Busy Bees Day Nursery at Nottingham Daybrook

Leapfrog Day Nursery - Nottingham, Daybrook Inspection report for early years provision

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253182 Unique Reference Number 24 April 2007 Inspection date Ros Church / Tina Garner Inspector

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Sir John Robinson Way, Mansfield Road, Daybrook, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG5 6DB

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E-mail

Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Leapfrog Day Nursery (Daybrook) has been registered since 2000. It is one of a chain of nurseries owned by the parent company. The nursery is based in purpose built accommodation on two levels. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 07:00 until 19:00, throughout the year. Children are accommodated in areas according to their age and development. The location is convenient to main routes into Nottingham city centre and serves families from the local and wider area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 120 children under eight years of age, at any one time. There are currently 137 children on roll who have individual patterns of attendance. Of these 42 children receive funding for nursery education. The setting has appropriate support systems in place for children with special educational needs or who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 33 members of staff, of which 29 work directly with the children. Of these 21 hold recognised early years qualifications and three staff are working towards a qualification.

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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 The setting receives support from the Nottinghamshire local authority and is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are looked after in a clean, comfortable environment. Their good health is effectively promoted because the staff caring for them understand the policies in place and consistently follow good hygiene procedures. For example, wearing disposable gloves and aprons when serving food and when changing nappies to help reduce the risk of cross-infection. Children develop awareness of caring for their own health because of the supportive adults and consistently implemented routines. They wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet, pre-school children are able to carry out these routines independently and are helped to understand about germs and taking responsibility for their own health. There are good procedures in place if children have an accident or become poorly, staff are knowledgeable of current first aid practice. A sickness exclusion policy is shared with parents to ensure children

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Helping children to be healthy

only attend the nursery when they are well enough to do so. Clear systems are now in place for administering and recording any medication which may be required, this ensures children's health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy physical exercise and have good opportunities within both the indoor and outdoor areas. Each room has a set time when they can use the large well designed playground, which has fixed climbing equipment and slides. Additional equipment such as tricycles, scooters, balls and hoops are also provided to encourage children's physical skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a varied diet of well-balanced, nutritious food. This is prepared on site from fresh ingredients and served to the children in their individual group rooms. Meal times are social occasions so that children settle to eat their food without pressure. There is an efficient system in place to ensure staff are well informed about individual children's dietary requirements or allergies and these needs are met according to parents' wishes. Children have access to fresh drinking water at all times so they do not become thirsty or dehydrated. Staff ensure younger children are offered drinks regularly and older children are able to help themselves.

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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 bright, welcoming and spacious environment that has been designed to promote the safe care of children. All rooms provide well-organised and stimulating environments for the children. The baby room now has some domestic style furniture and plans are in place to develop this further, this enables staff to sit on comfortable chairs when feeding or cuddling babies and assists children in developing their mobility. A good range of resources are provided within all rooms throughout the nursery, these promote children's development in all areas. Additional equipment is stored in accessible containers within the rooms, this enables children to access resources independently and make choices within their play. Equipment is clean, well maintained, safe and suitable for babies and children using them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children remain safe within all areas of the nursery because there are effective systems in place to identify and minimise any risks, and thorough policies and procedures that guide practice. These are understood by all staff so that children are kept safe in line with health and safety

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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 requirements. Effective security systems are in place and access to the nursery is closely monitored, ensuring only known adults are allowed entry. Children are supervised at a level that is appropriate to their age, level of understanding and ability so they are protected from accidents whilst developing their independence. Sleeping babies are carefully monitored and checked at regular intervals. Fire evacuation procedures are practised regularly to ensure that both staff and children are aware of what to do in the event of an emergency. Suitable arrangements are in place to ensure children's safety on outings. Children are well protected by staff who have a sound understanding of the role and responsibilities with regard to child protection and know who to contact if they have concerns about a child. This ensures children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settle well within the nursery. Staff interact well with the children ensuring that their individual needs and routines are met. Babies have a clear bond with the staff who work with them, this increases their sense of well-being. Staff use resources such as the 'Birth to three matters' framework to plan a good range of activities which meet their individual needs and promotes their next steps in learning. For example, babies and pre-toddlers enjoy exploring the broad range of activities which encourage their sensory development, such as cornflour, sand, water and paint. Young children's early communication is well supported by adults who respond to them verbally and with facial gestures. Children aged two to three years are confident and have increasing independence in their environment. They understand the nursery routines, make choices in their play by helping themselves to play materials stored

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

around the room such as books, cars and puzzles or activities which have already been planned and provided by staff. Children make positive relationships with staff and one another, they enjoy looking at books and listening to stories individually and in small groups. Children are cared for in developmentally appropriate base areas, which are well resourced with a good range of toys and activities that help children explore and make sense of their world. The transition between rooms is planned and organised to ensure children are developmentally ready to move and are supported to settle into their new group.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make steady progress towards the early learning goals because staff plan and provide a broad range of activities. Staff carry out long, medium and short-term planning which links to the Foundation Stage curriculum and enables children to receive a generally balanced coverage across the six areas of learning. However, staff do not all have a clear understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and observations of children's learning do not always link with the assessments to enable staff to have the required information to move children forward to the next stage in learning. A range of activities and resources are set out around the room, enabling children to access independently and make choices within their play. Some planned activities such as the role play area are well resourced. For example, children enjoy playing in the area set up as a post office. They use

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their imagination during play, pretending to be the post master or mistress and customers. They are able to use a good range of equipment such as a till, computer keyboard, telephones, pencils and paper, where they are involved in writing letters, and posting them in the letter box. However, other activities set out by staff which children can freely access such as construction, sand and water are not well resourced and do not offer adequate challenge for older and more able children to extend their play and learn independently.

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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 Children are confident within the group, they make positive relationships with staff and their peers. Many older children have special friends within the group with whom they share experiences and join in with activities. Children's independence is promoted well as they are able to serve out their own snacks and drink, wash their hands and sweep up any spilt sand from the floor. Children's language is developing well, and many are confident communicators, they initiate conversations with adults and peers where they talk about their interests and experiences. Children's mark-making skills are fostered with a variety of materials available on a daily basis. For example, during a planned activity children talk about the visit from the fire fighters and what their job involves, then with help from staff children record this in writing.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy using writing materials during different role play situations such as the post office and at the writing table. However, opportunities are not always provided for children to write their own names on their art work. During group times children learn to recognise sounds and letters of their names and other familiar words. They discuss and recognise opposites such as fast and slow, old and new and big and small.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show confidence with numbers, many are able to count and recognise numerals to 10 and beyond. For example, children recognise the numbers on the clock, number lines and on the computer. Children are able to count out how many cups, knives and forks they need, they learn to count, sort by colour, shape and size. However, they are not sufficiently challenged through the daily routine and general activities to extend their understanding, particularly in the area of calculation. Children enjoy being creative and using a good range of tools such as rulers, sticky tape, glue and staplers. They use a range of different media during planned activities such as painting and collage, however, these do not always enable children to express and communicate their own ideas, and do not extend the children's learning. Children enjoy using their imagination, dressing-up and pretending to be different characters such as Sleeping

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are welcomed into the nursery, they are valued and respected as individuals. A variety of positive steps are taken to help children to settle. For example, children see displays of their work, they have individually named coat pegs, 'pigeon holes' for additional equipment and trays for their work. This helps them develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging. Good systems are in place to support children with identified disabilities and/or learning difficulties, this includes working well with the parents and other agencies, and providing one to one support where needed. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children's behaviour is generally good, they learn to play cooperatively with others to share and take turns with the equipment. Staff manage behaviour positively, using age-appropriate and sensitive strategies according to the age and level of understanding of individual children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children become aware of their own and other cultures through participating in a good variety of activities which are linked to festivals such as Easter, Diwali and Chinese New Year. They learn about the community through visitors to the nursery, such as people who help us, the fire brigade and police. However, there are few resources available which promote children's independent learning about similarities and differences in society.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the positive partnership staff develop with parents. Babies settle well because staff work closely with parents to ensure they follow the home routine and make time to exchange information daily. Parents of babies and toddlers are provided with daily feedback sheets which indicate information such as how much the child has eaten, slept, nappy change and the activities they have undertaken during the day, this ensures consistency in children's

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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 care. A further variety of ways to involve and inform parents are in place, these include clear information displays and newsletters. Parents are kept well informed of their child's development through daily discussions with staff, opportunities to view their child's development as they require or at planned open evenings. The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is good. In addition to all the other positive measures in place for the whole nursery parents are given clear information about the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage so they understand how their children are being taught. Activity topic planning is displayed on the notice board and information and ideas are provided for parents about how they can continue play and learning activities at home.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for in a welcoming environment that is organised to give them space to play, rest and eat in comfort. Children benefit from effective recruitment and vetting procedures that ensure suitable staff work with them. Clear and supportive induction processes help staff settle into the nursery and understand the policies and procedures. The nursery now has a new manager who ensures the day to day running of the nursery is effective. Advance planning and clear contingency arrangements ensure that good staffing levels are in place and adult to child ratios are met at all times of the day, thereby safeguarding children's welfare. The welfare and care of the children is informed by sound policies and procedures that are well organised, up to date and accessible. All relevant and essential documentation is in place and records are well maintained and up to date.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The manager and staff are committed to continue improving the nursery education for children. Staff within the pre-school room communicate appropriately with each other through informal discussion and regular planning and team meetings. Some systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the provision. However, staff do not all have a clear knowledge of the Foundation Stage stepping stones, and observation and assessment systems are not yet working to best support the needs of all children which impacts on the challenges set for them. The new nursery manager is aware of the weaknesses in nursery education and is currently developing improvements which she plans to implement.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the quality and standards of care were judged to be inadequate. The registered person needed to ensure that all staff have the appropriate experience, skills and ability to do their jobs. The registered person has recruited more qualified staff and ensured that all staff are deployed within rooms and areas where they have the experience, skills and abilities to do their jobs. This ensures the welfare of the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection the nursery were recommended to improve the planning to include clear learning outcomes for children of different ages and abilities. Planning has been improved and now includes learning outcomes, this helps to promote children's learning.

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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

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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 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): • develop the range of resources which reflect positive images of diversity in society to help children independently appreciate and value each other's similarities and differences.

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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): • develop and extend freely accessible activities to ensure these are well resourced and offer adequate challenge for older more able children to learn independently • ensure that staff have a clear knowledge of the Foundation Stage stepping stones to enable them to support, observe and assess children's development, and that the information gained is used to help children move to the next steps in their learning • develop methods and opportunities for children to extend and consolidate their skills in calculating through general activities and daily routines.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) 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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