Roundabout Private Day Nurseries
Professional Childcare

Offsted Report

Bucknall

 

Roundabout Nursery


Inspection report for early years provision
Unique Reference Number 224661
Inspection date 23 January 2006
Inspector Lesley Jane Bott
Setting Address 382-384 Werrington Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST2
9AB
Telephone number 01782 273 285
E-mail
Registered person Gillian Clarke
Type of inspection Integrated
Type of care Full day care
This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted
by the Care Standards Act 2000


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


WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?
Roundabout Day Nursery opened in 1980. It operates from 7 rooms in a converted house in Bucknall. The day nursery serves the local area. There is a secure enclosed
outdoor play area. There are currently 48 children from birth to 4 years on roll. This includes 14 funded 3 and 4 year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently no children with special educational needs attending, however there is an effective
This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 system in place to offer support.
The nursery opens for five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07.15 until
18.00. A maximum of 45 children may attend the nursery at any one time.
A total of 13 staff work with the children. Three quarters of the staff have early years
qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a teacher from
the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).


THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROVISION
Helping children to be healthy
The provision is good.
Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene through well-planned routines. They know that they need to wash their hands after going to the toilet and after outside play. Good procedures such as staff wearing protective clothing for nappy changing and for serving food sustain appropriate levels of hygiene. This helps reduce the risk of cross contamination. Clear procedures for sick and infectious children help prevent the spread of infection and keeps children healthy.
Children benefit from a healthy and nutritious diet. Drinks of water and juice are offered regularly throughout the day. Children are given healthy choices for their snacks and enjoy fresh fruit daily. Importance is placed on ensuring meals are prepared fresh and offer a variety. The setting has a Healthy Eating award in place this ensures children develop a positive attitude to healthy eating. Staff work in partnership with parents to meet children's dietary needs.
Children enjoy many opportunities for physical exercise. Children join in well with action songs, for example, 'Wind the bobbin up' rolling their arms and singing. The well-planned daily outside play helps children to develop their physical skills and encourage a positive attitude towards a healthy lifestyle.
Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe
The provision is good.
Children are cared for in a welcoming environment where most risks to children are limited through appropriate safety and security procedures. Staff monitor access to the group at all times and risk assessments are completed regularly. Fire evacuation procedures are fully understood by staff and are practised with the children. Children know they need to go down the stairs, go outside and stand by the gate. This helps children remain safe.
Staff explain safe practices to children such as not climbing on the seat as they may fall and blowing their food so they do not burn their mouths. This helps children learn to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe.
Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues and many staff have


This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 received training in child protection. Procedures for reporting concerns are fully understood by appropriate staff and the designated person has received level 2 training. This ensures that children are fully protected from harm. Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do


The provision is good.


Children are confident in the setting's welcoming and caring environment. Young babies receive lots of cuddles and enjoy the positive interaction they receive from the staff. They benefit from routines which are consistent with their experiences at home and staff are attentive to their needs. High importance is placed on providing varied
play for all children. All children have opportunity to use the sensory room within the setting to encourage and develop their senses. Older children have positive relationships with staff and receive comfort and attention when they need support. Children play happily together with adults, using resources such as jigsaws, books and sand play.

Children's language and communication skills are promoted well by staff through ongoing conversation and regular singing sessions. They have monthly visits from the Music Man to promote musical instruments and singing. There is a good range of resources throughout the nursery which, are organised in age appropriate rooms. Routines implemented for the older children around lunch time is very long and children lose interest and get disruptive.


Nursery Education


The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and how children develop. Current planning does not link clearly to the stepping stones and differentiate between different abilities of children's learning. It does not evaluate the impact of children's learning to enable them to move to the next stage.
Behaviour is managed well by staff and clear boundaries are set, for example children enjoy filling the jar with a pebble when they have been good, when this is full the whole group receives a sticker. The room is well-organised with the additional use of a sensory room to ensure that children have a stimulating environment with a
good range of accessible resources to promote their learning.


Children show a strong sense of belonging as they greet each other and staff on arrival. Children are interested and engaged in their play as they select and carry out activities and assume responsibility for personal care. However, children are not encouraged to set the table or serve their own food during meal times to further develop their independence and manage their own tasks.
Children are developing early writing skills and they show pleasing pencil control because they have daily access to a wide variety of resources, i.e. shopping lists available in home corner.


Children understand and use numbers well. They count up to ten meaningfully and count objects around the room. Children demonstrate that they understand shape


This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted
by the Care Standards Act 2000


and size well as they identify objects within the room that are the same. Children have daily use of the outside area and develop their physical skills as they move to songs, and enjoy monthly visits from the Music Man. Children use their imagination well as they play in the home corner and going shopping.
Helping children make a positive contribution


The provision is good.


Children enjoy positive relationships with the staff and with each other. All children are valued and respected as individuals and their confidence and self-esteem is developed well by staff with use of praise and encouragement during their play throughout the session. There is a good range of resources to promote positive images of different cultures, gender and disability. Children have been for walks to the local village and have visited a nearby Elderly Home to sing Harvest and Christmas songs. This helps them to develop their knowledge of the wider world and raise their awareness of diversity. The setting's policies promote inclusion for all children and good support is in place for children with special needs.


Children behave well and respond positively to boundaries set by staff. They take turns and share, help each other to tidy away and are encouraged to use their manners. This positive approach fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.


All children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with parents.
Children settle well because the staff work closely with parents to ensure their child's needs are met. Parents are made aware of how the setting operates through discussion and written policies that are shared with them. The complaints procedure is displayed in the nursery for parents to view and the system for recording complaints is good. Children's individual needs and routines are discussed and recorded with parents. This helps children to settle quickly and enables staff to fully meet the child's needs. All children have daily diary sheets which parents sign at the end of the day keeping them well informed of their child's activities and well being. The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is good. Although no written information on the education programme is currently in place to inform parents of the activities their child will cover and how they can help at home. This does not enable parents to be involved and enhance their own child's learning. Organisation


The organisation is satisfactory.


There are effective recruitment procedures which ensure staff are appropriately vetted and there is a suitable level of qualified staff who work with the children. All required documentation is in place and all records are stored confidentially. Most accident forms are completed, although some accidents forms had not been signed by parents. The register was not accurate for the amount of children in the nursery on This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 the day of the visit. These compromise children's safety. There is an annual training programme implemented for staff by the manager and many training courses have been attended and booked throughout 2006. This helps to broaden children's experiences.


The leadership and management of the setting is good. Good recruitment procedure is in place and ensures that all checks are carried out on staff prior to starting at the nursery. Appraisal systems are in place and regular meetings held with staff. The monitoring system of the education programme is not fully effective. Whilst it has
identified that planning needs attention, it has not identified that the assessment procedures have not been fully implemented and that there are gaps in children's learning opportunities. Overall, children's needs are met.


Improvements since the last inspection
Not applicable.


Complaints since the last inspection


Since the last inspection Ofsted has received one complaint relating to Standard 2: Organisation and 6. The complaint related to movement of children into rooms and maintaining adult:child ratios. We investigated the complaint and asked the provider to ensure parents are kept informed of their children's move to the next room. The provider has written a new procedure which staff and parents are aware of and letters now go out to parents informing them of the impending move to the next room. Copy of this has been sent to Ofsted. The provider remains qualified for registration.
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 good. The registered person meets the
National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.
The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.
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):
This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted
by the Care Standards Act 2000
• improve the accuracy for recording attendance
• improve the system for recording accidents
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):
• extend opportunities for children to manage their own tasks to further develop their independence, and ensure parents are made aware of current topics to enable them to be involved in their child's learning
• improve planning so that it links more clearly to the stepping stones and reflects different abilities of children. Evaluate the impact on children's learning and use this information to inform future planning and individual
learning targets.
Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website:
www.ofsted.gov.uk
This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted
by the Care Standards Act 2000