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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?

The Angmering Day Nursery is privately owned and run by the proprietor. It opened in 2006 and operates from the ground floor of a converted residential property. It is situated south of the village in Angmering, West Sussex. A maximum of 18 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00 for 51 weeks a year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

There are currently 36 children aged from two to under five years on roll. Of these seven children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from a wide catchment area as well as the local village and surrounding areas. The nursery supports children with special educational needs, and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

The nursery employs five staff. All of the staff, including the manager and her deputy, hold appropriate early years qualifications.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROVISION

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children are protected from the risk of cross infection because hygiene throughout the nursery is of exceptional standard, all areas are clean, uncluttered and with many procedures in place for the cleaning and checking of equipment, such as the toy cleaning register highlighting the toys that are cleaned, by whom and when, ensures the high standards are maintained. Children are encouraged to become independent in their own personal hygiene as staff praise them for remembering to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing and having independent access to the tissues. Independence is further encouraged in the bathroom, children know as part of the routine they must wash their hands and why, similarly as they use their individual face flannels after lunch. Younger children are protected by the rigorous systems that are in place around nappy changing as staff clean the area used between children and wear disposable gloves to reduce the spread of infection. Children's health and safety is paramount to the staff, all staff have completed appropriate first aid training and thorough detailed recordings of any accidents or administration of medication is in place ensuring the parents are kept informed as they are asked to sign all entries made.

Children benefit form the fantastic meals offered within the setting. The menu and quality of the food served to the children is outstanding, everything is cooked from fresh every day with as many organic ingredients as possible being used and is beautifully presented to the children. Children are offered appropriate sized meals for their age and use appropriate cutlery and crockery. Children are encouraged by the staff to use the cutlery and to develop positive social skills around the dinner table. Parents views are included about lunchtime meals, they were recently asked for their thoughts and opinions via a questionnaire, the staff are currently looking into some of the suggestions from the parents. Mid morning and afternoon snacks are made available to the children, a recent change to the procedure allows the children to decide when they are ready for snack time as they independently visit the supervised snack table. Children can access fresh drinking water throughout the day as the nursery have installed a water machine. Children love to press the button to get the water, this ensures children keep well hydrated throughout the day.

There are everyday opportunities for physical development both inside the nursery and out in the garden, children love to dig over the vegetable patch in the garden when they are doing some planting, be involved in dancing activities in the quiet room or organised activities such as leaf throwing in the parachute. Children also have opportunities outside to choose their games and activities from a selection of fantastic toys and equipment. Children were observed using the road signs and traffic lights as they talked amongst themselves about the correct way to cross the road.

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children enter into an extremely well organised setting with a good arrangement of furniture and an extensive variety of play equipment. The use of children's art work and colourful posters displayed on the walls makes the setting look vibrant, interesting and a child centred environment. The nursery is set up into different areas offering children maximum opportunities with the use of low level equipment making the whole nursery an accessible place for children. The dedicated garden for outside play offers children fresh air and outside opportunities such as planting and digging, organised and free play activities.

Children have access to vast amounts of extremely high quality play equipment throughout the nursery, the layout of the room has allowed for different types of play to go on in different areas but all areas are fantastically supplied with the most amazing selection of quality play equipment. Open shelving throughout the nursery allows the children to choose what they want to do as they freely access equipment that promotes all areas of their learning. Children take a pride in the equipment that is in place and are observed returning items to specific areas within the nursery, they feel ownership of everything within the nursery as they tell me where things go and about the different areas.

Children's safety is exceptionally well maintained within the setting because they are in extremely secure premises. The implementation of CCTV cameras secure the setting and allow staff to see who they are opening the gate to and ensures no-one can enter whom the staff do not know. Staff implement the many extensive health and safety policies across the nursery. All staff throughout the nursery are very safety conscious, they are quick to clean up any spills, especially around the water machine as they explain to the children how this can make the floor slippery and someone could fall over, they encourage the children in their own safety as they remind them to pick up toys so they are not a tripping hazard and demonstrate to the children how to use equipment such as scissors appropriately. Children are protected by the secure going home procedures, the nursery requires the parents to inform the staff in advance, if another adult will be collecting their child. The nursery ensures all parents are aware of this procedure to reassure them that their child will not be let out to the care of anyone else.

Children are protected from harm and kept safe because all staff have a very secure knowledge of their role with regards to child protection. They all know and understand the procedures to follow should they believe a child to be at risk and implement highly effective procedures for the collection of children to ensure arrangements are secure and children are safeguarded from harm. The implementation of effective systems to record all children, staff and visitors to the nursery ensure children are safe whilst in the group.

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The nursery opened only five months ago, some children look like they have been there for a long time as they are comfortable and feel at home within the setting. Children separate from the parents and carers with ease and all show confidence during their time in the nursery. They are highly involved in all aspects of their play and relish their time in the setting. They build good relationships with their peers and all the staff and learn how to play effectively alongside others as well as independently.

Children show they are familiar with the nursery routine and all know what is happening at any point during the day, for example, as a staff member raised her hands in the air and said sausages all the children copied her and one child informed me that it was tidy up time. Children also relish the idea of new things happening within the nursery, for example, as the staff member explained to all the children about how they were going to change snack time and they could choose when they wanted to visit the snack area, children all understood the change and were excited to carry out the new routine.

Children are able to play in an incredible calming environment, numbers of staff within the setting are very high allowing for staff to join in with children's individual or small group play. Although the staff plan the day and week, children's own ideas about what they want to do are encouraged by the staff allowing for many child led games and activities.

All staff are interacting well with the children, they assist them with things they need help with after encouraging them to try it for themselves. Children feel a sense of achievement as they complete tasks themselves, staff praise them for their effort which boost the children further.

Nursery Education

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children make good individual progress because staff have a secure understanding around how young children learn. They recognise the importance of play and provide an exciting and interesting programme of activities and experiences enabling a very good balance of child and adult initiated ideas. Children are motivated and eager to learn and build on their existing skills and knowledge because staff are highly effective in the questioning techniques they use.

Children develop good independent skills as they freely help themselves to resources and make their own decisions about their play. They pack away when they have finished working and playing with equipment and develop a real sense of belonging as they know where things belong in the room. Children are developing their independence skills well, they can visit the bathroom unaided and snack time is being developed to encourage the children to pour their own drinks, of course they can access the water machine at any time when they decide they need a drink. At lunchtime children asked staff members to cut up their food, staff encourage the children to have a go at cutting the food up themselves and children grin with delight when they are praised for their effort and are successfully in their task. Children are actively engaged in all aspects of the session. They are keen and motivated learners showing concentration and real perseverance with their self chosen activities. Children play exceptionally well together and their behaviour is very good They build excellent relationships with the staff and their peers and are sensitive to one another's feelings and needs.

Through every day routines children are encouraged in their mathematical development, they are encouraged to count up children, solve mathematical problems and develop their language in this area. Experienced and knowledgeable staff use incidental opportunities to reinforce the children's knowledge of colour and number, for example, one staff member asked children how many more swords they would need to take to make three in a game of pop up pirates and during tidy up time as children count the red beads back onto the pole and one was missing, the staff member encouraged the children to count how many there were and so work out how many were missing. Children can freely access any of the fantastic maths equipment from the maths area increasing their understanding of shape, number and weight and benefit from using computers to develop their early mathematical skills, such as matching and sorting.

Children freely access a range of writing tools and materials across the session and use these with confidence. They have access to the graphics area which contains paper of varying colours and sizes, envelopes, tracing paper, notebooks and a variety of tools including crayons, pencils, pens, rulers and scissors. They write lists and pop them into envelopes to pretend to send to their friends. Children sit exceptionally well for the large group story time because the staff member brings the story alive with an enthusiastic voice and lots of open ended questions that make the children think and try to predict the end of the story. Staff members use the story and circle times to introduce new words and extend children’s vocabulary. Children’s reading for pleasure is encouraged by the staff, the children have constant access to the very cosy, quiet room which has the most amazing selection of books for the children to independently access. They sit comfortably on mini sofas or cushions and hold the books with confidence as they read the books using the pictures. Children have lots of opportunities to recognise print around the room, for example, coat pegs are labelled, self registration board have recently been introduced, all toy boxes are labelled, furniture, equipment and display boards are all labelled. Children's listening skills are encouraged through regular activities such as the sounds tape when children have to listen very hard to identify the sound from a series of pictures on the cards in front of them, also as they follow the instructions of staff as they enjoy a dancing activity.

Children have regular access to two computers where they practise mouse skills, gaining control, clicking and dragging, matching and recognising colours and shapes, they use the equipment confidently and tell me what different things are called such as the mouse or keyboard. Their investigative skills are promoted as they engage in practical activities linked to topics, for example, as they study the veins of the leaves and anything else they can fit under the microscope and observe on the computer screens. Children's natural intrigue is encouraged by staff, for example, during the current topic of light and dark some children are particularly keen in the workings of the torch, staff develop the children's natural curiosity explaining to them that they will go out in the nursery garden when it starts to get dark so they can see the torches working better.

Children enjoy dressing up and acting out their real and imagined ideas, such as pretending to be a patient at the hospital, children organise themselves and a staff member into their roles as their game is ever changing and additions are made. Children have good opportunities to express themselves in their play as they have plenty of opportunities for free play which the staff join in to enhance their play further. Every morning and afternoon staff plan a craft activity and children have opportunities to explore paint using different resources. Additional opportunities for children to initiate their own activities using media and materials are available at all times. Children can play within the water tray which is ever changing in its contents and freely select paint, glue and other materials to explore their own ideas, which encourages their imagination in their creativity.

Children confidently handle a range of tools and materials. They independently help themselves to writing tools and materials and know how to hold pencils correctly. Organised music and movement session where children are encouraged to use all their bodies are enjoyed by them all, they particularly enjoy one session before lunch with exciting music played and children follow the instructions of a confident staff member. The children use their skills to make their bodies move quickly and staff challenge the children as they ask them to follow movements which become trickier.

Children’s individual progress is observed and monitored and staff update their assessment records to show their ongoing achievements. Staff know the individual children well and talk confidently about what they are able to do. They recognise the skills each child has and provide effective support to enable the younger and less able children to build on these and extend their knowledge developing at their own pace. Children benefit from the routine of the day. They become independent as they have plenty of opportunities to initiate their own play and enjoy opportunities to work in small and large groups, such as activity key work time, group time and music and singing. Staff make excellent use of space and resources and children freely access all of the provision because the learning environment is well organised and accessible at child height. Areas such as role-play, graphics, construction, small world, book area and mathematical learning area ensure children have access to all six areas of learning across the session.

Staff have a secure understanding around how young children learn through play and recognise how to link activities and experiences to the six areas of learning. They provide an exciting and interesting programme of activities and experiences and use a variety of teaching methods to motivate children and encourage them to want to learn. Highly effective questioning techniques, such as the use of open questions encourage children to recall information, build on their existing knowledge and predict what they think might happen. Staff have realistic expectation of children's behaviour and the atmosphere is calm and relaxed because children know what is expected of them and understand how to work and play harmoniously together. As a result, children develop positive relationships with staff and their peers and they learn to co-operate and negotiate with one another without adult support.

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children receive quality individual care as the staff take the time to get to know the children to meet their individual needs. All children receive good settling in time to the nursery which is dependent on their individual needs and those of their parent. Through good quality play equipment, books and stories that illustrate images from around the world and the topics children become involved in, they develop respect for other people and learn to recognise and value the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children gain a sense of belonging to the group, for example, as they have individual named coat pegs. They begin to develop responsibility as they are encouraged to help pack away and given roles, such as handing out cups and bowls at lunch and snack time.

All children are fully included in the nursery and activities and experiences are adapted and tailored to suit their individual needs. Staff encourage the parents to discuss any needs of their child to ensure they receive the best care. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator liaises very closely with parents and is developing links with a whole range of outside agencies to ensure children are monitored, assessed and supported when required. This positive approach fosters children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

All children are helped to understand how to behave and as a result, children's behaviour is extremely good. Children are helped to recognise what is appropriate behaviour as the staff play with the children setting themselves as good role models. This positive interaction helps children learn how to play with their peers which positively impacts on the relationships they build. The nursery focuses on activities and routines to encourage sharing, negotiation and co-operation, they also encourage the children in their responsibility in caring for others and their environment. This was evident as two children tried to make their way out of the quiet area, one child gave another a gentle nudge as they struggled to get passed, the child instantly wrapped their arms around the other for comfort as there was no intention to hurt the child, this was all without prompt from staff.

All the staff have worked so hard in welcoming and reassuring new children and their families. The children are now settled and parents are confident in the nurseries abilities. Parents can stay with the children if they wish, stay for only part or leave straight away. The parents can sit in the staff rest area and watch their children through the two way mirror so the children cannot see their parent. Children can bring in anything they want from home and place it in their box above their coat pegs to help them feel settled and secure. Good links home are assured by the staff as they make time to talk to parents at the end of their day and complete every child's nursery book giving parents written information about their child's day.

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are well informed about the curriculum and activities their child is involved in on a daily basis through a number of ways, including displays of photographs, a detailed prospectus and monthly newsletters advising them about the topics, learning objectives and the experiences children will receive. Children's individual assessment records are shared with parents as they approach their funding period and then at regular intervals afterwards, however, parents are not currently invited to contribute their own comments on the development records. Additional development records are in place for those children not yet receiving funding which will be a fantastic tool in the development records once the children reach their Foundation Stage.

Organisation

The organisation is good. The management structure is developing and all staff have a very secure knowledge of child development and continually update their skills by attending regular training, however the provider currently maintains all responsibilities herself which does not allow for staff to flourish in their skills and capabilities. Robust and rigorous recruitment, appointment and induction procedures ensure all staff have the relevant qualifications and experience and promote children’s safety and well-being effectively. The small staff team work very closely together and are well deployed throughout the nursery. There is very good communication between the staff and a real team spirit, including the provider, as they develop a new nursery. All the staff are as passionate about the new nursery as the provider is.

All staff have a clear understanding of the extensive policies and procedures within the nursery. The provider takes responsibility to ensure these work in practice as many of them were written before the opening of the nursery. The provider adapts and updates these to ensure it reflects the nursery practice and new legislation for example, the complaints procedure has been developed and the implementation of the complaints log in line with new regulations. All required documentation is up to date and all staff have a good awareness for detail in documents such as accident or medication recording.

Leadership and management within the nursery is good. All children benefit because the deployment of staff is highly effective and staffing ratio's are kept high to allow children individual and small group care. The staff team work well together, continual communication between them all ensures children receive consistency in their care. The nursery is well organised, is developing a secure management structure and strong staff team which ensures all children are secure, safe and well supported. The provider listens to and values her staff and has implemented many ideas of their own into her new nursery enabling them to feel like they have made a real contribution to a brand new nursery giving them some ownership in their work. There is a proactive attitude towards the inspection process and a clear understanding of the need to keep Ofsted informed of any changes. Therefore the setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

Improvements since the last inspection

Not Applicable

Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any further action 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 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):

• ensure good delegation to allow staff to be responsible for different roles within the nursery

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):

• continue to develop communications with parents giving them explanations about their children's development and the opportunity to add to their child's development records.

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