Cranbrook Independent Nursery and Preschool

Buttercup & Bumpkin Barns

Inspection report for early years provision

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Buttercup & Bumpkin Barns

Unique Reference Number EY330756 Inspection date 20 June 2006 Inspector Elaine Simmons

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Buttercup & Bumpkin Barns

Setting Address Haywards Heath Road, Balcombe, West Sussex, RH17 6NL

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E-mail

Registered person Childcare and Learning (Pebbles) Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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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.

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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.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Buttercup Barn was registered to its current owners, Childcare and Learning Group Ltd in February 2006. Buttercup Barn consists of two converted barns - Main Barn and Bumpkin Barn and is located near the village of Balcombe, West Sussex. The two barns are purpose-designed and both have toilet/nappy change facilities. Children have access to a fully enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local area. The nursery opens from 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, throughout the

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 year and provides full day care. Children are able to attend on either a full time or part time basis. They currently have seventy children on roll, thirty four children are in receipt of funded nursery education and staff support children with English as an additional language.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children benefit from the good health and hygiene routines that staff use. For example they wear aprons and gloves when changing children's nappies and serving meals. Children learn about personal hygiene from the regular routine for hand washing that the staff promote. Children wash their hands before eating and after toileting. However, the children in Buttercup Barn have two sinks for hand washing and soapy water is left in each sink for more than one child to use. Although this is changed regularly, this does not promote good hygiene practices. Nappies are changed appropriately and disposed of hygienically. Staff ensure tables, changing mats and other surfaces are cleaned with antibacterial spray to protect children's good health. Sufficient records are kept by staff of any accidents and any medication administered to the children. Good procedures are in place to ensure children are cared for

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Helping children to be healthy

appropriately if they are taken ill or have an accident. Children are given ample opportunity for outside play to promote their physical health. The provision offers a free flow system between the indoor and outdoor areas where children can play safely because staff provide good supervision. Children's individual needs are met as they are able to sleep according to their needs. The bedding is changed after each child has finished sleeping and is laundered on the premises to ensure clean bedding is available at all times. Children are offered freshly cooked meals, prepared by the staff. Staff have taken advice from a nutritionist to ensure the children's diet is healthy. They provide varied and nutritious meals for breakfast, lunch and tea, which support children's good health. Children are offered bread sticks, fresh and dried fruit at snack time and are offered water to drink through out the day. Staff ensure babies are fed according to their routines and good procedures are in

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Helping children to be healthy

place for the safe storage of formula milk. For example babies bottles are adequately named for quick identification and stored in the fridge. Babies and toddlers can either have food prepared for them by the nursery or parents can provide food of their own choice.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

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 staff provide a safe and secure environment where children feel happy and content. The buildings are in good decorative order and are well maintained. The staff display the children's work on the walls which provides a bright and cheerful atmosphere. The children have access to a good, varied selection of interesting resources. The toys and equipment provided by the staff are clean, well maintained, suitable and sufficient for the ages and stages of development of the children. The toys also promote the children's learning in all areas. The staff have recently purchased new, excellent, quality furniture which is attractive and adaptable. This enables them to store toys and resources so that children can access them independently. Children are protected by the good safety procedures that the provision has in place.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The staff have a clear understanding of how to keep children safe. This they achieve by providing constant supervision and by following the nursery procedures diligently. Parents are also made aware of the nurseries safety procedures by the clear notices displayed at the entrance to the buildings. These ask for their co-operation in ensuring visitors are not allowed into the nursery without staff's knowledge. The staff further protect children from harm by their clear understanding of all child protection requirements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are given appropriate care by staff who provide them with cuddles and lots of individual attention. The children are cared for in a very calm, gentle atmosphere and they get to know all the staff. Although, they each have their own individual key worker assigned to them. This ensures that if the key worker is absent, the child will know the other staff and will not become distressed. Staff provide the children with a good range of activities, these are changed during the day as required, and the space adapted according to the age group attending. The children enjoy playing outside and good support is provided by staff to ensure their well-being at all times. The children can access resources easily from defined zones within the barn. They benefit from a free flow system that allows them freedom of choice to move freely to play outside. Staff use resources available to them extremely well. For example, they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

retained the large boxes that the new furniture had come in, to provide children of all ages, with lots of imaginative play outside in the garden. They thoroughly enjoy using the boxes as houses and to play games of hide and seek with each other and members of staff. The children's day starts with group time when a staff member and the children sit together in a circle and the children show things they have brought in and tell their news to the group. However staff had not planned this time sufficiently well. The story was un-planned and staff tried to encourage the children to tell the story. Consequently, younger children became bored because they had to sit for a long time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

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 staff promote children's independence by encouraging them to find and put on their own coats and shoes when going outside. They do this confidently and staff give assistance as required. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff plan activities to support children's learning and development in all areas. Staff use generally good assessments closely linked to the foundation stage however, some assessments are repetitive. Although, these are based on observations they are not always accurately related to the stepping stones and not used consistently towards planning, therefore progress is some times erratic. However, the staff are currently working with the Sure Start Early Years advisor to re-organise and simplify the way they plan activities for all children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have a varied range of toys and resources to provide them with enjoyment and to promote their learning and development in all areas. The Staff have grouped these into zoned area. For example, the children have access to a range of materials for writing purposes in one area and resources to promote maths in another area. They can then independently select the resources they want from the easily accessible storage units around the room. The children develop good self esteem and proudly peg up their own work on the washing lines that are accessible to them both inside and outside in the garden. They are friendly and willing to talk to adults, are pleased to show them the work they have done and independently include them in their imaginative play. For example two children aged three years were using construction toy models they had put together as Hoovers and were happily vacuuming the dust off the adults.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop sound listening and speaking skills. For example, they are confident to speak in large groups at circle time and they help staff at story time by holding up props and help to relate the story at the end of the morning. Children enjoy reading books alone, one child aged three years, who is bilingual, sat absorbed, reading a story to herself, turning the pages of the book appropriately, using both English and the language spoken at home. Older children benefit from a weekly French lesson with a teacher who comes into the group. They enjoy the time spent with the teacher confidently counting and singing songs with her in French.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have lots of opportunity for creative activities and staff encourage them to write their own names on their work. However, some staff introduce letter formation before some children have acquired suitable fine motor skills. Although, they have access to a well equipped writing area they do not have resources that allow them to write for real purposes for example, there are no writing materials in the home corner. Children develop an understanding of numbers and counting through regular practical activities such as; helping to lay the tables for lunch, counting out the number of plates and cutlery required for six places. Staff are sometimes a little too quick to help with the answer, when there are for example, more knives than required. Therefore, they miss opportunities to allow children to solve practical problems themselves. The children also enjoy singing number rhymes together. Holding up their fingers counting up to five to help support less able children, while

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

older children are confident and able to count in reverse.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to explore their environment. They encourage them to observe the farm animals and wild life. For example, the cows and pheasants in the field adjacent to the nursery garden. The children enjoy singing to them to try and encourage them to come closer. The staff had today put snails in an Aquarium inside the barn for the children to observe. They had previously had Tadpoles that had hurriedly been returned to the pond. Staff had taken photographs of plants and trees around the setting and had laminated them onto cards. Children were encouraged to pick them up and take them around the garden and match the relevant plant to the card. They were also growing beans, these had been planted the day before and were in jars on the nursery window sill, where they could watch

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

them grow. The children have access to a computer, construction, small world toys and an imaginative play area inside the barn. They have good opportunities to develop their imaginative skills and enjoy playing in small groups. For example three children aged four years were playing with dolls. Dressing the dolls in layers, talking to each other about how many layers they are putting on. ' I am putting on two layers' to keep my baby snug and warm'. The children play happily together and are confident when they ask staff for help in putting a small garment on a doll. Children have good opportunities to explore space in the play area outside. They use the large cardboard boxes imaginatively, really enjoying themselves, closing the flaps and hiding. They have ample opportunity to use their physical skills to ride scooters and pedal bikes around the pathways, negotiating and turning the toys round, reversing and parking them. However, the play area is covered in wood chip and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

restricts what children can do with some apparatus for example the golf set as children are unable to successfully hit the ball into plastic cone. There is also little opportunity for more able children to climb, run and to extend their physical play. This is because the play resources are limited to climbing equipment suitable for younger children and the garden area is small.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children have ample, suitable, resources and planned activities to reflect the diversity of the modern world. Several children are bilingual and staff are aware that some children need extra time to express their needs in English. Staff are also willing to support parents when things do not go smoothly. They are also willing to work with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the children. Children behave well because they are given lots of interesting activities and because staff provide good supervision. They deflect any frustrations quickly and they help the children to negotiate with each other successfully. Staff were observed helping a year old child, who was crying, because it wanted to ride in the car. The child and staff member helped push the car until the child was able to have a turn

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Helping children make a positive contribution

riding in the car. Children are encouraged by staff, to use good manners, to say please and thank you. Staff offer children lots of praise and encouragement which

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 boost their self esteem. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents are given good written information about the setting. They have access to lots of useful information displayed on the notice board. For example, Staff display the daily menu, details about the Foundation Stage of education, the birth to three matters framework and, details about the children's key worker. Parents of very young children are given a daily sheet advising them of their child's food intake, nappy changes and activities they have been involved in. Staff talk to each parent and exchange information as they hand over the children, advising them of the child's day and giving them any art work the child has completed. The staff are currently trying to develop opportunities for parents to talk to key workers on a regular basis, this is as a response to the feed

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Helping children make a positive contribution

back they have received from parents. One parent expressed complete satisfaction with the group and said how happy her child was, and how supportive the staff were.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from the relaxed and happy atmosphere that the staff provide. The children are able to move freely and safely within the provision, because of the free flow system that is used, and the good supervision that is given. They have a very good range of toys and equipment that they are able to independently access themselves. These provide them with enjoyment and help their learning and development in all areas. All required documentation is up to date and in order for the effective management of the setting. Ample details about children are held to ensure they are cared for appropriately. The daily attendance register is kept up to date and reflects accurately the children attending. The records are stored securely within the setting. The provision is planning to extend the premises and to provide suitable physical apparatus for children in the garden area in the future.

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Organisation

The nursery is well established and has recently been taken over by another nursery chain and has been re-registered. All staff have been with the nursery under the old management. They have had suitable Criminal Record Bureau checks and are fully qualified except for one member of staff, who is currently in training. Staff attend training courses to further their own knowledge. The staff understand the adult to child ratios and ensure these are adhered to, so that children are cared for safely and appropriately. They have good systems in place to protect children from people who have not been suitably vetted. The leadership and management is good. The nursery manager has arranged for some staff to attend training courses that will help them support children's learning. Staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The nursery manager has a clear vision which is shared by her staff, teaching is generally good.

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Organisation

They are working with the local authority mentors to revise the planning. Staff work smoothly and confidently together to meet the children's needs. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since 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.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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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): • seek advice from the environmental health officer on good practice for hand washing • improve the organisation of group times to meet the developmental needs of all the children (also applies to nursery education)

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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): • provide more opportunities for challenging physical play to meet the needs of all children.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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