|
Our
latest Ofsted Report....
Heathers
Day Nursery |
Inspection
report for early years provision |
Unique
reference number |
321475
|
Inspection
date |
18/02/2010
|
Inspector
|
Rosemary
Beyer |
|
|
Setting
address |
James Backhouse Place, Holgate, York, North
Yorkshire, YO24 4NS |
Telephone
number |
01904
780277 |
Email
|
heathers@yorkchildcare.co.uk
|
Type
of setting |
Childcare
on non-domestic premises |
The
Office for Standards in Education, Children's
Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and
inspects 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 rates 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
.
You
may copy all or parts of this document for
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as you give details of the source and date
of publication and do not alter the information
in any way. |
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Exchange Buildings
St
Ann 's Square
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M2
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T:
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|
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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
learning, development and welfare, known as the
Early Years Foundation Stage.
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).
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.
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.
Description
of the setting
Heather's
Day Nursery is run by the charity York Childcare.
It opened in 1995 and operates from two large rooms
and one small one within purpose built premises,
solely on the ground floor. The nursery is situated
in Holgate, a suburb of York. A maximum of 36 children
may attend the nursery at any one time, it is registered
on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory
and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The
nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all
year round, with the exception of Bank Holidays.
The children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor
area.
There are currently 80 children aged from four months
to five years on roll. Of these, 25 children receive
funding for nursery education and the setting is
part of the Pathfinder Project for two year olds.
Children attend from the surrounding areas. The
nursery supports children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities.
The nursery employs 13 staff, of whom 12, including
the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications.
One staff member is a graduate working towards Early
Years Professional Status. The nursery is a member
of the National Day Nursery Association (NDNA) and
the Pre School Learning Alliance (PLA).
The
overall effectiveness of the early years provision
Overall the quality of the provision is good.
Staff
have a good knowledge of each child's individual
needs which enables them to promote all aspects
of children's welfare and learning successfully.
Children are safe and secure at all times and enjoy
learning about the local area and the wider world
around them. Partnerships with parents, schools
and other agencies ensure the children's needs are
met and they receive any additional support. This
means children make good progress given their age,
ability and starting points. Staff have recently
started to use the on line self-evaluation process
to more formally plan aspects for future development,
although they have yet to include parents and children
in the process.
What
steps need to be taken to improve provision further?
To
further improve the early years provision
the registered person should:
develop
the self-evaluation process to include consultation
of parents and children to ensure the setting
is responsive to the needs of all users
include
notification of Ofsted in the uncollected
child procedure
- ensure
all observations of development are acknowledged
and noted in the learning record.
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The
effectiveness of leadership and management of the
The
nursery has clear policies and procedures in place to ensure
the safe and efficient management of the setting, although
notification of Ofsted is not included in the uncollected
child procedure. The policies are made available to parents
when they express an interest in the nursery as part of
the Welcome Pack. Contact details for Ofsted and the registration
certificate are displayed and parents are aware of the complaint
procedure, although there have been no complaints recorded.
Children's safety and security is of the highest priority
and only authorised persons are admitted by staff. All staff
have completed safeguarding training and are aware of the
child protection procedures they should follow if they have
concerns about the children. Staff work very well together
and protect each other and the children when dealing with
intimate personal care.
Robust systems are in place for the employment of staff
and appraisals and supervision ensure they are able to meet
the required standards of care. They are expected to undertake
on going training and all have attended first aid, food
hygiene and health and safety courses or completed them
on line, which they keep up to date. Staff also make use
of the internet to obtain information about different child
rearing methods and new theories.
Staff are enthusiastic and keen to provide a good service
to both the parents and children. They know the
children well from initial interviews with parents and their
own observations, with the key persons building good relationships
to ensure the children's needs are met. The staff provide
an encouraging environment where all the children are valued
as individuals, and their interests, likes and dislikes
taken into account. Through varied planning and observations
of children's interests, a wide and stimulating range of
activities is provided to support the children's development.
This is effectively monitored and their progress assessed
in all the areas of learning. All children are welcome in
the nursery, and resources and activities are provided to
raise their awareness of inclusion and diversity.
The nursery is part of the West Bank Partnership and has
close contact with local schools. These contacts, and the
information which is exchanged, ensure the transition from
nursery to school is smooth. Staff have also developed good
relationships with outside agencies to ensure any additional
support such as speech therapy is available. Parents also
have opportunities to build close ties with the nursery
through the parent forum, parent evenings and social events
such as the fundraising days and Christmas celebrations.
They receive both verbal and written information about their
children with the daily diaries for the younger children
are much appreciated. Parents say the children's individual
development files provide a good record of their child's
time in the nursery, and they like the photographs which
show their children having fun.
Parents spoken to during the inspection expressed great
satisfaction with the care their children receive. They
are confident the children are safe and happy, which helps
when they go to work as they do not worry. The parents find
the staff very approachable and are able to raise any concerns
with them. They are also confident to ask staff to try new
ways of caring for their children in line with their own
views.
The on line self-evaluation form has recently been completed,
consultation between the manager and staff has produced
a number of proposed improvements and a good assessment
of their practice. At this stage no consultation has taken
place with parents and children although this is included
in the proposed action plan. Staff also plan to develop
their information communication technology equipment through
the purchase of more computers and to bring visitors from
the community into the nursery such as police, fire fighters
and nurses or doctors.
The quality and standards of the early years provision and
outcomes for children
The children and babies are settled and comfortable in the
nursery. They are encouraged to become independent and are
able to select or suggest activities they wish to do. Resources
are stored in labelled boxes and easily accessible, while
those for the babies are placed on the floor for them to
reach. Activities are adapted to take account of the children's
abilities so even the babies can experience such things
as paint and glue. Displays of work and photographs on the
walls provide children with the opportunity to talk about
what they have done.
The key persons have built good relationships with their
children and know their interests, although all staff relate
well with all the children. They do an initial assessment
to identify children's starting points then monitor their
development to ensure they are making good progress. Observations
are made regularly and transferred to the learning journals,
although not all have been acknowledged and noted. The staff
use photographs and samples of work to enhance the written
record, and show how the children have developed.
Clear house rules are in place, and consistently applied
within the positive environment. The children behave well
and are becoming very considerate of each other, taking
turns, sharing and helping each other. Some older children
took younger ones to wash their hands in the bathroom before
snack time, guiding them and advising them on how to wash
properly. They are also developing good manners, with staff
providing good role models.
Healthy lifestyles are promoted effectively within the nursery,
with meals prepared on the premises in the 'Five Star' kitchen.
Meal times are a pleasant social time where the children
enthusiastically eat the home prepared food provided. Menus
are available for parents and any special diets respected,
with alternatives being provided by the cook for children
with allergies or intolerances. Special drop scones and
biscuits were prepared during the inspection. Staff double
check to ensure the food is suitable for the children before
it is served. Chinese New Year was celebrated with a sweet
and sour meal and Chinese sweets, although no chopsticks
were available.
Fresh air is also encouraged as part of the daily routine,
with children using the secure play area and also going
for walks to the local park or using the large equipment
in the nearby school. Free access to the outside area is
promoted when the weather is good. The children are developing
good balance and control when moving around both inside
and out. They are also able to use implements and tools
capably, with even the babies having access to spatulas
for glue.
Preschool children have the use of a small room adjacent
to the main playroom for small group activities, currently
the home corner is a Chinese kitchen and there are displays
to celebrate Chinese New Year. Throughout the nursery, displays,
pictures, books and resources raise children's awareness
of diversity, and celebrate the similarities and differences
between cultures. Staff have started to develop usage of
sign language to enable communication with children with
poor speech, and some books are available for those with
English as an additional language.
Annex A: record of inspection judgements
The key inspection judgements and what they mean:
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
The overall effectiveness of the early years provision
How well does the setting meet the needs of the children
in the Early Years Foundation Stage?
2
The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement
2
The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early
years provision
How effectively is the Early Years Foundation Stage led
and managed?
2
The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding
ambition and driving improvement
2
The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources
2
The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality
and diversity
2
The effectiveness of safeguarding
2
The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation,
including the steps taken to promote improvement
2
The effectiveness of partnerships
2
The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with
parents and carers
2
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation
Stage
The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation
Stage
2
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
2
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
Any complaints about the inspection or report should be
made following the procedures set out in the guidance available
from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk
Annex B: the Childcare Register
The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory
part of the Childcare Register are:
Met
The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary
part of the Childcare Register are:
Met
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