Bright Start Nurseries Ltd.

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number EY279118 Inspection date 20 July 2006 Inspector Patricia Joan Latham

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Setting Address Hampden Square, Fairford Leys, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP19 7HT Telephone number 01296 381479 E-mail enquiries@brightstart.fsnet.co.uk Registered person Bright Start Day Nurseries Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care, Out of School care

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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 satisfactory. 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Bright Start Nursery is sited in the Fairford Leys area of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire. The nursery has been registered since February 2004 and is part of a small chain of privately owned nurseries. The nursery operates from eight rooms in a purpose built building. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local community and the surrounding areas. The nursery is open each weekday from 07.30 to 18.30. Children attend for a variety

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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 of sessions. They also provide before and after school care for children attending the local school. This was not inspected on this occasion. There are currently 105 children aged from three months to under eight years on roll. Of these, 38 children receive funding for nursery education. A number of children have English as an additional language. The nursery is supporting children with special educational needs. There are 22 staff who work directly with the children. The manager holds an appropriate level 3 qualification; other staff have appropriate qualifications or are working towards them. The setting also employs a cook and administrative staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Staff’s increased awareness of children’s personal hygiene helps to maintain children’s health. Babies’ hands and faces are kept clean and older children are encouraged to wash hands before eating. Staff now follow established procedures to minimise the risk of cross infection and food supplied by parents is stored appropriately. However, some areas of the nursery pose a possible risk to children’s health. Open bins are either close to where food is prepared, or contain discarded food. Children receive a varied menu of freshly prepared meals and snacks. Individual dietary needs are met and all children now have access to regular drinks throughout the day. Food offered includes plenty of fruit and vegetables and older children are encouraged to learn about healthy eating. There are regular opportunities throughout the day for children to take part in outdoor play which promotes their physical well- being. Pre-school children go on short walks

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Helping children to be healthy

around the locality and all children have access to a large play area. Children enjoy riding bikes, running around and kicking balls, and pre-school children take part in dance and movement to improve co-ordination. Pre-school staff have begun to include specific activities in the plans for physical play; however sometimes these activities do not take place. This results in children having limited opportunity to develop and practise new skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a safe and welcoming environment. Children have ample play space and there is direct access for the younger ones to an outside play area. Staff display children’s work in all areas and this makes the nursery bright, and promotes a child centred environment. All exits are secure and all visitors monitored. Staff follow the nurseries, written safety policies and have established a procedure for carrying out regular safety checks of all areas children use. This has improved the overall safety of children within the nursery.

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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 All children have access to a range of equipment and resources which cover all their learning and developmental needs. This includes a specially equipped sensory room which all children have the opportunity to use. There is a procedure in place to check and clean all resources to ensure they remain safe for children to use. The nursery has improved their policy on how children are supervised and now ensure that all staff complete necessary checks before caring for children on a one to one basis. Staff undertake child protection training and there are procedures in place to ensure children’s welfare is safeguarded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. All children are happy, and eager to take part in a range of activities, which they enjoy. Staff pay a lot of attention to their care needs and children of all ages settle well into the differing age groups, forming good relationships with their carers. Children receive appropriate support when needed and staff offer regular cuddles and comfort to any child that needs it. Staff follow a daily routine which offers children security, but are able to adapt this when needed. For example, they plan outside activities for cooler times of the day during hot weather, and provide activities for toddlers who do not require a long mid-day sleep. There are still occasions when the need to complete care tasks, such as preparing the room for snack and lunch time, impinges on the time older children have to complete chosen activities. Staff are aware of difficulties and ensure activities are repeated to enable all children to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

eventually take part. Staff working with the younger age group have undertaken training on the Birth to three matters framework, and this is helping them to plan suitable activities. However, there are still occasions when staff’s expectations in the toddler room are too high and activities are offered which are difficult for them to achieve. The nursery also provides care for school age children. Children are collected at the end of the school day and join in activities provided for the pre-school children. During school holidays, when children attend for longer hours, staff ensure that suitable activities are offered which meets their interests and ability level. This provision was not inspected on this occasion. Nursery Education The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Sufficient improvements have been made to ensure that children are now making adequate progress in all areas of learning. The staff team has been re-organised and all have undertaken additional training in the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Foundation Stage early learning goals. Staff have used this knowledge to plan a broader curriculum which enables them to offer children practical, worthwhile activities which are fun as well as stimulating. Staff actively engage children and, as a consequence, children’s behaviour has improved and they are all eager to learn. Time is used wisely, staff reinforcing learning during all activities. For example, children are encouraged to choose a storybook when waiting for snack or lunch and, during registration time, children practise counting and letter recognition skills. Staff interact positively with children, encouraging all, especially those with English as an

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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 additional language, to develop and extend language skills. Children take part in regular planned activities to develop their reading and writing skills. They confidently recognise their own name and point out familiar letters in other words. Each week they write a short sentence about what they have done over the weekend, and this forms part of a wall display. Children spontaneously choose books to look at and enjoy listening to familiar stories. Children also take part in activities to develop a range of mathematical skills. They confidently solve simple number problems such as how many more beads they need to make ten on a string they are threading and recognise and name a wide range of differing shapes; one child pointing out that hexagon begins with ‘h’. Staff include activities to encourage children to investigate and examine everyday

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

things. Children are able to see how a beach ball changes its shape as they let the air out of it and blow more back in. They examine the pattern on it before recreating their own, using a range of differing coloured paper and materials. Children discuss experiences and have an understanding of time, describing holidays they had been on and telling staff which schools they are going to. They enthusiastically take part in imaginative play and enjoy activities, which include making their own shakers for music time. Children enjoy a range of songs and are able to use electronic keyboards to make music. Activities extend children’s knowledge of different cultures. Dressing-up clothes include differing cultural costumes and all children learn some basic Spanish words. Staff plan appropriately to enable children to develop physical skills and these include both indoor and outdoor activities. Children are becoming competent at using

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

large and small equipment, are gaining co ordination and control of their bodies and an understanding of how their bodies work and keep healthy. Sometimes staff fail to complete intended activities with their group. In consequence, some children may not have the opportunity to develop and practise skills as much as others. Staff have begun to take observations of children’s achievements and are developing a system which they will use to record these against the Foundation Stage stepping stones. The key worker system enables staff to know children’s ability levels, however, at present there is no established recording system that clearly indicates children’s ongoing progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Staff enable all children to develop high self esteem. Children’s social, cultural, spiritual and moral development is fostered. Children receive abundant praise when they achieve, and all children are confident and developing personal independence. They take pride in their work, which is displayed around the nursery, and staff listen attentively to what they have to say. Children respect each other’s views and play well together. They take part in activities which increases their knowledge of differing cultures. All staff have undertaken behaviour management training. This has enabled them to

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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 introduce appropriate means of encouraging positive behaviour and older children now understand the need for group rules. They listen respectively to others when they speak during group times and wait to take their turn at the sand tray. However, some staff still have unrealistic expectations of very young children and do not handle behavioural problems appropriately. The negative message this gives to children can make it difficult for them to develop positive ways of adapting their own behaviour. Staff include all children in activities and give excellent support to children with developmental needs. Staff work with parents, and other professionals, to provide a high level of support. Because staff interact closely with the children they are able to identify quickly when young children need additional support. They then provide

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Helping children make a positive contribution

appropriate activities to help children develop necessary skills. Partnership with parents is satisfactory. All parents are able to speak to staff on a regular basis regarding their child and receive good verbal feedback on a daily basis. Staff give written details regarding what children have eaten each day and staff caring for babies complete a daily diary. Monthly newsletters keep parents informed of events and a system is now in place to give all parents a copy of the latest Ofsted inspection report. The nursery has updated the complaints policy and there is a complaints log in place. This contains details of any concerns raised with staff and how they have been resolved. Staff complete progress records for each child in the nursery. Although these are available for parents to see on request, they are not made easily accessible. Staff are developing a clearer system for recording their observations of children’s progress and some are starting to use new forms which

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Helping children make a positive contribution

link into Birth to three matters criteria. Pre-school staff do not share children’s progress records with parents on a regular basis. This impacts on parents' ability to become involved in their child’s learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Leadership and management within the nursery is satisfactory. Reorganisation of staff has taken place and Ofsted has been notified of all staff changes. There are now suitably trained staff in all rooms, with required adult to child ratios maintained. Staff’s knowledge has been updated which has resulted in a more settled, stimulating environment for children. The nursery have improved procedures to ensure all staff hold current checks made through the Criminal Records Bureau(C.R.B.), although they do not ask staff to complete a health declaration form. This may result in unsuitable staff being employed to work within the nursery. Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to their work and to implementing improvements to raise standards. They regularly evaluate the planned focused activities, although there is no systematic evaluation of the nursery education as a whole. This poses difficulties

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Organisation

when trying to establish if planned activities have been undertaken which may result in some children missing learning opportunities. Staff in all rooms plan activities in advance. Pre-school staff ensure that focused activity sheets contain intended learning aims but these aims are not differentiated for children of differing abilities.

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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 All necessary documentation is in place to ensure the smooth running of the nursery and required record are maintained. All paperwork is stored securely to maintain children’s confidentiality and is updated regularly. The provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the quality and standard of care was found to be inadequate. Enforcement action was taken asking the provider to ensure all staff caring for children are suitable to do so and have all completed a C.R.B. check. In addition the provider was given a notice of action to improve the deployment of staff, especially with regard to unvetted staff; staff’s understanding and implementation of the nursery’s behaviour management policy; the complaints procedure and how the inspection report would be shared with parents. All staff working with children have now completed C.R.B. checks. Staff do not, however, complete a declaration of health form which may result in unsuitable persons being employed to care for children. Staff have all received additional training in the management of children's behaviour which has enabled them to implement appropriate strategies to help promote better behaviour, especially with

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Improvements since the last inspection

older children. However, staff still sometimes have unrealistic expectations of much younger children and do not always manage their behaviour appropriately. This makes it difficult for children to develop good codes of conduct. The staffing of the nursery has been reorganised to ensure that there is the appropriate ratio of staff always available to support children’s learning. The complaints procedure has been updated and parents are made aware of the procedure to follow if they have any concerns. They also receive information regarding inspection reports, which enables them to be involved in their child's care. At the last inspection the nursery education was also found to be inadequate. The provider was given a notice of action to improve the observation of children's achievements, and how they informed planning for children's progress, especially for children with individual learning needs. The provider was asked to improve staff's

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Improvements since the last inspection

knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage, and the system for monitoring and evaluating the educational provision. Staff have undertaken training on the Foundation Stage which has enabled them to plan a more balanced curriculum. This has resulted in children now making appropriate progress in all areas of learning. Planned activities are evaluated which staff use to inform their future planning. However there is still limited evaluation of the overall educational programme which may results in some children receiving differing experiences from others. Staff have identified the need to establish a rigorous system for observing and recording children's progress and have been seeking guidance on how to develop this. They have devised the recording forms they will use and plan to introduce these in time for the next academic year. This will also enable them to identify, and plan for, children’s individual needs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

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 two complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. 07/06/2006. A complaint was made with regard to the National Standard 6: Safety and the National Standard 11: Behaviour management. An unannounced visit was carried out by Ofsted and the provider was found to be meeting the National Standards. No further action was taken. 29/06/2006. A complaint was made with regard to the National Standard 8: Food and drink. An unannounced visit was made by Ofsted and the provider was found to be meeting the National Standards. The provider was asked to ensure children's individual records are regularly updated with their dietary needs. The provider remains suitable for 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 satisfactory. 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 satisfactory.

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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): • ensure appropriate measures are taken to minimise the risk of cross infection to children • ensure activities available for younger children are appropriate and enable them to achieve • maintain a rigorous system of determining the suitability of staff which includes a declaration of health form.

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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):

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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 • establish clear observations and recordings of children's ongoing progress which are linked into Foundation Stage stepping stones and which are shared with parents • ensure staff use age appropriate measures to manage children's behaviour • establish a system which enables parents to share children's progress on a regular basis • ensure regular evaluation of the nursery education provision is undertaken to ensure all children are able to benefit from learning opportunities; that all intended activities are undertaken and activities meet the learning needs of all children taking part.

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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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