E.C.L

Bizzy Bees Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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137276 Unique Reference Number 14 June 2007 Inspection date Elizabeth Ellen Mackey Inspector

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Wickham Park Sports Club, 228-230 Pickhurst Rise, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 0AQ

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E-mail

June Pauline Killick Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Bizzy Bees Pre-school is a privately owned provision, which opened in 1990. It is located in grounds of the West Wickham sports club, and facilities include a large main base room, an additional room, kitchen, and toilet facilities. There is also access to a large playing field to the side and rear of the building for outdoor play. The group serves the local community.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 49 children from two to five years on roll, of these, 26 children receive funding for early education. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The pre-school opens from 09.15 to 12.15 Monday to Friday term time only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Eleven experienced staff members work with the children. All staff have early years qualifications. An additional, qualified part-time teacher implements a French programme for all children for two sessions per week.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Pre-school has completed accreditation with the Pre-School Learning Alliance. The setting receives support from the Bromley Early Years Childcare Development Partnership

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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 good. Children stay healthy because they are cared for in a clean and hygienic environment. Their health is well promoted as the pre-school staff adhere to appropriate hygiene routines. Children have an understanding about washing and drying their hands after using the toilet and before snack time. Good levels of hygiene are maintained throughout the session. Staff ensure tables are cleaned at appropriate times with anti-bacterial spray. There is also a nappy changing policy, this gives guidance for prevention of cross infection. Routine cleaning of the premises, toys and equipment is carried out daily which results in children's good health being maintained. The procedures for the management of accidents ensure children receive appropriate care and details are recorded and shared with parents. A clear policy and procedure for the care of children who are ill or infectious ensures the risk to healthy children are minimized. All staff

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Helping children to be healthy

have an up to date First Aid certificate.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff provide children with healthy drinks and snacks, which contribute to a well balanced and nutritious diet. Children are given crackers and a selection of fresh fruit with water or milk to drink. Children sometimes make their own fresh fruit salad as part of a topic on healthy eating.

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Helping children to be healthy

The Birth to three matters framework and the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage of learning are used well to ensure children's physical development is planned and promoted indoors and outdoors. As a result children have daily opportunities to play outside. During this time children acquire good coordination as they run around, climb on the apparatus and take turns in sliding down the slide. Children also participate in a variety of indoor physical activities such as balancing, indoor football and they enjoy a weekly dance class. Children competently use a variety of tools to help promote their hand eye coordination. For example, when using scissors, paint brushes and glue sticks .

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play in a bright, welcoming environment, which staff have made safe and secure. Safety standards are maintained because staff carry out daily checks as part of their setting up routine, including sweeping the outside play area. All staff are involved in conducting risk assessments in the setting. Consequently, potential hazards are identified and the appropriate action is taken to ensure these are addressed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected from unknown adults as access to the premises is secure and records of visitors are maintained. They also minimise possible on-going risks to children by ensuring that there is no access to the kitchen area and children are always supervised to the toilet.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are encouraged to learn about personal safety. For example, staff ensure they regularly practise the group's emergency evacuation procedures so they know what to do in the event of a fire. They remind them to use equipment, such as the climbing frame safely and to be mindful of one another in physical play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's security is seen as a priority and staff ensure the entrance to the group is kept locked. Staff are deployed at the door to let parents in and children are only collected by authorized persons.

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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 Children's well-being is safeguarded by staff's knowledge of local child protection procedures and their understanding of their responsibilities for the welfare of the children in their care. However, the recording of safeguarding issues lacks clarity and does not provide a consistent, confidential record of concerns. A concise accurate record is required as part of the setting's safeguarding procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The care and play experiences for children are good. Children are happy and settled because they have good relationships with staff who support them well. Children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they are provided with frequent opportunities for independent choices and good first hand experiences. They are interested in the activities they choose to participate in. For example, they thoroughly enjoy matching numbers and finding the brightly coloured duck with the corresponding number. They eagerly dress up in role play and develop their game in the home corner, admiring themselves in the large mirror.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children under the age of three follow the same curriculum as older children funded for nursery education. It has been adapted for them using the Birth to three matters framework. This ensure activities are appropriately levelled for their age and ability.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff are secure in their understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and this is demonstrated in the detailed planning of activities. For example, planning clearly targets children individually to ensure their intended learning outcomes are met. Staff make good use of their observations of the children's individual progress to enable them to effectively plan for next steps in their learning. This enables them to effectively chart children's progress through the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. Staff manage children's behaviour well and are good role models, creating an environment of harmony and respect

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children experience a good balance of child led and adult initiated activities. They choose freely from the activities set out and also gather for whole group activities, such as story time. They all have the opportunity to attend a weekly French classes, which develops their language skills, both in English and French. Staff are skilful in extending children's learning through asking questions and developing the activities by adding additional resources or helping the children to develop their ideas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing independence in their self-care. For example, they ask to use the toilet and put on their own apron before taking part in messy activities. There is a new system in place for snack time, some children pour their own drinks, however, their independence is not encouraged at this time. The children are capable of being more involved in the preparation of snacks, the system in place at snack time does not promote this.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's communication, language and literacy skills are developing extremely well. For example, they correctly identify their name card, some children write their name on their work and they all thoroughly enjoy listening to stories when they confidently predict what might happen next. They collectively make up a story that is scribed for them by staff. They use their imagination and all contribute to the detail. This is displayed on the wall, which encourages them. Children also talk about their family and confidently use the French words for mother,

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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 father, brother, sister. They sing songs in English and French and converse with puppets as part of their story time. Children readily initiate conversations with adults and ask lots of questions to satisfy their curiosity. For example, one child aged three years old is fascinated by a tractor in the grounds. He is excited and asks staff what the man is doing with the tractor, he watches as the attachments are put on and asks, " is he going to cut the grass?", "why is he going fast?". Staff encourage him and respond to his questions. He is able to remain watching until he sees the grass being cut. He correctly identifies the colour of the tractor, the colour of the grass and the number of attachments put on the tractor.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children count to 10 very well using correct number names, with daily opportunities used to reinforce this. Children use numbers in all topics, for example, counting how many children in their group and how many bean bags they manage to get into a hoop. They are introduced to simple addition and subtraction appropriately through number rhymes and they use language such as more, less, big and little frequently in routines and activities. The outdoor area is used effectively, as children are encouraged to look out for different shapes as they walk through the grounds. They have many opportunities to sort, match and compare objects in a variety of contexts. For example, they play matching card games, they learn about volume and how containers hold different amounts of water and why some items float or sink.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's physical skills are developing extremely well. They use resources, such as paintbrushes, pens and pencils with good control. Children confidently use large equipment and outdoor resources with good co-ordination. They show they can climb, balance and kick a ball into a net. They demonstrate good throwing and catching skills, using balls and bean bags.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use a variety of different materials and choose methods of joining which include glue and sticky tape to make collage pictures. The children made a fantastic model using all recycled materials as part of a topic about recycling, it has won first prize in a competition.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children have their individual needs met well as the setting is proactive in its approach to those with additional needs. The special needs co-ordinator discusses each child with their parents to ensure that individual requirements are fully met. The setting liaises closely with external agencies who are also working with the children and with parents. Children are made welcome and demonstrate a sense of belonging as they move freely between activities and confidently interact with staff. Children form good relationships with their peers and they settle quickly because staff are sensitive to their needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children become aware of the wider society as they have access to a good range of toys and resources which promote positive images of diversity. Toys and resources that promote equality of opportunity are integrated within their play environment, for example, books, play figures, puzzles and dolls represent different races and cultures. They celebrate a range of festivals from various faiths throughout the year. For example, Chinese New Year, Christmas, Diwali, and Easter. The children participate in activities such as dressing up in traditional Africa dress, making dragons, and making Easter bonnets. Children engage in activities that develop their awareness of the community as they visit the local school, library, Bromley Fields study centre and the local pizza restaurant, where the children make their own pizzas. Children also take part in sponsored

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Helping children make a positive contribution

activities and raise funds for various local and national charities, such as child line and comic

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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 relief. This supports children's learning and understanding of the wider society in which we live.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The behaviour of the children is very good. Staff remind children about sharing and they respond positively to this. Children also respond well to familiar triggers such as 'tidy up time' or end of snack time when they return their plate and cup. Staff treat children with respect and encourage children to listen to each other in group situations.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are provided with detailed information when their child first starts at the group. Notices and information about activities are displayed on the notice board and newsletters are sent out regularly to keep them updated. The setting also has a website, which is informative and parents can access updated information. The settings has a procedure for complaints, however it fails to meet regulations and a recommendation is made for the Provider to improve their knowledge of the regulation and develop a system in line with regulations.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are asked to complete questionnaires about the views, this demonstrates a commitment to partnership with parents and in developing the service. Parents are supported in the care of their child and all the parents who expressed their views during the inspection spoke of their extreme satisfaction of the care and activities provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of nursery education is good. Parents are provided with detailed information about the Foundation Stage and they are able to view their child's record of progress at any time. They have good opportunities to be involved in their child's learning. Parents provide information about their child before they start at the pre-school. However, they are not asked to contribute to children's initial profiles. This would enable a more comprehensive picture of children's ability and their starting point.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Staff effectively organise the setting to maximise play opportunities for the children. They work well together as a team and staff morale is high. Staff are clear of their responsibilities and show a commitment to developing their knowledge, through training. The managers of the setting are supportive and operate a hands on approach. Staff recruitment procedures include interviews, references and Criminal Records Bureau checks. However, new regulations in 2005 have not been implemented by the provider. This means recruitment procedures are not robust and may not determine effectively whether a person is suitable to work with children.

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Organisation

All of the required documentation is in place, such as attendance, accident and child records and policies and procedures cover all areas. However, not all policies have been reviewed to ensure they are up to date and meet current regulation. For example, procedures for safeguarding do not reflect recent changes regarding the role of the Local Safeguarding Children board, the complaints procedure does not correctly detail the process in the event of a parent having a complaint and the recruitment and vetting of staff policy is not comprehensive enough to effectively determine suitability.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The programme of activities offered covers all six areas of learning and recording systems are in place to effectively chart children's progress towards the early learning goals. Planning is exceptionally well done and ensures all children's needs are addressed. Staff successfully monitor the effectiveness of the nursery education through evaluating focused activities and regular discussion about the

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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 progress children are making. All staff contribute to planning and make observations on all the children.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the provider agreed to improve incident and medication recording, because they were combined. The provider has improved the system and now maintains a separate record in relation to medication and incidents. The provider also agreed to provide parents with the telephone number of the regulator. This has been implemented and the number is displayed and included in procedures.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last nursery education inspection, the provider was judged as very good and no weaknesses were identified.

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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 taken 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 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 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): • develop knowledge and systems for the recording of complaints, in line with regulations • ensure procedures for staff recruitment are robust and in line with regulations • review safeguarding procedures to ensure they are in line with latest guidance, paying particular attention to the recording and monitoring of concerns

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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): • increase opportunities for children to develop independence, particularly at snack time

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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 • develop the system for children's profiles by obtaining information from parents about their child's starting points

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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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