The BramblesOfsted inspection, 5 Jul 2005

The Brambles

Inspection report for early years provision

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The Brambles

Unique Reference Number EY239478 Inspection date 05 July 2005 Inspector Cordalee Harrison

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The Brambles

Setting Address Singleborough, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, MK17 0RF

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The Brambles

Telephone number 01296 715955 E-mail tracey@bramblesnursery.com Registered person Tracey Jane Wadsworth Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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The Brambles

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are 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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Brambles Nursery was registered in 2002. It operates in a converted house near the village of Singleborough outside Buckinghamshire. The nursery is managed by a private company. The premises has five rooms on the first floor, for children aged 0-2.5 years, with designated utility areas for the baby and toddler rooms, children in the baby room have a separate room for sleeping. Children aged 2.5 to under 5 years are

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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 accommodated in three rooms on the ground floor with suitable toilet and washing facilities. The nursery is open 51 weeks of the year, Monday to Friday 07.45 to 18.30. There are currently 59 children on roll aged 3 months to under 5 years. Of these 13 children, receive funding for nursery education. Children come from Buckingham and the surrounding areas. There are no children with special needs, children who speak English as an additional language do attend the nursery. Eight staff are qualified in childcare, one is currently on a training course. Two members of staff are Cooks; they are employed on a part time basis.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's warm interaction with staff highly promotes their emotional well-being. Children in all areas are learning to make healthy choices about food through the nutritious meals, snacks and drink on offer. Older children further develop their understanding when they grow vegetables in the garden as part of their topic work. Children are learning good self care skills; those who are able, feed and help themselves to water when they need it. Younger children develop their co-ordination through using utensils that are appropriate for their stage and abilities, staff give them the additional support they need at meal times. Through regular hygiene practice children in all areas of the nursery are developing good hygiene habits. Older children wash and dry their hands independently, after using the toilet and before eating. They show their independence and self care skills when they select tissues to wipe their noses, and dispose of tissues properly.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have fun and stay fit and healthy, through activities and resources that develop fine and gross motor skills. They learn to control their movements when they, ride tricycles, use scooters, bats and balls, run, jump, mould dough and cut with scissors. Pre-school children show pride in their physical ability, this was particularly evident when a child entered into a running race against a member of staff in the garden. Babies and toddlers roll, crawl and use suitable equipment when they are indoors; which help them to increase their mobility, have fun and maintain good health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have reasonable access to sufficient good quality well maintained resources; they select and use resources that are available to them independently and confidently in premises that are clean and bright. Children are safe in the nursery; detailed and systematic risk assessments minimise most risks indoors and outside; however, the nappy changing units are not entirely

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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 safe. Safe arrangements are in place for their arrival and collection each day. The staff’s sound knowledge of child protection and clear lines of communication for dealing with child protection issues in the local area fully protects children’s welfare. Children are learning the boundaries to keep themselves safe, for example, children do not run indoors and know the reasons for not doing so; staff’s good supervision ensures that accidents are minimised. Children practise fire drills regularly, which makes evacuation of the premises familiar to older children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are confident, comfortable and enjoy their time in the nursery. Babies and toddlers are relaxed and contented; they smile and show their curiosity. They achieve well because staff use their experience and good childcare skills along with guidance from the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage and Birth to three matters framework to provide good quality care and education. The youngest children make good progress because of the close and caring relationships, they develop with their carers, who take the necessary time to settle them and follow their individual routines. Older children speak clearly and ask questions. They speak freely to share experiences and listen with interest to stories. Children involve others in their play and make good relationships with their peers and adults. Nursery Education The quality of the teaching and learning is good. Most children make good progress

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

in their learning across all areas of the curriculum. Staff use the foundation stage of the curriculum and knowingly link the stepping stones to the curriculum. They identify learning intentions, but they do not identify the next step in individual children’s learning to enable all children to participate at an appropriate level. Children are developing a sense of time and place when they talk about what happens when they are away from the setting. Through topics and themes they are learning about the natural world. They deepen their understanding of how plants grow and the effect of time when they care for the vegetables they plant in the garden. They explore the natural world hunting for bugs in the garden and discuss what is happening around them as they play outside. Children are learning about cultural diversity, they celebrate different festivals and use some multi-cultural resources. They are learning that words carry meaning and use writing implements.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They count to 15 and beyond, and add and subtract in daily activities, but there are insufficient activities for children to replicate written numerals in everyday activities. Children show good imagination and use role play to practise what they know, extend their communication skills and initiate play. Children sing independently and also along to music tapes as part of group activities, for example two children in the home corner sang “twinkle twinkle little star” and other rhymes to their dolls, they laughed together and enjoyed their game. They develop their creativity building with various

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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 construction materials and use junk modelling to express their ideas. Children show good level of co-ordination and an awareness of space as they run, pedal bikes and swing. Children develop their gross motor skills and have fun daily in the garden.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are developing good self esteems, all make individual choices and most are involved in purposeful activities. However, staff do not ensure all children are engaged purposefully at activities to extend their learning. Children behave well. They know when they have done well through the staff's acknowledgement and praises; children take turns and share. Older children are learning to consider and value others through discussion with staff and their peers. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. However, the group provides few playthings that reflect cultural diversity and no resources to raise children's awareness of disability; children are not able to extend their play with the use of practical resources that reflects this area of learning and experience. Younger and older children benefit from the positive partnership staff develops with

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Helping children make a positive contribution

parents. Babies settle well because staff work closely with their parents. Sufficient good quality information is exchanged between staff and parents; they feel involved in their children's learning, this encourages them to follow up on some of the nursery activities at home. The partnership with parents is good. This approach fosters continuity of care and education for children between home and nursery.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are welcomed into a well organised and safe nursery environment, with sufficient staff and suitable resources. Children are well supervised by sufficient qualified staff who works directly with them. The recruitment and vetting procedure is sound. Induction covers all essential elements so that new staff are clear about their role and are able to act in the interest of children's welfare and safety. Children in all areas of the nursery benefit from the effective training staff receive. Leadership and management are good. Staff protects children's welfare fully. There are good policies and procedures in place that are reviewed, maintained and understood. The leadership and management team work closely with staff and parents, this keeps lines of communication open to maintain children's safety and well-being. The leadership team identifies staff roles and duties; sufficient staff are

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Organisation

deployed effectively to work directly with children. Annual evaluation of the whole provision using information from parents and staff enables them to plan ahead for children's care and education. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the registered person was asked to make sure that a suitably qualified deputy is identified in the nursery and to ensure that children are grouped appropriately. The provider has met both of these recommendations. There is now a named deputy who is qualified to level 3 in childcare and education; she is clear about her duties and is able to supervise the day to day duties in the nursery to ensure that children's needs are properly catered for in the absence of the manager. Children are now managed in age appropriate groups where their needs are met by staff providing them with continuity of care in a manner that is appropriate to their stages of development.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, there has been one complaint related to Standard 6: Safety. Concern was raised regarding the safety of children playing at the bottom of the nursery garden. Ofsted asked the provider to investigate. The provider reported back with details of the layout of the garden in proximity to the road, provided photographs of the garden, with a copy of their most recent risk assessment. Ofsted was satisfied that the registered person had taken the appropriate steps to address the concern. The provider remains qualified for registration.

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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 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): • make sure that the nappy changing facilities do not pose a danger to children • ensure that all children's individual needs are clearly identified and catered for at each session; increase the toys and resources to support children's learning of cultural diversity and to raise their awareness of disability

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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 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 recognise and replicate numerals in everyday activities • improve the recording of children's achievements to identify the next step in their learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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