children's learning. They play on the decking, building with construction toys and enjoying the opportunities to explore the space available to them. They are increasing their awareness of the world around them as they learn about traditional events, the weather, seasons, their bodies and also talk about healthy foods. Babies play in a calm and relaxed environment with caring staff. However, the range of resources they use does not sufficiently encourage their individual development and staff are not planning effectively to encourage development. For example, children who are nearly walking do not have sufficient encouragement or opportunity to safely pull

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who attend

themselves to standing and to take their first steps.

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who attend

Staff work in effective partnerships with parents to keep them fully involved in their children's learning. Parents provide information about what their children can do and have regular opportunities to add information about what their child has achieved or has been doing. This helps to ensure a shared approach to supporting children's learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children develop an understanding of being safe, as they take part in regular fire drills in the nursery. However, whilst generally staff manage potential risks well there is insufficient awareness and attention to managing potential risks in the baby rooms. The rearrangement of rooms has led to the use of a former office as a playroom. A risk assessment of this area has not been undertaken and measures have not been taken to manage the risk posed by the wide opening window. Low level plugs and trailing wires are also not managed effectively in the baby room. This is a breach of requirements and, although they are supervised, babies are still at potential risk due to the unrecognized hazards.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging within the nursery. They display high levels of confidence and interest in what is going on around them and are learning to share and take turns in their play. Older children develop good self-care skills as they use the toilet independently. Freshly prepared meals promote healthy eating and take into consideration children's dietary and cultural requirements. Children's water bottles are easily accessible throughout the day so that they can help themselves.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

A well-established key person system helps children form secure bonds with their main carer. The effective deployment of staff helps to ensure that all children develop secure emotional attachments. This provides a strong base for developing independence, exploration and skills for future learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The environment is cleaned on a daily basis, and the carpets regularly cleaned. However, the carpets and soft furnishings are worn and the carpet in the baby room badly marked. There is also clutter on surfaces around the nursery. The nursery is not well-maintained in all areas.

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provision

Staff are trained in safeguarding and have a secure knowledge and understanding about their roles and responsibilities to protect children. Clear safeguarding policies and procedures are in place which are regularly updated and understood by all staff. All staff have appropriate checks carried out which includes references, health declarations and Criminal Records Bureau checks. This protects children and promotes their welfare. Appropriate measures are in place to promote equal opportunities. However, systems for risk assessment are not fully effective. A new room that has been adapted for use by babies has not been fully risk assessed and there are potential hazards which have not been minimised to protect children.

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provision

Systems are in place for performance management. New members of staff have an induction to help develop their awareness in the setting. Training, appraisals and supervision are used to help the staff to develop their skills and remain motivated in their work.

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provision

Staff have an appropriate understanding of the learning and development requirements. They assess and plan appropriately for children's progress although the provision for babies is not as effective as that for older children. There are satisfactory systems to monitor the effectiveness of the educational programme. Management and staff evaluate the service and seek parent's views to help them make improvements. Improvements have been made since the last inspection which include the provision of covered decking providing an attractive outdoor play environment and the rearrangement of the rooms to enable the babies to have access to an additional room. Further plans are in place to develop the space available to children to meet their current needs. Regular staff meetings are used to plan and discuss practice. Staff attend training events in house and also online which is organised both externally and by the company. This helps them to improve

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provision

Positive relationships with parents are evident. Daily verbal and written information is provided and staff value the face to face opportunities to share information. A clear notice board is available for parents with important information and there is also a nursery website. Staff communicate with the schools and other settings children may move to and forward information on children's development.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 148617 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 889333 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 52 Name of provider Kingsclere Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 26/05/2011 Telephone number 01344 412132

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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