Tomnacross Primary School Nursery Day Care of Children Tomnacross Primary School Kiltarlity Beauly IV4 7HW Telephone: 01463 741497 Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 8 September 2016 Service provided by: Service provider number: Highland Council SP2003001693 Care service number: CS2003017280 Inspection report About the service Tomnacross nursery is half a mile from the village of Kiltarlity and the demountable building in which the service was provided was situated within the grounds of Tomnacross primary school. The nursery was all on the one level and there was a large outdoor play area that could be accessed directly from the nursery. The service was registered on 1 April 2011 and can care for up to 20 children at any one time The aims of the service are: To have an open door policy providing a welcoming setting where parents and carers can feel involved in and informed about their child's learning and development seeing parents as partners in the nursery, respecting their views on the care and education of their children To continue to work in partnership with parents, carers, outside agencies and other professionals to ensure that we are 'Getting It Right For Every Child' and providing a curriculum which allows every child to be safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included along with liaising with other professionals to achieve this when necessary. To provide a safe and stimulating learning environment implementing new policies, procedures and guidelines to further improve the standard of care provided and a high level of childcare. To provide a well-structured play centred curriculum for all-round development of the child following the 'Curriculum for Excellence' encouraging all children to become successful learners, responsible citizens, confident individuals and effective contributors to society of which they are a part. To respect the equal rights of all children and promote tolerance by providing a broad range of experiences and resources. To encourage children to choose, plan and evaluate their own activities and take control of their own learning based on the belief that children learn best from activities which they plan and carry out for themselves and then reflect upon the experience. To aid learning through smooth transitions from home to nursery, between centres between ages and from nursery to primary one. To further improve the standard of care using the national care standards (0 to 16) how good is our early learning and childcare (HGIOELC) self-evaluation, guidance and building the ambition the ambition providing opportunities for parents, carers and children to also participate in assessing and improving the quality of care and support provided. To participate in on-going staff development to ensure were able to meet the needs of the children including that required to meet SSSC registration requirements. What people told us We took into consideration the views of the children during this inspection. We spoke with children at the inspection and considered the views of children who had completed questionnaires with members of staff. Inspection report for Tomnacross Primary School Nursery page 2 of 7 Inspection report On arrival children were very keen to enter the nursery and meet with staff and their friends. There was lots of chat about the day before and children had the confidence to explore and take out materials. There was lots of fun and laughter during the observed session with children enjoying the activities and games that were on offer. A number of children did not take snack on the day of inspection as they were so busy playing outside and they chose not to enter the building. Staff did take some fruit outside to offer the children, but children were so engrossed in play they declined the offer. Comments from children included: "We love to go outside and play on the bikes." Comments from parents/carers included: "My daughter started nursery last year and she loves it from day one." "My little girl loves Tomnacross nursery. She was very shy when she first started but thanks to the nursery staff and all the help she has come out of her shell and is thriving in nursery. Keep up the good work, happy mum and happy child." We spoke to four parents on the day of inspection and all were very positive about the way in which their children were cared for. One mother was quite anxious that her children would not enjoy the nursery as they had spent most of their early years out of doors. Thankfully their children loved the nursery and she was aware that they spend the majority of time out of doors. She believed the activities and games provided are truly beneficial to her children and that they love attending. Another mother was very appreciative of the way in which staff communicated with her and kept informed offer child's progress. All parents spoken to were very happy with communication and would have no hesitation in speaking to staff who they found to be approachable and friendly if they had any concerns. Parents enjoyed reading the learning journeys and their children were always talking about what they did when attending. Parents confirmed that their children's social skills, language and mature behaviour was a direct result of attending this nursery. Inspection report for Tomnacross Primary School Nursery page 3 of 7 Inspection report Self assessment A carefully considered self assessment which gave clear outcomes was submitted. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support 5 - Very Good Quality of environment 5 - Very Good Quality of staffing not assessed Quality of management and leadership not assessed What the service does well Children and parents had the opportunity to visit the centre and meet with the manager and staff group before starting at the service. Written information explaining how the service was provided was made available for all parents when registering their children. Parents spoke about how easily their children had settled at the nursery due to a carefully thought through settling in (transition) policy. Children were very comfortable and secure within the setting and had the confidence to ask questions, explore their surroundings, access equipment independently and make choices. Support provided by the staff group was tailored to the needs of each child and members of staff had a very good insight into children's strengths and areas that required input (help with dressing for example) for each child. Independence was promoted and children were encouraged to try new experiences as well as and identifying their own learning journeys. With the aid of mind maps and floor books children were able to influence how provision was delivered along with the direction taken. Their views and opinions were gathered on a regular basis and changes to the lay out of the nursery had resulted from this evaluation. On the day of inspection one mother and her three year old child were present as part of the child's transition from playgroup to nursery. This parent was very positive about this process and welcomed the opportunity to visit and meet with staff. Her child was welcomed by the other children and was happily playing while their mother watched. Planning was evident along with the evaluation of how the curriculum for excellence was being monitored and recorded. Members of staff were able to identify and discuss training needs with the manager and personal development interviews had taken place. The nursery was provided from a demountable unit within the grounds of the local primary school. This unit has a short life span due to the type of construction and will need replacing at some time in the future. Children's work adorned the walls and an information board for parents was at the entrance of the building. The staff team had made this nursery as bright, welcoming and comfortable as was possible. Furniture and fittings within the nursery were suitable for the age of children attending and were in a reasonable state of Inspection report for Tomnacross Primary School Nursery page 4 of 7 Inspection report repair. Children were able to access games and equipment independently and this was observed during free play. There were two toilets on the premises and children were able to go independently and close the doors to preserve their privacy and dignity. There was a small kitchen within the unit and this resulted in children being able to have a hot snack on occasions or take part in baking. The outside play area was the most attractive part of the nursery and children were able to play on a number of surfaces. The tarred area was perfect for trikes and karts as well as being a blank canvas for paints and chalks. The grassed area had swings, sandpits and hidden corners where children could play out imaginary games and hone their social skills. On the day of inspection twin sisters were delighted when rolling car tyres up and down a grassy bank. Other children were observed helping their peers and this resulted in the development of problem solving and teamwork skills. Throughout the observed session numeracy and literature was embedded into provision and children demonstrated basic arithmetic skills and were starting to recognise letters. Trips to the woods and the outdoor classroom at Belladrum were other environments that were enjoyed by the children and again provided very good learning opportunities. What the service could do better When carrying out risk assessments for new pieces of equipment or specific activities, encouraging children to take a lead role (mind-map of risk) may encourage additional problem solving and taking responsibility. There were no nappy changing facilities within the service and the nursery was some distance from the primary school.