Integrated Inspection by the
Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education of
3 Bears Nursery
Renfrew
14 February 2007
3 Bears Nursery
87 Paisley Road
Renfrew
PA4 8LH
The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act, 2001, requires that the Care Commission
inspect all care services covered by the Act every year to monitor the quality of care
provided. In accordance with the Act, the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of
Education carry out integrated inspections of the quality of care and education. In
doing this, inspection teams take account of National Care Standards, Early
Education and Childcare up to the age of 16, and The Child at the Centre. The
following standards and related quality indicators were used in the recent inspection.
National Care Standard
Child at the Centre Quality Indicator
Standard 2 – A Safe Environment
Resources
Standard 4 – Engaging with Children
Development and learning through play
Standard 5 – Quality of Experience
Curriculum
Children’s development and learning
Support for children and families
Standard 6 – Support and Development
Standard 14 – Well-managed Service
Management, Leadership and Quality
Assurance
Evaluations made using HMIE quality indicators use the following scale, and these
words are used in the report to describe the team’s judgements:
Very good
Good
Fair
Unsatisfactory
:
:
:
:
major strengths
strengths outweigh weaknesses
some important weaknesses
major weaknesses
Reports contain Recommendations which are intended to support improvements in
the quality of service.
Any Requirements refer to actions which must be taken by service providers to ensure
that regulations are met and there is compliance with relevant legislation. In these
cases the regulation(s) to which requirements refer will be noted clearly and
timescales given.
HOW TO CONTACT US
If you would like an additional copy of this report
Copies of this report have been sent to the head of service, staff and
the education authority. Copies are also available on the Care
Commission website: www.carecommission.com and HMIE website:
www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you wish to comment about integrated pre-school inspections
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of integrated pre-school
inspections, you should write in the first instance to Mr Kenneth Muir,
HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first
instance to either:
Complaints Coordinator
Headquarters
Care Commission
Compass House
Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY
Hazel Dewart
HM Inspectorate of Education
Denholm House
Almondvale Business Park
Almondvale Way
Livingston
EH54 6GA
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of
our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate
complaints about Government departments and agencies. You
should write to The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman,
Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone
0800 377 7330 (fax 0800 377 7331) or e-mail ask@spso.org.uk.
More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained
from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
A copy of the HMIE complaints procedure is available from the HMIE
website at www.hmie.gov.uk or by telephoning 01506 600 258.
Crown Copyright 2007
Care Commission
HM Inspectorate of Education
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for
commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or
advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.
_______________________________
Integrated Inspection by the
Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education of
3 Bears Nursery
Renfrew
Introduction
3 Bears Nursery was inspected in September 2006 as part of the
integrated inspection programme by the Care Commission and
HM Inspectorate of Education. The nursery catered for
pre-school children aged from birth to five years. It was
registered for 106 children attending any one session. At the
time of the inspection the total roll was 94.
The environment
Standard 2
The nursery was accommodated in a church that had previously
operated as a children’s play centre. It had a small, outdoor area
that was used by small groups of children for physical play.
Some features of the play centre had been retained on the upper
level of the nursery, including a helter-skelter, slides and ball
pool. There was evidence of wear to the netting around these
large pieces of equipment. There were three play areas
designated for different age groups of children. The baby room
was organised with a large play-pen for babies who were not
mobile. The surrounding area was for older babies up to the age
of two years. In the playrooms for children aged two to three and
three to five, children were able to play independently and in
groups. Resources were well maintained, organised and easily
accessed by children. Children’s art work was attractively
displayed. There was very good information available for parents
in the entrance area and around the nursery.
Quality of children’s experience
Standard 4 & 5
Staff in the baby room supported the needs of young children
well. Babies and toddlers were settled and happy. Staff were
caring and responded sensitively to children’s needs. They
interacted with children making effective use of eye-to-eye
contact, gestures and cuddles. Staff planned a flexible
programme of interesting activities which were appropriate to the
development stages of the children in their care. There was a
good range of appropriate toys and materials to stimulate and
interest young babies. Staff had introduced sensory materials to
encourage young babies to explore and investigate using all of
their senses. Daily information sheets about children’s day at
nursery were made available to parents.
Children in the room for two-to-three-year-olds enjoyed a wide
variety of activities. Staff organised interesting group activities to
encourage children to be creative and to stimulate their senses.
They interacted well with children, talking with them and sharing
information to support and extend their learning. Children were
1
comfortable with the simple routines and were beginning to
develop independence skills. Staff were flexible in their
management of the daily programme to meet the different needs
and stages of development of the children in this area. They
noted children’s interests and achievements and recorded this
information in attractive folders which were shared with parents.
Staff in the room for three-to-five-year-olds had established good
relationships with children. They supported their learning through
planned activities led by an adult and a wide range of free-play
situations. However, at times, the group activities were too close
together and some children had difficulty concentrating during the
sessions. Staff made effective use of dialogue and discussion to
extend children’s knowledge and understanding. They now
needed to make more effective use of questions to encourage
children to think more for themselves.
Staff planned a wide variety of interesting themes and topics
throughout the year. They clearly identified what children were
expected to learn. Staff had started to involve children in the
daily planning process. However, daily and weekly plans did not
clearly identify children’s individual interests or describe what
staff would do next to support their learning. Staff had
successfully introduced a new system for observation and
recording of children’s achievements. They noted children’s
interests and saved dated examples of their work. These were
collected in attractive folders and were shared with parents
during curriculum evenings. Staff completed informative
transition records for children transferring from each area of the
nursery and to primary school.
Features of the programmes for children aged three to five
included the following.
2
•
The programme for emotional, personal and social
development was very good. Staff had created a warm and
positive atmosphere which allowed children to develop their
self esteem. Children were very happy and settled in the
nursery environment. On arrival, they quickly chose an
activity and chatted cheerfully to staff and other children.
They were familiar with the routine and simple nursery rules.
Staff made very good use of praise and encouraged children
to persevere at tasks. Children were very well behaved and
kind and considerate of others. Staff provided very good
opportunities for children to share resources and play
cooperatively. They encouraged children to take
responsibility for a variety of tasks such as personal hygiene
and putting on shoes and coats. Children responded well to
requests from staff to help tidy up and assist in the
preparation of snack.
•
The programme for communication and language was very
good. Children talked confidently to adults and to one
another. Many children took part in extended conversations
during play activities and in particular during role-play at ‘the
dentist’s’. Children enjoyed stories and used books
independently to find information. They acted out the story of
“Little Red Riding Hood” and staff made very good use of
props during story telling. Staff encouraged children to ask
questions and use language to predict and describe events
and experiences. Staff made very good use of print on signs
and labels around the playroom and children were able to
identify familiar words and letters. They enjoyed listening to
story tapes using headphones and were very good at
understanding and following instructions. Staff provided a
very good range of writing tools and materials to encourage
children’s interest in early writing. Children could recognise
their own name in print and some could write it. Staff
encouraged children’s enjoyment of books through use of the
lending library and story sacks.
•
The programme for knowledge and understanding of the
world was very good. Staff planned an interesting range of
topics throughout the year. Children had effective
opportunities to learn about their own and other cultures
through the celebration of a variety of festivals. Staff had
organised a “come and investigate” table and children were
developing simple science skills using a range of materials
including water, sand and play dough. A project “How does
our Garden Grow” introduced children to planting and
growing. They used binoculars and magnifying glasses to
learn about bugs and mini-beasts. The “haunted house” was
enjoyed by children who used torches and experimented with
light and dark. Staff provided good opportunities for children
to use everyday technology including information and
communications technology. Children were developing skills
in recognising colours, shapes and numbers.
•
The programme for expressive and aesthetic development
was very good. Small groups of children interacted very well
during role-play at ‘the dentist’s’. They acted out roles whilst
listening to stories. They developed their characters
effectively through the use of masks, puppets and costumes.
Children expressed their thoughts and ideas very effectively
using a range of media and techniques. Staff provided a
wide range of materials and opportunities for children to be
very imaginative and freely and creatively express
themselves in paintings and drawings. They valued
children’s work and displayed it attractively to celebrate their
achievements. Resources were easily accessed by children
who selected materials to make a collage. Staff provided a
wide range of musical activities that encouraged children’s
appreciation of different types of music. The very wellorganised and resourced music area provided very good
opportunities for children to enjoy making their own music
and gain an awareness of rhythm, pitch and beat.
•
The programme for physical development and movement
was good overall. Staff did not use the spaces available in
the nursery effectively to plan a programme of activities that
ensured progression in individual children’s skills. The
nursery had an interesting indoor physical area upstairs that
included a ball pool and space for children to use a
trampoline and wheeled toys. There were slides and a
helter-skelter, but these were not carefully risk assessed and
appropriately staffed to ensure children’s safety. Children did
not always show a good understanding of safe practices in
this area. Staff made good use of the local park for walks
and energetic play outdoors. Children were confident when
running, skipping, hopping and jumping. They had fewer
opportunities for physical activity in the main play area or to
develop skills in climbing and balancing. Staff provided a
wide range of activities for children to develop control of
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hands and fingers including writing tools, scissors, brushes
and the computer keyboard and mouse. They encouraged
children to try healthy foods at snack time and provided
information to parents about healthy lunch boxes.
Support for children and families
Standard 6
Staff had established a supportive service for working families.
They offered flexible childcare and education which helped to
support the development needs of young children. A key worker
system encouraged good relationships between staff and parents
and allowed for the exchange of helpful information about
children’s progress. Most parents who responded to the
pre-inspection questionnaire were satisfied with all aspects of the
service. A few indicated that they would like more information
about the work of the nursery.
Staff worked effectively to support children who needed
additional support in their learning. They liaised with local
support services and had developed individualised educational
programmes for some children which were reviewed regularly in
consultation with parents. Staff had identified the need to provide
additional support for children where English was not their first
language. They provided useful information for parents to
support them and to encourage language development at home.
However, staff needed to access further training and to develop
their awareness of recent legislation concerning support for
children with additional needs.
Staff organised informative parent events to encourage them to
find out about children’s development and learning and to give
parents the opportunity to be involved in the nursery. Good
relationships had been established with local pre-school services
and primary schools. Primary school staff visited children in the
nursery setting to help to ensure a smooth transition to P1. Staff
had developed useful links with other agencies to support staff in
the work of the nursery.
Management
Standard 14
The manager provided good leadership and management of the
nursery. She had established positive relationships with children,
staff and parents. She was supportive, open, approachable and
enthusiastic about the nursery and its development. She was
well supported by the depute. However, their roles were not
clearly defined and known to staff. A senior member of staff in
each room had responsibility for overseeing playroom practice on
a day-to-day basis, and planning for the different age groups of
children.
The nursery had appropriate policies and procedures that
provided guidance to staff in their day-to-day work. Staff were
aware of their responsibilities in protecting children but they had
not undertaken recent child protection training to update their
knowledge and skills. Staff worked well as a team and were
supportive of one another. The manager had introduced a staff
appraisal system that identified and addressed staff training
needs. Staff were aware of the Scottish Social Services Council
Codes of Practice and the registration process.
4
The process for self-evaluation of all aspects of the service was
at an early stage. Staff had some input into this and priorities had
been identified for improvement within the development plan.
Some staff were unaware of what the areas for improvement
were. The depute was responsible for monitoring the quality of
children’s experiences throughout the nursery. This was done
informally and did not provide written feedback to staff about
playroom practice. The manager, senior staff and the staff team
should continue to develop more systematic and rigorous
procedures for self-evaluation.
Key strengths
•
Happy, motivated and confident young learners.
•
The very good programmes for emotional, personal and
social development, communication and language,
knowledge and understanding of the world and expressive
and aesthetic development.
•
The kind, caring and enthusiastic staff team.
•
Flexible and supportive service to meet the needs of working
families.
Other Issues
Response to
recommendations or to
requirements made at
previous inspection
At the last Care Commission singleton inspection, there were
thirteen recommendations and two requirements. The
requirements had been actioned. Twelve recommendations had
been addressed and one was still being addressed.
Recommendations for improvement
•
Staff should improve the programme for physical
development and movement as outlined in this report.
•
Staff should undertake training in child protection and the
additional support for learning legislation.
•
The roles and remits of the manager and depute should be
clearly defined and shared with staff and parents.
•
The manager should carry out an audit of all aspects of the
service and implement rigorous systems for monitoring and
evaluating that include staff, children and parents.
Requirements
The nursery must ensure that robust risk assessments are
conducted and that the netting around large equipment is
maintained in good order.
This is to comply with Scottish Statutory Instrument 2002
Number 114 Regulation 10 (1) Fitness of premises.
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Care Commission Officers and HM Inspectors have asked the
pre-school centre and education authority to prepare an action
plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the
report. Where requirements are made, the action plan should
include timescales to deal with these. The plan will be available
to parents and carers. In liaison with the pre-school centre and
education authority, Care Commission Officers and
HM Inspectors will monitor progress to ensure improvements are
in line with the main findings of the report.
Yvonne Metcalfe
Care Commission
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Hilary Long
Jane Mason
HM Inspectorate of Education