Busy Bees Day Nursery at Cheadle Kingsway

Leapfrog Day Nursery - Cheadle, Kingsway Inspection report for early years provision

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307163 Unique Reference Number 04 December 2007 Inspection date Zoe Smith Inspector

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High Grove Road, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 1NP Setting Address

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0161 428 6226 Telephone number kingsway@pcnurseries.com E-mail Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of 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

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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?

Kingsway Day Nursery was established in 1997. It operates from single storey, purpose built premises in the Cheadle area of Stockport. There are four children's playrooms and two enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 07.30 to 18.00, throughout the year, with the exception of bank holidays.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to provide full day care for 67 children. There are currently 72 children on roll, of these 14 are funded three and four-year-olds. The nursery is able to support children who speak English as an additional language and children who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is owned by Busy Bees who are trading as Leapfrog Day Nurseries Ltd. An appropriately qualified manager is employed to manage the day to day running of the nursery. She is assisted by a team of 19 early years and two support staff, most of the early years staff hold relevant childcare qualifications. The setting receives support from an early years development worker and an advisory teacher.

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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 are developing good control and co-ordination over their bodies through a variety of planned activities inside and outside. Outside children enjoy running round, playing on the wheeled toys, climbing on the climbing frames and joining in circle games. However, opportunities to play outside are not maximised, especially when the weather is inclement and sometimes children and babies go a full day without any fresh air and vigorous exercise. Babies pull themselves to standing and use the ball pool for support to practise walking. Children look forward to a weekly exercise and sports session, which promotes health and fitness through good exercise habits. Babies benefit from continuity of care because their home feeding and sleep routines are followed.

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Helping children to be healthy

Effective hygiene practices and routines are implemented to protect children from cross-infection and to help keep them well. The premises are warm and clean. Nappy changing routines are scrupulous; disposable gloves, aprons and mats are used to minimise the risk of cross contamination. Most staff have up to date training in food hygiene and administering first aid. The appropriate permissions and records are in place regarding accidents and the administration of medication to children. Children are starting to learn about hygiene and cleanliness. They wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and baking.

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Helping children to be healthy

All food is cooked and freshly prepared on the premises. Children enjoy a varied and nutritious diet that includes plenty of fresh fruit, salad and vegetables. Pre-school children enthusiastically help themselves to sausage casserole, new potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli at lunchtime. They sit together to enjoy their food and each others company. Children’s individual and special dietary requirements are agreed with parents and are well catered for. Fresh drinking water is readily available to quench children’s thirst and keep them hydrated. Discussions, activities and stories are helping children learn about the importance of looking after their bodies. Children regularly join in baking activities and colour in pictures of, ‘what I use to clean my teeth’, and their bodies.

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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 well maintained nursery. Posters, pictures and examples of the children’s creativity make the environment child friendly, interesting and stimulating. The premises are mostly well lit. However, in the toddler room, for a period of the day the lights are switched off and some curtains drawn to allow children to sleep, this makes the room too dark for the children who are awake to see clearly. Comprehensive risk assessments of the premises have been conducted and are regularly reviewed. Effective precautions have been put in place to minimise identified risks. Covers are fitted to exposed plug sockets and there is an extensive impact absorbing surface in the outdoor play area. Effective fire precautions and procedures are in place. Fire detection and fighting equipment is provided, regularly checked and appropriately maintained. Frequent fire drills are conducted to ensure children and staff

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

are proficient in emergency evacuation procedures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are finding out about what is dangerous and how they can keep themselves safe through stories, discussions and activities. The road safety officer regularly visits to talk to the children. They practise crossing the road using wheeled toys, a pretend zebra crossing and toy

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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 road signs and they enjoyed making a very large picture of a road safety officer to remind them of the best place to cross the road. Children are enthralled when the fire-fighters come to talk to them about fire safety, they eagerly dress up in their helmets and coats and help to hold the hoses and spray water. Children choose what to play with from a wide range of safe, good quality resources, which are appropriate to their age and stage of development. The safety and protection of children is given high priority. Staff are well trained in and have a good understanding of safeguarding children procedures and their responsibility to take action should they have concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Play and activities are planned using a thematic approach. Staff have a good understanding of the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework. They use their knowledge to plan a wide variety of age appropriate play and learning opportunities. This ensures children can make good progress and are supported to take the next steps in their learning and development. Children’s interest and enthusiasm is maintained because toys and activities are changed regularly during the day. Positive adult and child interactions help children to feel secure and are encouraging them to become skilful communicators. Children love snuggling up to staff to look at books and listen to stories and enthusiastically join in singing sessions. These activities are helping them to listen, respond to language and build their vocabulary. Babies and younger children thoroughly enjoy playing with musical instruments and activity centres. They vigorously bang and shake

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the instruments to make lots of noise whilst staff sing familiar nursery rhymes and songs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Jigsaws and inset puzzles are popular with younger children, who carefully manipulate the pieces into the correct place and concentrate intently until they have completed the puzzle. Children have opportunities to explore a good range of sensory, messy and creative activities, such as sand, paint, water, cutting and sticking. They enjoy playing in the sand, savouring the feel of it as it flows through their fingers and enthusiastically digging with spades and filling the tipper trucks up with sand. Children happily join in organised painting activities, using potatoes to make prints of penguins, to make Christmas cards to take home. They get lots of paint on the brush, table, paper and their hands as they happily paint pictures of their own choice. Babies have opportunities to explore natural products when they investigate the contents of treasure baskets. They enjoy sitting in the ball pool and throwing the balls out and then

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

watching the staff and children pick them up. There are lots of smiles when babies play ‘peek a boo’ with a member of staff and when they hide toys in a box and the toys jump out of the box.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. There are detailed methods of monitoring children’s learning, achievements and progress. However, children are not consistently supported to ensure they are challenged and take the next steps in their learning. This is because staff caring for them in the absence of their key person do not have sufficient knowledge or understanding about individual children’s abilities or the Foundation Stage. Planning demonstrates children are provided with a wide range of activities that cover the six areas of learning. However, short term plans are completed on the day to enable children and staff to decide together the activities. This results in insufficient emphasis being placed on learning experiences by staff who are not familiar with the children, planning systems and the nursery curriculum. For example, the children were enthralled and thoroughly enjoyed joining in with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 the ‘Bear Hunt’ in the morning, but quickly lost interest and started fidgeting when a different member of staff repeated the activity in the afternoon.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have good relationships with their peers and staff, they are responsive to each other and constantly talk and listen to each other. They are developing good self-help and independence skills. Children attend to their own personal care, set the table and serve themselves at mealtimes. Children are able to maintain their attention and concentrate when they are interested in the available activities and stories.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s spoken language is developing well and they are becoming confident speakers. They initiate conversations and recollect events that happened at the weekend. Children understand that print carries meaning and are beginning to develop early writing skills. They use stencils and templates and make marks as they practise writing in the writing area. Children are beginning to recognise letters and to learn the different letters sounds through activities involving the letter of the week. They eagerly shout out that bedroom, bear and beautiful begin with 'b'. Children enjoy listening to stories, they listen intently when the librarian comes to read them stories

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show an awareness of and interest in counting and number activities. They join in and sing counting rhymes and songs, such as five speckled frogs and ten green bottles. Children use a range of resources, including cubes and threading beads to sequence and make patterns. Number and counting posters are displayed to support the children's learning and stimulate their interest in number. Children fill up either side of the weighing scales with plastic bears and talk about how many bears they need to take off to make the scales balance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have daily access to a computer and confidently follow simple instructions and skilfully control the mouse as they play educational games. Children thoroughly enjoy learning about where they live, the weather, environment and nature. They are captivated when a visitor comes to talk to them about animals and brings in frogs, spiders and snakes for them to see. Children experiment to find out which objects float and which sink.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities to design, build and express themselves by using a wide variety of media, such as shapes, construction, imaginative resources, creative materials and musical instruments. Children enjoy exploring what happens when they mix different colours of paint. They carefully design and then build fire engines using construction sets. Children have very well developed imaginations and act out detailed scenarios which involve taking the dolls on a bus to see the doctor at the hospital.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children have access to a wide range of resources that provide positive images of diversity, such as posters, books, musical instruments and imaginative play equipment. Children are learning about the wider world they live in and to respect and value differences. Stories, discussions and creative activities are helping children find out about Eid, Hanukah and Christmas and how people celebrate these festivals. Children join in activities and play a variety of musical instruments to help them find out and enjoy listening to music from around the world.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All children are welcomed and play a full part at the nursery. Staff positively support and help children to play nicely, share and take turns. Children are given simple explanations to help

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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 them understand what is expected of them and the reason they must not do something. For example, staff carefully explain they could fall and hurt themselves if they run whilst indoors. Toddlers and pre-school children often talk about the rules and how they should behave at nursery. Children respond to meaningful praise from staff and behave well. Discussions and stories are used to help children learn what is right and what is wrong. Children are learning about good manners, the pre-school children spontaneously say, 'thank you' to the librarian for coming to read them a story.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents is good. Positive steps are taken to ensure they are kept well informed about all relevant policies and procedures. Parents are greeted in a friendly, warm and welcoming manner. Discussions, notice boards and written daily information sheets keep them well informed about how their child has spent his or her day. Parents speak highly of the nursery, how well it has prepared their children for school, how happy their children are and how it has helped children develop their confidence, abilities and learning skills. Questionnaires are used to regularly ascertain parent’s views on the quality of care and to enable the nursery to continual develop the service provided. 'About me' books, newsletters, notices, the nursery brochure and six monthly parents' evenings and reports are also used to effectively inform parents about their child’s progress, the care provided and nursery curriculum.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are happy and settled at the friendly and well organised nursery. The key person system is effective in enabling staff to get to know individual children well, to monitor their development and to make sure all children get regular one to one time with their key person. The nursery has a positive commitment to staff training and development. Most staff hold appropriate early years childcare qualification or are working towards achieving one. Regular attendance on short courses enables staff to continually enhance their skills in specific subjects, such as safeguarding children, behaviour management and parents as partners. The nursery works closely with an early years development worker and advisory teacher to help them continually improve the standard of care and education provided.

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Organisation

The leadership and management are good. The management and staffing structure is well established, and has a clear sense of purpose and direction. Individual staff members are pro-active in taking full responsibility for their additional roles and delegated responsibilities. Staff appraisals, frequent team and planning meetings ensure staff work together, continually review, evaluate and develop practice. All required records and documentation are in place, clear, well maintained and retained for inspection. Well developed policies and procedures are used to effectively underpin staff practice and the care provided. Robust recruitment, selection and induction procedures are in place to ensure the suitability of staff.

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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 two recommendations were agreed to improve the quality and standards of care for children. Play plans have been developed to incorporate observations of children and include outdoor play opportunities, however, a further recommendation has been agreed on this inspection. Effective hygiene practices are now maintained throughout the setting to help to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and to protect children from illness.

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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 At the last nursery education three key issues were identified for improvement. A more effective monitoring system has been introduced to make sure that planning covers all aspects of the early learning goals and children can access all areas of the provision, however, a further recommendation has been agreed on this inspection. Resources have been improved to enable children to freely express their creative ideas and investigate how things work and why things happen. Parents are now provided with information about the early learning goals and opportunities to contribute to planning for the next steps in their child’s learning.

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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. 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): • ensure children frequently access the outdoor play area to participate in vigorous exercise and physical play activities (also applies to nursery education) • make sure the premises are well lit at all times.

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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 planning systems to ensure that short term plans are used effectively to challenge children and stimulate their interest, learning and development • develop staff knowledge and understanding of the children in their care and the foundation stage and make sure they consistently promote, encourage, support and challenge the next steps in children's learning.

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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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