Garden House Nursery School

Stars Day Nursery 50 Gloucester Road, KINGSTON UPON THAMES, Surrey, KT1 3RB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/07/2013 08/05/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 thrive in their health and physical development because the children are able to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments.  An established key person system helps children form secure emotional bonds. As a result children are happy and settled.  Low-level storage units enable children to make their own choices in their learning and development.  The new manager has a clear vision for improving the quality of care for children.

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It is not yet good because

 Children's learning and enjoyment is not fully enhanced as the resources and experiences available to them are not always extended to offer more challenge, particularly for literacy and expressive arts and design.  Not all staff have up to date training in safeguarding issues, which reduces their knowledge of child protection issues.  Staff do not always observe children's learning and development across all areas to ensure there are no gaps in development.  On occasions children are expected to wait while staff apply sun cream, rather than allow children to further develop their self-care skills and apply it themselves.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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

 The inspector observed children in their playrooms and the outdoor garden.

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Inspection activities

 The manager spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had meetings with the manager, owner and Quality and Training manager.  The inspector looked at children's learning journals and other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from 'thank you' cards and questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Stars Day Nursery in Kingston opened in August 2007 and has a sister setting in Worcester Park. It operates from a converted house in Gloucester Road, Kingston-upon-Thames. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 54 children in the early years range on roll. Children aged three and four years receive funding for free early education. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm for 51 weeks of the year and closed on all bank holidays. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery employs 11 staff, eight of whom are qualified; this includes the manager. Two staff members are working towards early years qualifications. The nursery provides care for children who learn English as an additional language.

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must:

 ensure all staff have up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues

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must:

 improve children's learning experiences in order to provide all children with more interesting and challenging experiences using open-ended equipment and effective questioning to support their learning across all areas, particularly literacy and expressive arts and design.

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

 further develop the observation and assessment system of children by making sure children's learning and development is observed and assessed across all areas

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

 limit the times children are expected to wait by further promoting children's independence skills and allowing them to develop their self-care skills, such as by finding ways to involve them in applying their own sun cream.

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who attend

Staff have a sound knowledge of the learning and development requirements overall. Recent changes to children's learning journals means staff are now seeking important information about children's individual needs, their likes and dislikes prior to them starting. This helps staff plan activities, which meet children's interests. However some staff are trying to gather this information retrospectively for those children who already attend. Observations on the children are being used effectively to plan activities of interest to them, both indoors and outdoors. However children's learning journals show an imbalance of observations over all areas of learning and development. Consequently staff are not clear how well children are progressing in all aspects to ensure all gaps in development are identified and acted upon. Staff understand what to include in the progress check at age two, so that it is useful to parents, carers and other professionals. These checks

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who attend

enable staff to identify any support needs in children's social, personal and emotional, communication and language, and physical development.

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who attend

Children experience a broad range of activities. The playrooms are well-organised to provide different learning opportunities. Currently the pre-school room is undergoing some refurbishment to promote greater independence for the children. Low-level storage units in all rooms enable children to make their own choices and follow their own interests. Decoration in the baby room is bright and stimulating with lots of natural light. Staff have also created a 'black and white' area for young babies to provide the best stimulation for their vision. Children in the playrooms on the ground floor are able to move freely between the indoor and outdoor learning environments. Consequently this supports children who enjoy playing and learning outside.

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who attend

The pre-school children respond positively to adult-initiated activities. Outside a member of staff uses chalk to draw a road and zebra crossing. Children respond by finding traffic lights and other road signs, with one child correctly identifying a 'Give Way' sign and saying to their friend this means the 'cars have to stop'. Another child uses the chalk to extend the road, and with good control draws two parallel lines along the garden path. Staff support the children as they extend the activity using their own knowledge and experiences of the world around them. However some activities do not allow children to be fully creative. For example, children are given pre-cut stencils of a dress for the children to decorate with a variety of collage material. Although they are given free choice to choose how and with what materials they use, their imagination and creative skills are not fully promoted as children are not able to choose what item of clothing they would like

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who attend

Children learn about mathematical concepts as they play with different containers in the water. Children confidently count to 28 as they play hide and seek and staff hide gel filled numbers for children to go on a number hunt. During circle time staff talk to the children about the day of the week and the date and help children remember the month by telling them it starts with 'J.' This helps children begin to understand how letters are used to form words. However although children are given a variety of equipment to develop their early writing skills, staff are not consistent in helping children develop their literacy skills for reading. For example, Staff talk with children about words that rhyme with their names but when looking at the letters in their name staff talk about the names of letters rather than their sounds. Opportunities for children to enjoy books both indoors and outside helps children understand how print carries meaning. They listen well to stories as staff

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who attend

discuss the pictures in the books with them. This helps encourage children to have an enjoyment of books and reading.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is promoted well throughout the nursery. Staff sit and play with the children, chatting about what they are doing and listening to what children have to say. Staff reassure babies by talking about what they are doing and explaining to them what they are going to do next. As the babies have their snack, staff talk to them about going outside in the garden and having to wear their hats as it is hot. Children repeat the word 'garden' and show their developing self-care skills as they take their hats off and then put them back on again. Children listen and support each other as they play. When a child gets upset they have not got a bike to ride on, another child finds one for them and they join them up to make a train. Staff acknowledge this and praise the child for their kindness and thinking about how to help their friend. As a result children are building friendships and an understanding of others' feelings.

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

An effective key person system means children arrive happily and provides consistency of care. Children are greeted warmly by staff meaning they are made to feel settled, secure and confident to join in and play with their friends. Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development well. Children are learning to share, take turns and show consideration for each other. Staff give gentle reminders to children to help them understand the importance of appropriate behaviour and show consideration towards others as they play. Positive friendships are forming as the children show that they enjoy playing and helping each other. For example a child helped another child put on their shoes before going outside.

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

Children show they are developing their self-care skills and an understanding of healthy eating. The nursery chef prepares nutritious snacks and meals at the nursery each day. Special dietary needs are accommodated and children's place mats have photographs of the child and mats are different colours according to children's dietary needs. Children are offered, or help themselves, to drinking water throughout the day as all children have their own, clearly labelled bottles. During lunchtime the children serve their own food and young children show their delight in being able to use knives to cut up their potatoes calling out 'I did it!' This promotes their independence in preparation for their move to school. Staff make sure children have sun cream on before going outside, therefore helping children understand how to protect themselves from the risk of sunburn. However on some occasions children are left waiting to go outside, rather than developing their

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

self-care skills by being involved in applying it themselves.

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

Children are able to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments. This means children have lots of opportunities to enjoy the fresh air and space to exercise on a bigger scale. Children play games where they practise moving their bodies to weave in and out of obstacles and then to move like different animals. This helps promote their physical development.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward, following a notification from the owner about an accident at the nursery. The inspection found, that while robust risk assessments are now in place, the nursery had to take action to improve the strength of the management team and review its systems for promoting children's safety when using play equipment outside. Overall, the leadership and management of the nursery are positive and are bringing about improvements to the outcomes for children. The manager is recently appointed and is in the process of implementing changes to the nursery to continue to improve staff practice.

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provision

Children are protected and safeguarded appropriately. All staff are familiar of the nursery's policy of child protection, and aware of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm. However not all staff have received training to ensure they have up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues. This means some are less confident in identifying and responding to possible signs that a child may be at risk. Robust recruitment and induction means that staff are suitably vetted and cleared to work with children. A door entry system means that all parents and visitors have to buzz to gain entry. Parents know to close doors behind them when entering and leaving the nursery and not to let other parents or visitors in. These procedures help support children's safety. The manager has recently put in place a system where she is able to monitor the accident records. Therefore, this promotes children's safety as she is able to identify if there are any

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provision

patterns in the areas of the nursery or times of the day when accidents occur.

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provision

The new manager has begun to monitor and evaluate the nursery and educational programmes to ensure its effectiveness in meeting children's changing needs. The manager spends time working alongside staff in each playroom. The pre-school room is currently undergoing some refurbishments to improve the layout of the room and create different learning areas. Currently the manager is putting in place supervision meetings for staff to help them develop their practice and the provision for children. The Quality and Training manager works closely with the staff to support their professional development. Staff are encouraged to attend courses and training events that are best suited to their individual interest and development needs.

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provision

The action and recommendations from the last inspection have been suitably addressed. The manager has improved the risk assessments and staff are now using this system to remove or minimise hazards to children. This includes helping children understand about how to keep themselves safe, by reminding them to sit down when they are eating and not to run too fast outside. The manager has also written to schools to invite children's new teachers to visit them, to help children prepare for the next move. Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents' feedback from questionnaires, show they think highly of the staff and nursery. Comments, such as 'staff are very approachable and provide fun activities for the children' and 'my child is always very happy to go to the nursery' are received from them.

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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 action. 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 EY360354 Local authority Kingston upon Thames Inspection number 925934 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Stars Childcare Group Limited Date of previous inspection 08/05/2013 Telephone number 0208 5473216

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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