Busy Bees Day Nursery at Enfield

Leapfrog Day Nursery - Enfield Inspection report for early years provision

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160113 Unique Reference Number 17 April 2007 Inspection date Julia Louise Crowley Inspector

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2 Florey Square, Highlands Village, London, N21 1UJ Setting Address

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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 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?

Leapfrog Day Nursery is one of 88 nurseries run by Nord Anglia PLC. This setting opened in 2001. It operates from a purpose built, two storey building situated in the centre of a residential area. A maximum of 120 children aged birth to five years may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open weekdays from 07:00 to 19:00 all year round.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 132 children aged from birth to five years on roll. Of these, 32 receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children come from a wide catchment area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 28 members of staff who work directly with the children. The manager is excluded from this figure as she is supernumerary. Of the staff, 13 including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications, eight 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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn healthy practices and how to look after themselves through effective personal routines, including hand washing before snacks, mealtimes and after toileting. Children understand that they must wash their hands to prevent the spread of germs. Practitioners support the children's understanding by providing pictures and signs in the bathroom and play rooms. For example, a photograph depicting children washing their hands. Older children have a good understanding of their bodies needs because practitioners encourage them to independently access drinks, as and when they are thirsty.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy fresh air almost everyday and they are able to make good progress in their physical development as they participate in outdoor play, indoor soft play and dance, with opportunities to use the sensory room. However, children are sometimes offered limited choice outdoors, for example, a climbing frame, scooters and balls. Consequently outdoor play presents as routine and predictable. Children recognise the benefits of participating in regular exercise and know that it contributes to ensuring a healthy lifestyle, for example, older children know that running and jumping gives them a healthy heart. Children enjoy an indoor exercise time, where they learn to complete star jumps and move in time to the nursery rhymes, for example, jumping bunnies and dingle dangle scarecrow.

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Helping children to be healthy

Practitioners make mainly effective use of the Birth to three matters framework to plan a range of physical play experiences for young babies and toddlers. For example, young children can access soft play apparatus, sensory toys and activity. They encourage babies to reach out for toys developing their crawling skills whilst toddlers practise walking holding hands and learn to use soft play apparatus and large moving toys unaided. Baby’s physical needs are met, for example consistent routines with regards to feeding, changing and sleeping are implemented between home and nursery.

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Helping children to be healthy

All staff are first aid qualified and clear policies and procedures are in place to ensure children are cared for adequately. However, sick children are not effectively supervised while waiting for the arrival of a parent, therefore compromising children's safety. Staff maintain accurate records and work closely with parents to ensure that they have all the information they need to meet children's individual needs, for example, children's records are updated regularly as they develop and learn new skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from three healthy and nutritious meals each day, including a two course cooked meal at lunchtime, which promotes their understanding of the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet. Children enjoy pasta in a meat sauce with vegetables in a relaxed and sociable setting, while practitioners encourage children to think about good foods that they like to eat. Practitioners are effective in supporting younger children to develop their independence, for example by learning to feed themselves, older children are actively involved in setting tables and serving their own meals or snacks.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are made to feel welcome in this child friendly environment because practitioners greet children individually and ensure that they settle and are included. Practitioners are vigilant

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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 about children’s safety and ensure this by the effective implementation of thorough daily risk assessments and concise health and safety policies and procedures across the provision. Children talk about safe practice, for example, they recognise they must not run in the rooms and hold on to the stairs banister. They talk about safety during a cookery activity, recognising the need to be careful when using their pastry cutters.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are effectively protected because practitioners have a good knowledge of child protection issues, recognise their role and responsibilities, and know how to implement nursery and local child protection procedures. The recording of all staff, children and visitors to and from the nursery, policies for the collection and non-collection of children and arrangements for recording injuries contribute to ensuring children are safeguarded from harm.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from an organised environment and a mostly sufficient range of equipment and resources available for most ages of children attending. Older children benefit from a well organised room that is inspiring and stimulating. Children explore and enjoy the activities. Younger children can access their own resources independently, however, there is a limited choice available and consequently some children are not challenged sufficiently. Effective procedures are in place to ensure equipment is safe and well maintained. Children move confidently around the rooms and are relaxed in the environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Younger children communicate using words and gestures and increase in confidence as practitioners respond to them. For example, practitioners sit at the same level as the younger children during mealtimes and play, ensuring that there is good eye contact and expression. Children are offered consistent interaction because the practitioners are attentive to the children's needs. Practitioners engage in imaginative and stimulating chatter with the younger children. Consequently the children are responsive and alert, for example, children chatter about holidays and family. Children relate well to other children and the adults in the group. For example, children sit in the soft hoop and pass the toys to each other and begin to play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Practitioners are skilled in including children within the group and making them feel part of the activity, for example, practitioner and children call to a child to join the group to listen to a story, the other children welcome him to the group. Practitioners offer praise and encouragement and responsibilities within the group, for example, children are nominated to collect the pens for the table.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Practitioners working with the children under three years have sound knowledge and understanding of child development and use the Birth to three matters framework to guide their planning and observations of children's progress. However, younger children have access to an insufficient range of play activities which limits their ability to make decisions about their play. Some activities the children play with and enjoy, for example, the ball pond and soft play equipment. However, there is a limited range of toys that offer challenge to explore and investigate. In addition there is limited positive representation of diversity amongst the play equipment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children benefit from the staff's sound knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage. Practitioners work with the parents

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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 to establish children's starting point and then to plan for their next steps. Children's individual interests are included in the planning so that the children are interested. For example, children read a book about the jungle in circle time, they paint individual pictures of their favourite animals which later become a large frieze on the wall. Children are given opportunity to explore textures of snake skin and different animal fur.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children demonstrate a sound understanding about shape, colour, size, and an ability to count along to songs and rhymes, for example, in the circle time and focused activities. However, these activities are mainly adult led, and do not effectively extend children's existing knowledge and thinking by the introduction of open ended questioning. There are adequate opportunities to extend children's mathematical awareness and thinking, such as through sorting, calculating and grouping activities. Children develop a sufficient concept of time and place. They discuss where they have been for their holidays and who is going on holiday in the summer. Children have the opportunity to grow seeds into plants and discuss how long it will take. Practitioners increase children's understanding through discussion about today and yesterday, the names of the week and what will happen in the morning and afternoon. They have some opportunities

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to use a range of technology, such as the nursery computer, calculators and some of the programmable toys.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Most children are happy, settled and enjoy coming to the setting. They are sufficiently confident and assured to work and play independently or in groups, for example, a group of six children work together sharing tools and materials to make cookies while the rest of the group choose from the table and floor activities independently. Children are able to accept responsibility for their actions, for example, the children have made a 'kindness tree' where children can put the name of a child on a leaf if they have been kind to another child. They know about the need for rules and have assembled a rule chart of photographs of themselves, which is referred to at circle times. Children are aware of others and know that they have different beliefs, cultures and traditions this is reinforced by the positive representation of other cultures within the play equipment and through focussed festival topics such as Easter, Diwali and the Chinese New

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children select books and look at them independently. Clear labelling and signs can be seen on the walls, enabling the children to identify shapes and patterns of letters. Children have opportunity to develop writing for a purpose and in meaningful situations for enjoyment ,for example, children begin to write a shopping list and take it to the home corner.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. All children are welcomed and play a full part in the nursery because practitioners value each child as an individual. For example, each child has time to contribute at circle time and older children are allocated responsibilities, such as setting the table and handing out the snacks at snack time. Children are acknowledged and spoken to respectfully. Consequently they are confident and show self-esteem responding well to praise and encouragement. They know what is expected of them and confidently talk about group rules, helping to develop a very good understanding of the difference between right and wrong, for example, children point to the steps on the rule chart to remind other children. Children work together co-operatively, for instance, by negotiating turns on the bikes and when serving themselves at the dinner table.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered. Older children learn about themselves and the wider world through planned activities and discussions, for example,

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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 the interest table and focussed activities on festivals. However, younger children have not got sufficient access to a range of resources that reflect diversity. Children have a sound understanding of the similarities and differences between themselves and others. For example, children make paper plate faces and discuss textures of hair and the colour of their skin.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Parents are kept informed about their children's progress through informal daily chat, open evenings, and end of year report. Parents of younger children receive a daily diary sheet ensuring consistency of care between nursery and home. Parents receive information about topics and are encouraged to support their children in bringing in items from home linked to the current topic. Children’s learning is enhanced by the contributions parents make and the secure links in place between home and nursery.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are confident in the environment and are developing sound relationships where they show an interest in the activities. They are grouped in rooms according to their age and ability, where space is used well to allow children to play, eat and rest safely depending on their needs. However, the outdoor play area although offering ample space, does not provide a stimulating and challenging environment where children can explore ideas outdoors. All documentation required for the safe and effective management of the group is in place. This contributes towards the welfare of the children.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. Recruitment and vetting procedures are in place and clearly understood by management to ensure children are effectively protected. Although staff ratios are maintained and on the whole staff are deployed effectively, the current contingency plans should a child become unwell are not effective and constant supervision is not guaranteed. Staff development is encouraged and staff regularly update their individual portfolios of courses. Older children have access to a wide range of toys and play equipment, however, the younger children do not have access to sufficient toys that provide challenge and representation of diversity within them. Overall, the nursery meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The provider was asked to ensure at least half of the childcare staff hold a level 2 qualification in childcare and that staff working with funded children develop their knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff hold recognised childcare qualifications, therefore children receive sound and effective care. Funded children receive sound teaching and learning and are working towards achieving the early learning goals. The provider was also asked to ensure that there is a named deputy who is able to take charge in the absence of the manager. This has been implemented and a deputy is in post, ensuring continuity for parents and children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection Ofsted received three complaints that required the provider to take action. The complaints related to National Standard 2 – Organisation, National Standard 3 – Care Learning and Play, National Standard 5 - Equipment, National Standard 6 - Safety, National Standard 7 – Health, National Standard 8 – Food and Drink, National Standard 9 – Equal

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Complaints 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 Opportunities, National Standard 12 Working in Partnership with Parents and National Standard 14 – Documentation.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The first complaint raised concerns regarding the supervision of children, how children’s individuality is valued, the recording of accidents, hygiene practices, behaviour management and sharing information with parents. The second complaint raised concerns in relation to insufficient qualified staff, the competency of the deputy, the grouping of children, the management of supplies, and dirty, broken toys. Ofsted investigated these concerns by carrying out unannounced inspections. Evidence was found on both occasions that National Standards were not being met. Following the first visit two actions were set under National Standard 7 and National Standard 14. The provider agreed all recommendations and actions. Following the second visit, actions were set under National Standard 2, National Standard 5 and National Standard 6. Progress on these actions was monitored and the provider remained qualified for

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Complaints since the last inspection

The third complaint raised concerns that there were insufficient qualified staff at the Nursery and that due to the lack of qualified staff children's individual needs were not being met. Ofsted visited the nursery to investigate the concerns. Following this visit compliance notices were sent to the provider and actions were set under National Standard 2 and National Standard 3. Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to check compliance with the notices. During this visit further actions were set under National Standard 2, National Standard 3, National Standard 4, National Standard 6 and National Standard 14 and a further notice to comply with regulations was sent. A further visit was carried out and Ofsted was satisfied that the provider had met the compliance notices and the actions. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 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): • expand on sick child policy and ensure effective supervision of sick children at all time • provide a suitable range of toys and activities in order to meet the developmental needs of children aged from one to three years, which includes resources that reflect positive images of diversity • extend children's outdoor play experience.

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The quality and standards of the care

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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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 communication skills through the use of open ended questioning and the extension of language.

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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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