Roundabout Private Day Nurseries
Professional Childcare
Roundabout Private Day Nurseries
Professional Childcare
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
