Busy Bees at the Hoover

Busy Bees at the Hoover Inspection report for early years provision

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EY255387 Unique Reference Number 12 February 2008 Inspection date Aileen Ewins Inspector

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Busy Bees Nursery, 34-38 Bideford Avenue, Perivale, Greenford, Middlesex, UB6 8DF

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E-mail

Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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E-mail

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

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are 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?

Busy Bees Nursery opened in 1990. The nursery is part of a nationwide chain and is managed from the Head Office in Staffordshire. It operates from a converted building. Children are situated in separate rooms according to their age groups. A kitchen and laundry are on site. There is a large, safe and secure garden available for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 101 children on roll. This includes 35 funded three and four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery currently supports children with particular needs and those for whom English is a second language. The nursery is open all year, with sessions from 08:00 until 18:00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are 19 staff who work directly with the children, which includes the nursery manager, deputy manager. Also employed are two cooks, cleaners and five cover staff. Of the staff employed to work directly with children, 12 have Early Years qualifications to NVQ Level 2/3 and two members of staff are undertaking childcare training.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The setting receives support from a teacher from the Early Years and Childcare 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 are cared for well at the nursery. Staff follow thorough procedures in respect of documenting accidents and medication. Staff explain to parents about any accidents for which parents sign to acknowledge. Children needing to be administered with prescribed medications are protected from harm as medicines are labelled and stored in the fridge, parents give permission and safe administration rules are followed. In total eight members of staff hold paediatric first aid qualifications. Parents are aware of the policies relating to sick children and contagious diseases.

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Helping children to be healthy

Good hygiene procedures are in place throughout the nursery, which is clean throughout. Children therefore learn about good health routines from an early age. Children use child sized toilets and wash basins; using liquid soap to wash hands and hand towels to dry. Flannels are provided for each child after meals and washed after; as are bibs supplied for the babies. Staff carry out regular nappy changes to babies and small children. These are documented for parents in a daily diary sheet. Staff wear gloves and aprons when carrying out nappy changes and nappies are disposed off in appropriate nappy bins. Children being toilet/potty trained are offered lots of encouragement and parent's wishes are followed. Children have twice daily opportunities to play outside in the child friendly, large garden and play area. Children therefore receive lots of fresh air and exercise. Babies also go outside but only when routines and weather

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Helping children to be healthy

allows. Sleeping children are also cared for. Younger children take a nap after lunch on mattresses. Their own personal bedding is stored in a bag after daily use, labelled with their name. The bedding is washed weekly. Babies have clean, personal bedding daily. Sleeping children are checked every 10 minutes and their sleeping routines are documented for parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Healthy and nutritious meals are provided for the children. Meals are taken in the relevant rooms and are made into social occasions. Older children serve themselves and pour their own drinks, which helps children to gain independence. Parents supply formula milk which is labelled and stored in the fridge. Staff use bottle warmers to heat milk through. Children's dietary needs are catered for. Any meal served to a child with a particular need is served a meal on a blue plate; likewise any child with an allergy receives his/her meal on a red plate. Children's dietary requirements are displayed in classrooms and the kitchen. Parents are made aware of children's eating habits. The kitchen is kept clean and in total nine members of staff have received food hygiene training.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are kept safe at the nursery which offers a welcoming environment. Corridors display children's work, information to parents and posters relating to child care/learning, the local community, language/culture and society. Visitors are asked to sign in and the front door is kept locked. A key pad entry is available for staff. The nursery is clean and well organised. Staff are deployed well throughout all of the children's rooms. Resources are kept clean and are well maintained.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risk assessments are in place and all checks are forwarded regularly to the Head Office. Daily checks are made by room staff. A fire evacuation plan is displayed and fire drills take place

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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 each three months. Children and staff are therefore made aware of procedures to follow which enhances children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded whilst in the care of staff at the nursery as 12 staff have completed child protection training. Parents are made aware of child protection policies and procedures and staff understand how to protect themselves from false allegations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children play confidently at the nursery. Children see a variety of their work displayed which helps them to enjoy their environment. Children can easily access the resources available to them and although they are encouraged to become independent; staff offer assistance when it is needed. Children's individuality is promoted with each child having posters and booklets called 'A Day In The Life Of'. These booklets give insight to staff about children's likes/dislikes, particular needs and preferences and what they enjoy doing. The windows around the whole nursery have been tastefully painted with colourful images and provide a stimulating environment for the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The nursery is split into various rooms relating to age. The baby room is welcoming, bright and airy. Babies receive lots of cuddles and interactive play. Babies enjoy activities such as hand painting, water play, building/construction toys, music and song. A wide range of resources are available which include sensory play, shakers, rattles, cars, baby gyms, large trucks, bells, small world play, musical toys and dolls. Observations are made on babies each three months and fed back to parents. Each day a daily diary is maintained which gives parents an insight as to their children's sleeping, eating, drinking, nappies and well-being.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Toddler rooms are divided into four small classrooms dependant again on age; although all children meet up when playing outside. Some of these rooms directly overlook the garden areas. The under two children have their own separate soft floor play area outside and enjoy push-along, sit on car, balls, small climbing frames and tricycles. Both the toddler rooms and pre-school areas upstairs are displayed with colourful posters and children's art/craft work. Children benefit from a broad range of resources which are well organised; and include wooden shapes and construction, workbench and tools, dolls house and dolls, small work, cars, planes, garages, animals, multi-link construction, pirates, puzzles, board games, hair designers, dinosaurs, play dough, threading, magnetic blocks, beading; and home corners which are enthusiastically set up to include a pet shop, the beach, post office, the airport, Christmas, under the sea, the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

fire station and the living room at home.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children have opportunities daily to play outside in the well designed garden area; which has been separated off to provide grassed areas, imitation grass which allows children to play out in all weathers; and soft play/safety surface areas. Children flourish as they run around using the broad range of equipment, climbing frames, basket ball and rockers. Children enjoy also the parachutes and tunnels. Children learn a sense of space as they use various sit on cars, tricycles, bicycles and scooters. Lively staff play music outside and dance along with the children as they laugh excitedly. More structured activities are in place such as indoor physical sessions for times of inclement weather; football coaching with key skills, for example learning to balance and running backwards; and dance/music/drama

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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 sessions. For the Birth-to-three children a particular session using songs and puppets is in place.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have opportunities during sessions to sit at the writing table using paints, pens and paper. Children also use cups labelled with their names throughout the day, which helps to aid name recognitions. Children are helped to master pen control and take a little piece of homework home each week. During songs and story time however, children appear unconfident and find it hard to participate fully with songs, recall and rhyme. However, children are confident with staff and one another. Children confidently put on hats, coats and gloves as they go out to play form warm relationships with one another. Children are cared for by staff who are aware of their individual needs which helps them to feel valued.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy to take part independently with art and craft. Children use a range of materials and are confident with scissors. Children have enjoyed making musical instruments as part of the theme on Australia and have therefore learned about native instruments. Children also have daily opportunities to use musical instruments in their play. Limited resources are available however, for children to participate in everyday recognition of number, shape and counting and opportunities are often missed to use number and mathematical words such as larger, smaller, more than for instance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn about their everyday environment, for example through hunting for insects in the garden. Children recognise that insects have six legs. In the classroom children have stick insects which they are caring for. Children have also learned about the wider environment and took part in safe crossing week. Children understand to stop, look and listen as well as ensuring a safe place to cross. Children are motivated to understand ICT equipment and share opportunities to use the interactive white boards for both free play and more structured sessions along with computer and audio resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff at the nursery have a strong knowledge of the Foundation stage and Birth-to-three matters. Children's starting points are gained through discussions with parents/carers and early observations. Planning is completed by all staff and short term planning is concentrated around children's current interests. Observations are made by staff as the children play and learn; however, evaluations of activities are not precise and children's next steps are not easily recognised. Development in this area is currently being put into place by the room leaders, key workers and management.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The nursery has good relationships with the parents of the children for whom they care. A notice board displays important policies and information for parents. A table is also set aside in one corridor with press cutting folder, information about fundraising, the policies and letters/thank you cards from parents in the past. When children start at nursery time is set aside to show parents around and explain what the nursery has to offer. Settling in sessions are also held. Parents are given a prospectus which details the day-to-day running of the nursery. The manager or deputy meets with new parents after a month; followed again after a further two months to ensure children are settling. Newsletters are sent out monthly. During the inspection parents voiced positive comments about the care their children receive; for example how regular information is sent home; the thorough but concise feedback received

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Helping children make a positive contribution

from staff about their child at the end of each day; how supportive staff were and how issues or concerns were dealt with promptly. Parents were aware of the role of Ofsted.

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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 Children's differences and similarities are valued. Staff understand the children's individual needs well. Children have started to understand the diversity of the world in which they live; as for example, children have been looking at Australia; learning about how people live and the musical instruments they play. Children have been introduced to ethnicity and disability through books, puzzles and small world play. The nursery hope to extend resources in this field in the near future. Babies needs are met well as they receive lots of cuddles and good use is made of the sensory equipment and wave machine.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The nursery makes good use of the support from Early Years Advisors and other professional agencies. For example children whose second language is English are supported well through understanding staff who use flash cards they have designed for popular words/phrases. Children's particular needs are better understood and dealt with through this practise. Behaviour management strategies are also in place to help those children who struggle to develop their feelings. A 'My Feelings' board is in place for all children to use and this in turn encourages children to understand their own anxieties for example.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well at the nursery and show respect for themselves, one another, the staff and their surroundings. Praise is offered for kind acts and staff try to deal with issues through distraction, on a child's level and appropriate for their age/understanding.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children have been introduced to positive images of society in respect of culture, ethnicity, religion, age, gender and disability. Children behave well and have a sense of right and wrong. Children develop confidence and self esteem through their time with staff at the nursery, who are strong role models; which in turn makes children feel valued.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. The nursery involves parents to a high level. One parent from each age group meets as a parent's committee every four months. Events and issues dealt with are fed back to other parents by email or letter. A suggestion box is in place. Parents are offered lots of information about the Birth-to-three and Foundation Stage curriculum. Staff are available each day if parents wish to talk privately to them. Planning is displayed in entrance halls and classrooms and parents are made aware of how they can extend their child's learning at development at home. Parents evenings are held two times a year so parent's can see their children's work and meet more formally with key worker staff.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They develop well whilst forming warm relationships with the staff who care for them. Staff are experienced and work well together. Staff are caring and consistent in their approach. New staff are vetted; with references and checks being put into place. A concise induction plan is set. Staff are deployed well which ensures children's safety and well-being. Staff have a strong awareness of how to document accidents and medication. Of the staff eight have first aid qualifications. Some staff have been given particular responsibilities, such as inclusion, training and health and safety. This encourages personal development.

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Organisation

Registers and staff registration is completed as required. Parents are aware also to sign their children in and out. The nursery displays its certificate of registration and parents are made aware of the policies and the role of Ofsted; however, policy wording within the complaints procedure does not clearly relate to Ofsted. Children's personal details are stored confidentially

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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 written consents are maintained from parents in relation to emergency treatment/advice, outings and walking out for example. Policies legally required are well organised; and include, for example, admissions, behaviour, confidentiality, equal opportunities, non collection of children and sick children.

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Organisation

The quality of the leadership and management is good. The manager and deputy have a strong working relationship; are enthusiastic and motivated in their roles. The manager and deputy ensure that they take time out to spend with the children, staff and parents. They act as positive role models to the staff and offer assistance when needed. Recently the quiet/book areas have been improved and staff are being encouraged to develop story time. Strong links of communication are held with parents, who are asked each term to give an evaluation of the care their child is receiving. In the future the nursery plans to further develop the outside areas. All staff take part in a full induction programme and a training programme which addresses staff needs is in place. Good use is made of help from outside agencies and Early Years Advisers. The manager and deputy liaise with parents, staff and professionals when a child needs particular

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Organisation

help. Staff have a good knowledge of the curriculum programme and all take part in planning activities and observations.

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Organisation

The provision meets the needs of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the nursery was set just one recommendation. This was to ensure that suitable furniture and equipment is available in the book corners to allow children to enjoy using the area to its full potential. The nursery has met this recommendation in full. Effective practice can be seen within each classroom for children to be allowed opportunities to sit quietly on soft, comfortable seating to read and look at books; alone, with other children and with staff. Children therefore are encouraged to enjoy books and develop their understanding, enjoyment and learning.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required Ofsted or the provider to take 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 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 AND 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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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 policies are updated to include contact information to parents for Ofsted

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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 children's enjoyment of stories and familiar action/rhyming songs • increase everyday opportunities for children to use mathematical language; understand shape, calculation and number • put into place further opportunities to identify children's next steps and to plan these within the curriculum.

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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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