Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 Child Minding and Day Care (Inspection and Information for Local Authorities) (Wales) Regulations 2010 The Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010 Inspection Report Teddy Bear Towers Day Nursery Limited Chester Road Flint CH6 5DU Type of Inspection Focussed Date(s) of inspection 25 November 2013 Date of publication 20 January 2014 You may reproduce this Report in its entirety. You may not reproduce it in part or in any abridged form and may only quote from it with the consent in writing of Welsh Ministers Please contact CSSIW National Office for further information Tel: 0300 062 8800 Email: cssiw@wales.gsi.gov.uk www.cssiw.org.uk
Summary About the service Teddy Bear Towers Day Nursery Ltd Nursery is registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales to provide full day care Monday to Friday 7.30am to 6.00pm for up to forty nine children under eight years of age. The service is conveniently located close to local schools where some children are dropped off and collected daily, the town centre and local facilities in Flint. The responsible individual is Carol Anne Matthews, she works in the nursery on a daily basis alongside three managers and nineteen staff members. The service has age appropriate baby, tiddler, toddler and pre school units. The setting also provides after school and holiday care for school aged children and early education sessions for children in the term after their third birthday. A qualified teacher visits the setting to provide advice and guidance in respect of the early entitlement provision. A playgroup/ Flying Start provision is also held on the nursery premises. There are enclosed garden and play areas for the children of all ages to play, discover and grow flowers, fruit and vegetables. Daily outdoor play is included in the planning of activities documentation. The setting is English speaking with plenty of Welsh as a second language used in the pre school unit. What type of inspection was carried out? The inspection included two unannounced inspection visits. The first visit was to check a DBS certificate (previously CRB) for the responsible individual which was found to be current. Time was spent with the manager discussing the changes in regulation and inspection processes, so a second visit was made to spend time with pre school children, toddlers and tiddlers (walking babies) in their respective units. No observations took place in the baby unit on this occasion. The report is based on the following: History of the service. Written information from Teddy Bear Towers Day Nursery Ltd. Examination of some documentation kept by staff Discussion with the responsible individual at the nursery and staff in the pre school, toddler and tiddler rooms Observation of groups or individuals under two years of age using the Short Observational Framework for Inspection SOFI tool which enables inspectors to observe and record life from a child s perspective; how they spend their time, activities, interactions with others and the type of support received Listening to and talking to the children about their time in the nursery Examination of staff and parent questionnaires returned to CSSIW prior to the inspection 3
What does the service do well? The setting is secure, children are safe and nurtured, they thrive and make good progress. Six parents returning their CSSIW questionnaires commented on the following: the nursery was described as fantastic, impressive, providing children with enjoyable experiences and having a good reputation locally. Parents often return to use the nursery for siblings and one parent had previously spent time at the setting as a student and was pleased with the way in which the nursery was run all were satisfied with the quality if care provided and the information shared with them. Parents described the staff as professional, friendly, supportive, approachable and knowledgeable in relation to working with children with additional needs feedback for future consideration included the need for changes in car parking arrangements, and ensuring that children s faces are clean at the end of the day The setting is involved in the healthy and sustainable pre-school initiative having attained three units and has also achieved the best practice award for a healthy eating programme Tiny Tums. The nursery has achieved the top rating of 5 in food hygiene standards and menus are constantly reviewed. Quality Assurance at this setting is graded as Highly Commended in August 2013 The nursery has gained a bronze award for Small Workplace commitment towards staff and is working towards a silver award. Staffing in the pre school room has remained constant for up to nine years. Both supervisory staff have BTEC level 3 qualifications in child care and are fully trained in The Foundation Phase as required by their involvement in early entitlement provision for three year olds. There was plenty of evidence to show that staff record the progress of each child and include any relevant information/observations in their future planning of activities. Recent training in the changes to recording in This Is Me booklets has been attended recently. The early entitlement provision received a good inspection report from Estyn. In the tiddler and toddler rooms staff are trained in the use of Birth to Three Matters we saw plenty of photographic evidence, displayed work and children s records showing the progress of children in these units. All units in the nursery are clean, bright and stimulating areas. Children with additional needs receive good quality care. We saw evidence that staff work closely with parents, occupational therapists, health visitors and other relevant agencies to ensure that the children s individual needs are met by informed staff. Two parents provided positive feedback regarding additional needs in their CSSIW questionnaires. The children in the pre school unit have a good understanding of Welsh as a second language. Ticw Bear, singing rhymes and songs as part of their routines e.g hand washing and having a helpwr Heddiw encourage and develop the children s language skills further. Staff work in partnership with parents effectively when caring for children whose first language may not be English or Welsh. We observed very good practice when caring for a young child with limited English vocabulary. A good relationship and level of trust had been established with the child. The child played confidently and was encouraged to join in with activities. 4
The responsible individual and staff provide training and information evenings for parents to attend, a recent training session in December 2013 dealt with a parent protection programme Stop it Now The nursery staff encourage good hand washing routines which are enhanced with songs and the installation of hand dryers and squirty soap dispensers. The children are given the responsibility to monitor the use of the soap, this helps to ensure that soap is used and reinforces the need to wash hands appropriately. Routine tooth brushing is part of the children s day at this nursery and is enjoyed. The use of songs promotes counting, how the brush is used and how to brush teeth appropriately. What has improved since the last inspection? The responsible individual has installed a video security access/intercom system. This enables staff in each of the units to be able to view who is at the main entrance when the doorbell is rung. Playgroup and Flying Start sessions are provided at the premises by voluntary organisations. Children and parents become familiar with the nursery and its staff should they require any child care in the future. Outdoor play / garden areas have been improved / enhanced by the provision of raised beds for growing produce, sectioning off an area for use by babies and by fixing painting easels for outdoor use. New resources and equipment have been purchased as required. Substantial items include a new fridge for nursery use and play kitchen and nutrition based play items and games for the pre school room. What needs to be done to improve the service? There were no significant or urgent non compliance issues identified as a result of this visit, The responsible individual assured us that the health and safety concerns discussed will be acted on promptly. These include: It is highly recommended that five point harnesses are used in all highchairs, for children of all ages and that blind cords in the tiddler room are fastened securely and at an appropriate height. The temperature of the radiator in the tiddler room must be monitored to ensure that it does not become too hot. This was discussed with the responsible individual and it is anticipated that the radiator will be relocated in the near future or a cover will be fitted. The following good practice recommendations for improvement were made: The nursery promotes healthy eating and encourages the children from an early age to drink water and milk in preference to fruit juices and drinks containing sugar. We observed one child with a beaker of juice at snack time. Parents must be discouraged from sending in fruit juices as sufficient healthy drinks are provided by the nursery. 5
Quality of life Children have a good quality of life at this setting. Teddy Bear Towers Day Nursery Ltd considers the children as part of a wider family, resulting in a good level of care for the children and support for their families. This is because the pre school children, toddlers and tiddlers (walking babies) are cared for by a consistent team of caring staff. It was evident from observation using the SOFI tool and discussion that they knew the children, their individual needs and their families very well. Staff interacted with the children very well, were warm, caring and responsive. Happy, well settled children were observed to be listened to and treated with kindness. All children were spoken to sensitively and benefitted from a respectful and warm approach. Staff are always kept informed about children s preferences and appropriate activities contribute to their physical, social, creative and emotional development. Parents can be confident that their children are well cared for and that their individual needs are met. Parents were observed to be warmly welcomed and to be given verbal feedback when they collected their children, so they are aware of what their children have been doing. The nursery creates a lovely learning environment for the children because the manager and responsible individual listen to staff and parents and to other early years practitioners, consider and implement their suggestions to ensure positive benefits for the children. The children s physical health is supported by good hygiene practices, qualified staff who were aware of the need to use aprons and regularly cleaned their hands with anti bacterial gel and because the premises are kept clean and tidy. The nursery is part of the Tiny Tums Healthy eating and Healthy and Sustainable pre school initiatives and as a result children are provided with nutritious meals and snacks, plenty of fresh air, opportunities for exercise and hygienic surroundings. Staff sit with the children at snack and mealtimes, making the experience more enjoyable and ensuring that sufficient food is eaten and that children are hydrated. Children learn about food by growing and taking care of flowers and vegetables in their garden and by discussing the artwork, posters and photographs displayed in the dining room and associated activities. All children in each of the units observed were encouraged and had a sense of wellbeing and achievement; they were positively occupied as were their interactions with staff and other children. Children were seen to be stimulated and given plenty of help. The confident, busy children were able to make choices and in every room they enjoyed activities that helped them to be independent. Activities observed and favoured by the pre school children included play dough activities, sand play and playing imaginatively with polar bears in a tray of ice cubes. In the toddler and tiddler rooms the children had access to areas of learning which included hand painting with glitter paint, role play in home corners, construction and small world play and access to a variety of books. All the children were fully engaged and had access to sufficient resources and as a result their behaviour was found to be very good. They were organised well and as a result were enjoying opportunities to learn and be active. The older children were encouraged to take turns and to share equipment such as the play dough tools and to tidy up before Amser Ticw. We also observed the good manners of the children as staff consistently encouraged the children to play nicely and be respectful towards each other whilst at the same time being good role models. Children experience warmth and belonging when they attend this nursery. Their physical 6
and emotional well-being was very effectively supported by staff who were observed responding very promptly to their needs. We saw specialist equipment used by children with additional needs and discussed the care of these children with staff. Parent questionnaires confirmed that parents using this setting are more than happy with the quality of care provided for their children. Staff were calm, relaxed and attentive and all the children were observed to be praised often, with self esteem and confidence promoted and as a result had formed close and affectionate relationships in the nursery with the staff who were kind and caring. 7
Quality of staffing This inspection focussed on the Quality of life. CSSIW did not consider it necessary to look at the Quality of staffing on this occasion. However this theme will be considered during future inspections. 8
Quality of leadership and management This inspection focussed on the Quality of life. CSSIW did not consider it necessary to look at the Quality of leadership and management on this occasion. However this theme will be considered during future inspections. 9
Quality of environment This inspection focussed on the Quality of life. CSSIW did not consider it necessary to look at the Quality of environment on this occasion. However this theme will be considered during future inspections. 10
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How we inspect and report on services We conduct two types of inspection; baseline and focussed. Both consider the experience of people using services. Baseline inspections assess whether the registration of a service is justified and whether the conditions of registration are appropriate. For most services, we carry out these inspections every three years. Exceptions are registered child minders, out of school care, sessional care, crèches and open access provision, which are every four years. At these inspections we check whether the service has a clear, effective Statement of Purpose and whether the service delivers on the commitments set out in its Statement of Purpose. In assessing whether registration is justified inspectors check that the service can demonstrate a history of compliance with regulations. Focussed inspections consider the experience of people using services and we will look at compliance with regulations when poor outcomes for people using services are identified. We carry out these inspections in between baseline inspections. Focussed inspections will always consider the quality of life of people using services and may look at other areas. Baseline and focussed inspections may be scheduled or carried out in response to concerns. Inspectors use a variety of methods to gather information during inspections. These may include; Talking with people who use services and their representatives Talking to staff and the manager Looking at documentation Observation of staff interactions with people and of the environment Comments made within questionnaires returned from people who use services, staff and health and social care professionals We inspect and report our findings under Quality Themes. Those relevant to each type of service are referred to within our inspection reports. Further information about what we do can be found in our leaflet Improving Care and Social Services in Wales. You can download this from our website, Improving Care and Social Services in Wales or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning your local CSSIW regional office. 12