Bright Horizons Barford Day Nursery and Preschool

Beehive Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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200506 Unique Reference Number 01 August 2007 Inspection date Elenora Griffin Inspector

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Beehive Nursery, Church Street, Barford, Warwick, Warwickshire, CV35 8EW

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Setting Address

01926 624616 Telephone number barford@beehivenurseries.co.uk E-mail Beehive Day Nurseries Ltd Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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Setting Address

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 good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Beehive Nursery opened in Barford in 1997 and has now been taken over by Bright Horizons, Family Solutions. It operates from the former village school premises, which consists of four main areas for the differing ages of children attending and additional facilities including a milk kitchen, sleep room and staff area. A maximum of 52 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 08:00 to 18:00, all year round. All children access a fully enclosed outdoor play area and have access to the school playground.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 68 children aged from three months to under five years on roll. Of these, 22 children receive funding for early education. Children come from the local area and many of the surrounding towns and villages, and attend for a variety of sessions.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 16 members of staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications and two are currently 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 outstanding. Children's health is extremely well promoted by staff who take positive steps to promote children's good health. They follow effective hygiene procedures consistently, which maintains high standards of cleanliness throughout the nursery. They encourage children to begin to take responsibility for meeting their own health needs, such as cleaning their faces after meals and blowing their own noses. As children develop their self-care skills and independence, they become increasingly more active in contributing to the development of health and care routines. For example, at lunch time babies are encouraged to feed themselves and then as they become older they are expected to wash their own hands and then to start serving themselves, making choices about what they want to eat. Children continue to build on their skills so that when they reach pre-school they are able to take responsibility for their own morning snack, for

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Helping children to be healthy

setting lunch tables and making their own sandwiches for tea. They also become involved in growing their own food, eagerly picking new strawberries, talking about the threat from slugs to their harvest and taking turns watering their plants.

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Helping children to be healthy

Meal times are lovely social occasions when children come together to eat and to enjoy one another's company. Children thrive from balanced, nutritional meals, which they receive throughout the day. They are able to independently access fresh drinking water and babies are encouraged to take sips from individual cups. Children's individual preferences, health and dietary requirements are very well met. Detailed information is gathered and effectively shared with all staff. Children's photo and names cards have a dual purpose. Children use them to find their seat at meals times and learn to recognise their name in print. For staff, they provide essential information about children's preferences and requirements. As a result, staff are able to respond successfully to children's needs. Each child is highly valued and celebrated through making routines such as feeding and changing a personal experience. This is because excellent

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Helping children to be healthy

use is made of the key worker system. Each child has their individual care needs consistently met by their own key worker, who uses these times to engage with them, building strong and trusting relationships.

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Helping children to be healthy

Comprehensive documentation is in place and it is used effectively to promote children's health and well-being. For example, accident records are scrutinised in order to identify any potential areas for concern. Children are very well taken care of if they have an accident or become unwell. Over half of the staff have received first aid training, accidents are well documented, shared promptly and appropriately with parents, and permissions are in place for the seeking of emergency medical treatment. Parents are well informed about the sick child policy and procedures, and exclusion periods are clearly displayed around the nursery for staff to share with parents. Children's ongoing health needs are effectively met because parents give signed consents and detailed instructions for the administration of medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children flourish from regular opportunities to be active both inside and out in the fresh air. They enthusiastically become engrossed in a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities which provide high levels of challenge. Babies enjoy well organised space in which to move about in, walking, crawling and reaching for toys, and staff provide support for them as they start to pull up and begin to walk. Climbing apparatus becomes increasing challenging as children develop and planned activities provide further opportunities for them to refine their control and co-ordination. For example, they are encouraged to attempt to jump backwards and to climb up, over and down a high triangular climbing frame. Children use bean bags, hoops

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 and cones with increasing control as staff guide and support them through sports day games. Following this, children have great fun practising their new found skills as they use equipment imaginatively and confidently in their free play. Children's development and skills are further supported and extended through weekly sessions with a football coach and a specialist run physical development programme. Children are highly active, develop positive attitudes towards physical exercise and have a growing awareness of the importance of staying healthy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy being cared for in an environment that is friendly and welcoming. They develop a sense of belonging and feel valued because they each have their own peg and pocket for their belongings, which are clearly identified with their photograph and name. They stay safe and secure because staff have a good awareness of safety procedures and are vigilant. They ensure that external doors remain locked, that room temperatures are monitored and sleeping children regularly checked. Children are well supervised and staff ensure that visitors and staff with incomplete checks are never left unsupervised with children. Space is generally well organised to provide children with room to move about, be active and spread out with activities. Although, toddlers sleep very close to one another due to limited space, babies enjoy sleeping in separate cots and all children use individual sheeting, which is cleaned at least once a week.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Outside areas are partitioned so that all of the children can access the outdoors safely, and safety is being improved through the development of the areas used. For example, through the installation of Astroturf in one area and the removal of broken equipment from another.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Through the key worker system they learn that only people special to them meet their initial care needs and they are encouraged to become independent in meeting their own needs. Children are encouraged to learn the rules that keep them safe and they practise the emergency evacuation procedure each month. Comprehensive documentation is in place to promote the safety and welfare of children. For example, child protection policies and Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures are readily accessible to all staff, and they are well equipped to put procedures into practice. This is because key staff complete up-to-date training that they disseminate, and time is utilised in team meetings to discuss different child protection scenarios and the complex issues that can arise. Through such discussions staff develop their understanding and

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

confidence in dealing with any concerns. Therefore, children are well safeguarded from harm and neglect by staff who have a good knowledge of their role in child protection.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy being cared for in a bright and welcoming environment. They are settled and quickly become actively engaged in their environment. Babies and young children develop close relationships with their key workers who take a special interest in their care, ensuring that their needs are met and interests stimulated. As a result, children feel valued, safe and secure, and become increasing confident and independent. Babies and young children play, have fun, share books and sing with staff, enjoying their attentiveness and company. Babies have fun climbing in and out of play houses and exploring toys such as stacking cups, soft blocks and an activity stand. Young children are beginning to develop their imaginative play as they explore the home corner and play with dolls in prams. They are learning to take turns and start to actively engage

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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 in group activities, guessing what is left in the mystery toy sack, as staff offer lots of praise and encouragement.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies and young children are beginning to investigate their surroundings independently and can readily access a selected range of toys and resources to stimulate their play. Staff endeavour to provide a range of activities each week that broaden children's experiences, often returning to these experiences over time. For example, planned activities include opportunities for children to explore trays of dry pasta, paint, foam, water and play-dough. However, access to a more varied range of resources which provide opportunities to explore natural, open ended resources, such as these, through all of their senses are generally limited to planned activities. Consequently, the time that children have to fully explore, manipulate and repeat experiences is limited.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff get to know children very well and plan good quality experiences for them. They make regular observations of children's achievements and interests. They use these effectively to plan experiences that will provide appropriate opportunities for children to build on what they already know. This is because staff are developing a new method of using observations, so that they are assessed and used to inform plans for what comes next for the child. Individual plans are then incorporated into weekly and daily plans, which are consequently used dynamically to meet children's needs. As a result, children are interested in and stimulated by the activities and experiences that are offered.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Child-led planning is used throughout the nursery and therefore, the daily and weekly planning in the pre-school room is used effectively to support children's individual next steps in learning. Staff are knowledgeable and have a good understanding of the areas of learning and the early learning goals. However, currently systems are not used effectively to ensure that assessments and planning cover all areas of learning for each child. Staff are beginning to use the new observation and planning system to develop Foundation Stage developmental profiles to assess children's progress through all areas of learning. Children currently make good progress because staff ensure that planned activities in general cover the different areas of learning, and these are evaluated and developed by staff. Staff use a range of effective methods to help children to consolidate and extend their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

For example, as they ask children questions about what their plants need in order to grow and what a clock is used for. They encourage children to try and to become involved in various activities, talking to the children about what they are doing. Staff organise time well to support children's free play alongside planned experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are confident and independently access the appropriate range of resources that are provided for them each day, making choices about what they want to do. However, the organisation of resources does not currently support children to develop their own initiative to build and extend play ideas through incorporating and drawing upon a wide range of materials, tools and resources. Therefore, some learning opportunities are limited. For example, during outside play children move from painting with water on wood, to playing with sand, to drawing, and do not develop and extend their experiences through exploring different combinations of the materials. Children are interested in the different activities offered and become actively engaged, often showing excitement and pleasure as they play and learn. For example, as they cover areas of fence with water with paint brushes. Children form good relationships with other

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children and staff. They are self-assured and talk confidently in groups as they negotiate the use of resources, take turns and express their ideas. Children listen and respond with enjoyment

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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 stories and look at books together in the home corner, taking on the roles of the reader and listener. They use speech to organise and explore real and imagined experiences. For example, as they describe the different aspects of their pictures. Children hear, say and begin to write initial sounds in spoken words. They attempt to write for a variety of purposes and some children are beginning to write their own names.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children explore and develop their understanding of mathematical concepts and ideas through practical activities and the daily routine. They measure themselves against a wall chart and compare their heights. Children explore shape, space and measure as they use a variety of resources in sand and water, construct, use play-dough and complete jigsaw puzzles. Routine tasks such as setting tables for lunch help children to understand about one-to-one correspondence as they match the number of settings to children. Children use mathematical language as they play and count reliably to ten and beyond. They know about the uses of everyday technology and independently access the computer using a child friendly keyboard. Children make sense of the world around them through first hand, practical experiences. They are encouraged to identify features of living things, to ask questions and to look closely at similarities, difference and change. For example, as they grow their own strawberries, sunflowers

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and pumpkins. They care for and tend their own plants noting the effect of being closer or further away from direct sun light.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are able to be creative, expressing their own ideas and thoughts through art, playing with musical instruments and imaginative play. They enjoy drawing pictures of things they have done with their families, freely painting with a range of colours and creating a picnic for the dolls in their home corner. Daily use of paint, construction resources and drawing tools effectively supports children to develop good hand and finger control. As a result, they handle objects, tools, construction and malleable materials with increasing control and precision. For example, as they make their own sandwiches at tea time. Children use their imaginations as they create and construct, making tractors and a 'pusher plough'. Planned activities offer children good opportunities to further explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions. Children enjoy singing songs from memory, and explore music and movement

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

through weekly sessions with a music teacher. Through the broad range of planned activities and resources that children enthusiastically become engaged in, they develop positive attitudes towards learning and make good progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are treated with equal concern and have their individual needs well met, which actively promotes inclusion. They are encouraged to be actively involved in the activities of the nursery and make good progress as they are supported to participate alongside their peers. Staff are proactive and make reasonable adjustments to ensure that action is taken to support children's developmental needs. They liaise with parents and regularly seek advice from external agencies. Therefore, appropriate systems are in place to support the needs of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There are suitable resources and planned activities to help children learn about the wider world and diversity through their play. Children feel valued because staff ensure that activities reflect the culture and beliefs of all of the families that attend.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children are well behaved and play harmoniously together. Young children are appropriately supported by an environment that stimulates and engages them, and by staff who encourage them to start sharing and to

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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 take turns. Older children are able to negotiate roles in their play and share resources such as wheels as they create vehicles together. They build positive relationships, enjoying the friendship of others as they build, read books to one another and make a picnic. Children develop good manners and use, 'please' and 'thank you' spontaneously. They are developing a good understanding of right and wrong as they become actively involved in developing the rules of the pre-school room.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's needs are well met from the start because parents and carers are asked about what their children can do, their routines, preferences and what comforts them. In return parents receive good quality, comprehensive information about the setting, and important policies and procedures are highlighted to them, such as the complaints procedure. There is a flexible settling in procedure to ensure that children are happy and comfortable in the setting before their parents leave them. Babies and young children enjoy excellent continuity of care because staff and parents effectively share information about activities and routines through daily diaries and discussions. As a result, of seeing parents and staff acting together, giving consistent messages, children develop a sense of trust in the adults that care for them. Displays using information posters and photographs help parents to be well informed about the activities their

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Helping children make a positive contribution

children do and how these link to the, 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Parents are very well informed about their children’s achievements and progress. Staff give regular verbal feedback to parents and celebrate children's achievements through photographic displays of their activities and displays of their artwork. Beautifully complied scrapbooks of children's art work are compiled by staff for parents to treasure as an illustration of the progress their child has made during the year. These records are being enhanced and given richer meaning through the inclusion of observations and developmental profiles. Parents are actively encouraged to share what they know about their child, and to become involved in the assessment and planning process through regular parent consultation meetings. Parents are very well supported to be involved in their children's learning. They receive comprehensive information though notice boards, learning support leaflets, such

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Helping children make a positive contribution

as 'Ready for School', and monthly newsletters. These inform parents about current activities and topics, and provide interesting ideas, hints and tips for how parents can support and extend children's learning at home. Children experience a wonderful link between nursery and home through taking home the cuddly toys, Edgar, Ebony or Toby. Through this activity parents become actively engaged, staff get to know children even better and children develop confidence talking in familiar groups as they share the experience. This is because parents help children to keep a diary of the adventures they have when their cuddly friend stays with them, which they then share with their friends during circle time.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Outcomes for children are well promoted though the good organisation of the nursery. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that children are cared for by suitable staff with appropriate experience, and that lead staff have appropriate training and qualifications. The key worker system is used effectively to meet children's individual physical and emotional care needs. Well developed contingency arrangements are in place to ensure that good staffing ratios are maintained, and that just one other person is assigned to take over children's individual care needs when their own key worker is not present. Children's care is well supported through comprehensive documentation and an extensive set of detailed policies and procedures. Policies and procedures work well in practice because a manageable sample of them, that are significant and relevant to the health, safety and care of children, are made readily accessible to parents

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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 and staff. As a result, these become useable documents that are promoted by lead members of staff and discussed during regular team meetings. Children are settled, happy and confident because they are cared for by staff who have a shared sense of responsibility and a high regard for children's well-being.

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Organisation

The leadership and management is good. Lead staff and management are committed to the provision of good quality care and nursery education for children. They are enthusiastic about making changes for the better, and this motivates staff to meet the challenges of change that leads to improvement. Although formal systems have not been established for monitoring and evaluating the provision of nursery education, strengths and areas for improvement are identified through evaluation of activities and the sharing of ideas through team meetings. These are used effectively to plan for priorities in the development of resources and staff training. The nursery is committed to improving the care and education of its children through the development of improved observations, assessment and planning procedures. Staff are well motivated and actively engaged in ongoing training and weekly workshops held through conference call facilities. Consequently, planning is becoming increasing child-led and responsive

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Organisation

to individual needs. This in turn ensures that children are appropriately supported to develop positive attitudes and dispositions towards their learning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider was asked to ensure that staff attend training relevant to their roles and responsibilities within the nursery. Improvements have been made to the systems for monitoring and meeting training needs, and as a result, lead staff have received appropriate and up-to-date training. The provider was also asked to obtain written permission from parents before administering medication to children and to keep a record, signed by parents, of medicines given to children. Appropriate documentation is now in place and it is effectively maintained by staff to include all of the required consents, information and parental signatures.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider was asked to make a number of improvements to the provision of nursery education. Consequently, children enjoy a good range of appropriate number activities, resulting in young children's ability to count confidently to ten and to start making the connection between numerals and quantities. Children have excellent opportunities to engage in large physical play. They regularly access pieces of climbing equipment that provide various levels of challenge, use balancing equipment, hoops, balls, bean bags, cones and a range of bikes and cars. Children also participate in weekly sessions with outside specialists, such as a football coach. Improvements to the planning and assessment processes are currently taking place. Although, assessment and planning does not take account of children's learning in all areas, observations of individual achievements are being assessed, next steps within the

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Improvements since the last inspection

observed area of learning are identified and effectively planned for.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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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

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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): • continue to improve outcomes for babies and young children through developing the variety of resources that are readily accessible to them, to include natural and open ended resources.

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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): • continue to improve outcomes for children through ongoing development of assessment and planning ensuring that all areas of learning are covered, and develop the use of resources to enable children to use their own initiative, incorporating a wide range of materials and resources as they build upon their play ideas both in the inside and outside environments.

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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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