Latest Ofsted Report

Inspection report for early years provision

Unique Reference Number 507840

Inspection date 25 May 2007

Inspector Coral Hales

Setting Address 10 Padnell Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO8 8DZ

Telephone number 023 92254236

E-mail ann@annswomblesnursery.co.uk

Registered person Ann Kathleen Prior

Type of inspection Integrated

Type of care Full day care

About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage.

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding:

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality

Good:

this aspect of the provision is strong

Satisfactory:

this aspect of the provision is sound

Inadequate:

this aspect of the provision is not good enough

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Ann's Wombles Nursery opened in 1977 and operates from rooms within the providers own home in the village of Cowplain, to the north of Portsmouth. Ann's Wombles Nursery is privately owned and serves the local community. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time and it is open each weekday from 07:00 to 18:00 except for bank holidays. All children share access to the enclosed outdoor play areas. The group offers a facility for caring for school children before and after school to deliver and collect them from the local school.

There are currently 13 children aged from two to under eight years on roll. Of these, five children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports children who speak English as an additional language.

The nursery employs four members of staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is awaiting training. The setting receives support from a mentor teacher from the local authority and from the Pre-school Learning Alliance development worker.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROVISION

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children's understanding and awareness of good health and hygiene is promoted through planned daily routines. They develop personal independence as they wash their hands after using the toilet and as they use wipes in the garden, and are encouraged by staff to complete this task themselves. Staff do not however, always ensure that areas used for snack in the garden are kept clean. Children are comforted if they become unwell and appropriate systems are in place to ensure that any medication given is agreed by parents. Emergency treatment/advice consent is not fully maintained. Accidents are effectively dealt with and recorded and most staff hold appropriate first aid certificates.

Children begin to have some understanding of a healthy diet and some activities help them to develop their knowledge. They are provided with nutritious snacks of fruit and a cooked meal at lunch time, for example, spaghetti bolognaise, bread and butter and grapes. Children enjoy meal times which are relaxed, social occasions and they are developing good social skills. They are provided with regular drinks throughout the day and water is available at all times in the playroom should they become thirsty.

Children benefit from having regular opportunities to enjoy physical play and activities in the large very well resourced garden. Their physical development is encouraged and promoted through very effective use of this area which provides extended play opportunities for all. Younger children are well supported in their play and have a good selection of age related equipment to use in their own area of the garden. Children's health is well maintained and they have a positive attitude to exercise.

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in welcoming premises where most risks have been identified and minimised. Risk assessments have been completed, however these are not detailed or individual to the setting and do not effectively cover all areas. The premises are secure and effective parental collection systems are in place. Children learn about safety as they play and staff gently remind them how to behave inside, for example, not to run around in the playroom. They begin to understand that there are rules and boundaries that keep them safe. Children are well protected because they take part in regular fire evacuations, written records however lack detail.

Children use a broad range of equipment and resources that are clean and maintained. They are suitably stored to allow children easy access that enables them to investigate and explore their surroundings. This enables them to develop their play safely within a secure environment.

Children are protected from harm because staff have a satisfactory understanding of their role in child protection and have recently attended training. Policies and procedures are in place and staff are aware of their responsibilities to the children in their care.

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are confident, well-settled, happy and comfortable in the nursery. They ask questions, respond to new challenges and begin to use their initiative to extend their play. Children begin to develop their independence as they play and are able to access resources for themselves. Younger children are well supported as they settle into the routine of the nursery.

Nursery education

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children show interest and curiosity in their play and some display good levels of concentration as they take part in activities. Their relationships with each other and adults are good. Staff are interested and generally involved with the children and listen to what they have to say. The supervisor has a satisfactory understanding of the Foundation Stage, and all staff are awaiting training to further develop their knowledge. Planning is discussed as a team and provides a satisfactory range of activities that generally cover all areas. However, they do not clearly show how the expected learning outcomes will be achieved. There is no effective system in place to ensure that children's learning is fully promoted in all areas. Assessment records are in place however, these are not maintained and therefore are not used effectively to plan children's next steps in learning. Staff work well together as a group and support each other in their teaching.

Children are able to take turns as they play, for example, in the large sandpit in the garden sharing the spades and other equipment. Children are provided with regular opportunities to take the initiative by choosing activities for themselves. They speak with confidence in group situations such as story-time or circle time and initiate conversations about issues that interest them. For example, a child was keen to tell the adult that if he kept his bedroom tidy he would have a new bed. When asked if he was keeping it tidy, he grinned and said 'no'. They listen with interest to stories eagerly joining in with their own thoughts and ideas. Children are regularly introduced to letters and are familiar with letter sounds and some recognise and sound out their own names. They have opportunities to develop their early writing skills as they draw pictures and experiment with pens, crayons and paint. Children begin to develop their knowledge of simple mathematics as they take part in regular planned activities, for example, recognising number cards and singing number songs. However, children do not often take part in practical mathematical activities to develop an understanding of simple calculation. For example, they do not participate in routine daily activities such as snack or lunch time, and this limits their understanding of more/less. A good range of equipment including games is available to support children's understanding of shape, colour and size.

Children show curiosity and interest in their environment and have some opportunities to learn about the local community. For example, they learn about the role of the fire officer, and go out for a walk and experience how to cross a road safely. Children begin to develop a positive attitude to others and have opportunities to experience a range of festivals and cultural events throughout the year. They are able to build and construct using a suitable range of resources to develop their ideas and sometimes have opportunities to use simple working technology to support their learning.

Children are able to use their imagination and express their ideas, in particular during musical activities as they use the shakers they made earlier to accompany songs for example, 'Wheels on the Bus', and 'Wind the Bobbin up'. They listen to a musical tape and happily sing and enjoy moving their bodies to music as they follow simple instructions. They enjoy creative art activities and explore colour, texture and shape and enjoy developing their own ideas, and selecting their own materials to use. Children use their senses effectively, to listen to birds and aeroplanes and helicopters outside, and to explore a variety of textures for example, paint, water and wet sand. Children enjoy a wide range of physical activities that help them to develop their confidence and skills both when using large and small apparatus, tools and equipment. For example, they use a climbing frame, a trampoline, a large play boat, swings, wheeled toys and balls and these stimulate their interest in the outside area and children really enjoy their time in the garden. They handle small world toys and tools for example, scissors, pencils and paintbrushes with increasing skill and control.

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn to value and respect themselves and enjoy positive relationships with staff and other children. They separate happily from their parents or carers and are secure and confident within the familiar environment. Children benefit from the effective relationship between staff and parents who join in with day-to-day activities. Parents speak highly of the nursery and of the staff and comment on how happy their children are at the setting. A log of complaints to reflect new regulations is maintained, however the contact numbers are not up to date. Parents are not generally aware of the system to follow should they have any concerns or issues. Children have some opportunities to develop an understanding of different cultures and beliefs through celebrating a range of different festival including Chinese New Year. They respond with interest and glee when they are told they are having a special party because it is a member of staffs birthday. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator is new to her role and is currently developing her knowledge and understanding and is being supported by the area coordinator for special needs. There are no children currently attending the nursery who have special needs, however some systems are in place to offer support to children and their families. Staff work closely with children and their parents whose first language is not English to enable them to settle in well. Good staffing levels allow time for all children to benefit from some one-to-one care. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

Children behave generally well. They respond well to the calm manner in which staff deal with any issues that arise and are polite, well-mannered and generally kind to each other. A comprehensive behaviour policy is in place and staff follow the guidance in practice. Children begin to distinguish right from wrong and form positive relationships with each other and are aware of boundaries set.

The partnership with parents and carers is satisfactory. Parents are kept informed about what the children do, however little information about the educational provision or the 'Birth to Three Matters' framework for the younger children is given to parents. Assessment records are in place, however these are not regularly shared with parents.

Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The premises are generally organised well to meet the needs of the children both indoors and outdoors. They have opportunities for free play with a range of toys set out in the playrooms and a good selection of stimulating equipment in the garden. Resources are generally organised well to meet children's needs, however some areas lack interest and stimulating displays to motivate the children's interest in learning. Children's welfare and care is promoted as staff have a satisfactory knowledge of the records to be kept. Most policies and procedures are available for inspection and the supervisor is currently reorganising all documentation to ensure it is maintained and kept up to date. Recruitment and vetting systems are generally suitable and job descriptions and written inductions offer information and support to staff.

Leadership and management is satisfactory.

The supervisor is new to her role and is only just beginning to develop her management skills. The owner offers her some support and development workers and mentor teachers offer assistance and help. Effective communication between the staff enables them to offer a suitable range of activities for the children to enjoy. Systems are in place to support and monitor the staff including appraisals, however these are not well maintained. Staff discuss their practice at each session but there is no clear system in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

Improvements since the last inspection

The last care inspection highlighted several issues linked to documentation relating to: complaints, the incident/accident book and the registers to include visitors. These have all been reviewed and new systems have been put into place and these ensure children's welfare and care is maintained. The complaints information is not up-to-date however and will form part of a recommendation from this inspection.

Since the last inspection staff have reviewed and improved activities and provided more resources to promote children's knowledge of disabilities and the world around them. Staff have improved the provision for communication language and literacy by providing many opportunities for children to develop their early writing skills, to be able to listen to, recognise and use letters to develop their understanding of simple words. The area for creative development was reorganised and children freely access this area to develop their ideas. Resources to support children's knowledge of mathematics have been reorganised to ensure they have opportunities to use them to develop and extend their learning. However, children have few opportunities to take part in practical activities and this will form part of a recommendation following this inspection. Staff were also required to develop their knowledge of the educational curriculum and the Code of Practice for children with special needs. A new special needs coordinator is now in place and is awaiting further training and all staff are awaiting accessible training to develop their knowledge of the Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Systems for monitoring and evaluating the educational provision and for ensuring that children's records of progress are used to plan for children's next steps in learning are not in place and this will remain as a recommendation from this inspection.

Planning systems have been reviewed and some progress has been made. Staff are working with development workers and mentor teachers to develop a system that covers all areas of learning and clearly shows how learning outcomes will be achieved.

Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

review the policies and procedures to ensure that:- consent for emergency treatment/advice is maintained and that the complaints policy is in line with current information and that parents are fully aware of the system to follow should they have any concerns

review and further develop the risk assessment so that it is sufficiently detailed with particular reference to:- the garden, walking children to and from the school, ventilation, and the safety and accessibility of the gas heaters in the large playroom

The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

ensure that parents are effectively informed about the Foundation Stage and how the setting will help to ensure children continue to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Maintain the current assessment records regularly to track children's progress and develop a system to ensure that the educational programme is effectively monitored, reviewed and evaluated

increase opportunities for children during routine activities to develop their understanding of simple practical mathematics and problem solving skills.

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk