Busy Bees Day Nursery at Burton

Leapfrog Day Nursery - Burton Inspection report for early years provision

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218446 Unique Reference Number 18 February 2008 Inspection date Linda Tomkins Inspector

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Second Avenue, Centrum One Hundred, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 2WF

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E-mail

Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd 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?

Leapfrog Day Nursery-Burton is part of the Busy Bees Childcare Limited group. It opened in 1998 and operates from a purpose-built building on the edge of a retail park close to the centre of Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. A maximum of 108 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 07:00 to 19:00 all year round. All children share access to secure outdoor play areas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 83 children aged from three months to five years on roll. Of these, 33 children receive funding for early education. Children come from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 21 members of staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications and four are working towards a further 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 good. Children are learning the importance of personal hygiene through planned routines and procedures. For example, children are taught to know that they have to wash their hands before food and after using the toilet. Staff constantly remind children of routines saying 'flush the toilet and wash your hands'. Staff follow effective procedures such as routinely cleaning the tables with anti-bacterial spray before food and practising the clear procedures for managing sick and infectious children to prevent the spread of infection. All medication doses are clearly recorded and signed by parents. Accidents and incidents are recorded on individual sheets and signed by parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet as they have a variety of balanced meals prepared by the cook in the nursery kitchen. For example, for lunch children have spaghetti bolognaise and vegetables, and crackers and cheese, and chocolate crispy cakes for tea. Fresh drinking water is available to toddlers and pre-school children throughout the day and jugs and cups are at low level to enable children to help themselves. Children enjoy snacks of toast and fresh fruit together with a choice of water or milk to drink. Staff ensure children under 12 months follow their individual feeding routines as discussed with parents. All dietary and health requirements are recorded on children's individual record forms. This helps to ensure children remain healthy. However, the pre-school room and some areas of the nursery, particularly early in the morning are not sufficiently monitored to ensure an adequate temperature is maintained. This exposes

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Helping children to be healthy

the children to draughts and sudden drops in temperature.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children rest and sleep according to their needs. Infants sleep in full-sized cots whilst toddlers have mattresses on the floor. Linen is changed and washed in the nursery laundry. The bathrooms and nappy change areas are well-maintained and supplied with soap, paper towels, aprons and disposable gloves.

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Helping children to be healthy

Each playroom has their own designated outside play area accessed directly from each room. Children have regular opportunities for outside play and physical exercise at least once a day. The children use climbing and activity equipment, wheeled toys, slides and balancing equipment which ensures the development of their physical skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Staff ensure they maintain a record of visitors' attendance. Children are cared for in an organised environment where risks are limited through effective procedures and risk assessments. Fire fighting equipment is well-maintained, and regularly checked and tested. All children practise fire drills and emergency evacuation procedures which means they will be safe in an emergency situation. Parents provide written permission for children to be taken outside the nursery on occasional walks.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use a range of safe, developmentally-appropriate resources in the indoor areas. These are presented by staff to enable children to choose from the varied range stored at low level. Staff consistently explain safe practices to the children such as walking to the bathroom and ensuring babies and toddlers are securely strapped into chairs.

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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 The outside play areas are secure and accessed from each room. They provide children with exciting, safe spaces to run, use wheeled toys and climb. Premises checks are undertaken regularly to maintain the safety and security of the nursery. The entrance door is locked and the premises are monitored by staff and a closed circuit television camera system. Children are collected by identified nominated people and there are clear policies and procedures for lost or uncollected children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected by staff who have a sound understanding of child protection issues and follow the correct procedures to record existing injuries and record concerns. However, the policy has some out of date information regarding the reporting of concerns, but staff do have the up to date contact numbers to enable them to seek advice and report concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children play contentedly together using resources such as books, musical toys, baby-gyms and art materials suitable to their age and stage of development. All children enjoy exploration with glue, paint, water, natural materials and sand which helps them represent their feelings and ideas in a variety of ways. Staff are actively involved with the children, for example, they sit on the floor and join in the children's play engaging them in close eye-contact and physical contact. Infants are frequently cuddled and stimulated with gentle encouragement to explore and reach for toys. Babies show great pleasure in watching staff and older children as they sing and move around the room.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children in the First Steps toddler room are settled and relaxed in the nursery's welcoming, and caring environment. They have positive relationships with staff and each other. Children are developing a sense of humour as they sing, dance and clap hands to songs such as 'The wheels on the bus' and 'Twinkle, twinkle little star'. Staff encourage them to develop their communication skills as they play with each child individually and initiate conversations about their birthdays. Children said 'I am going to have a Postman Pat cake'. Children have free access to resources and periods of free play when they choose to select dolls, pushchairs, chalk and blackboards, and floor toys.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The nursery makes effective use of the 'Birth to three matters' framework to plan and provide a range of stimulating and appropriate activities for children under three years. The children's development of language is particularly well-promoted by staff through constant conversation, questions and individual attention. Staff sit with children to talk about their toys and books and prompt them to listen and interact to stories. Children are developing knowledge about the wider world as the learn days of the week and months of the year, and recognise labels to place on the weather board.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The daily timetables are flexible and allow regular periods of time outside in the play areas for children in the First Steps room. They play and climb on specialised large equipment such as a slide, activity climbing frames, wheeled toys and space hoppers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The staff team have developed their knowledge and understanding of the Foundation Stage and plan and provide a varied range of activities under each area of learning. The learning intention, resources required and methods of delivery are clearly recorded and relate to the stepping stones and early learning goals so that all aspects

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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 are covered. Staff have developed their practice of recording observations on the children's progress. The development files, writing books and stepping stones profiles are used to show children's attitude to learning and provide a complete picture of achievements, progress over time and next steps for learning. This enables staff to make accurate progress reports to parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff use effective methods to maintain the children's interest by asking understandable questions such as ‘how many cups do we need?' and 'what shape is your toast?' and explaining the purpose of adult-led activities. Plans are flexible and allow staff to spend the majority of their time working directly with the children and ensuring each child is individually welcomed and settled to a chosen activity. When the children are grouped together at registration time all children are effectively challenged to extend their intellectual development as staff allow time for children to think and respond.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The evaluation of activities and teaching methods are well-developed to show the impact of planned activities and daily routines on the children and used to inform future planning. Children have activities to continue at home relating to the current topic such as identifying vehicles when outside and songs to sing with parents and carers. Parents are encouraged to discuss children's home progress with the key-workers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are clear about the purpose of planned activities because staff explain and show children how to use resources. Children frequently join in with their own ideas and home experiences. Development is good in all six areas of learning and particularly in the areas of personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy because staff frequently engage the children in one-to-one conversations and encourage children to express themselves in a variety of ways.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Behaviour is very well-managed by consistent methods. For example, children are encouraged to understand the behaviour boundaries and a list of pre-schools rules is displayed on the wall. Children respond to staff with 'please' and 'thank you' and praise each other's achievements. Special helpers are chosen each day, they proudly wear their badges and help with specific tasks such as laying the lunch tables. This results in a secure, well-ordered, caring environment for children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children behave well and respond positively to be selected to be a helper to lay tables and pour drinks at lunch time. They are happy and confident to try new activities and speak in a familiar group. They show a sense of belonging and are motivated to learn. Children remember to say 'please' and 'thank you' and put up their hands to take turns to speak when in a large group. They are developing their personal independence by managing their own clothes and personal hygiene in the bathroom. Children are developing a sense of community as staff from the local school visit the nursery to talk to the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have well-developed skills to speak clearly and express their opinions. For example, when discussing different types of behaviour in a large group children said ‘you have to be good to have a treat, I have chocolate buttons'. Children trace over letters and make recognisable letter marks on paper. They confidently identify labels of their names and resources. Children select books for pleasure during free play, tell each other stories and take home library books. Children and staff interact together as they begin to discover phonics using props and pictures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children discover the natural world as they watch their bulbs grow in containers outside. They scoop, measure and pour with compost, pasta and rice to experience different textures and materials. Children use the computer to choose play music and interact with games and

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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 programmes. They learn about other cultures and customs such as the 'Rio' carnival and the Dragon boat festival with dressing-up and drawings. Children listen to stories and look at posters, displays and books representing other cultures and children from around the world. They widen their understanding of the wider world and community as they have visits from the police, fire service and various animals.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing a clear understanding and using numbers in daily routines such as counting the number of legs on the Woodlouse picture and calculating 'how many more' cups, knives and forks they need when laying the table for lunch. Children experience weighing and measuring as they mix the ingredients for making cakes. They demonstrate that they have a good understanding of shape and size as they identify shapes such as triangle, square and rectangle on resources. Children use language to describe and compare size, for example, tallest and smallest.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use small tools such as scissors, rollers, paint brushes and spatulas with increasing control. They use large physical equipment in the outside area to travel around, under, over and through balancing and climbing equipment to develop their physical skills throughout the day. They also have a variety of activities in the outside area, such as sensory play and painting. Children have sport and exercise sessions from a visiting sports teacher. However, they are not fully developing their understanding of the importance of staying healthy as staff do not always encourage children to wash their hands after playing outside and before snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children express themselves through creative activities and role play. They make collages and models from card, paint and glue. The use play-dough to model and shape, and say 'we are making pan-cakes' During free play in the outside area they play with frozen sand and say 'we are making a mountain'. Children move rhythmically and use descriptive gestures whilst singing 'There was an old lady who swallowed a fly'. Children identify shades and colours as they draw and paint. They have free access to musical instruments and run round excitedly to the 'The flight of the bumble bee' music.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have close relationships with the staff and each other. Their confidence and self-esteem are developed by staff who greet children with a warm welcome, and consistent encouragement during their play throughout the day. Children are valued and respected as individuals because staff ensure they are aware of their likes and dislikes. Resources positively represent the children who attend, as well as individuals from the wider community. For example, displayed collages titled 'Our multi-cultural World' with pictures of children from around the World. Children celebrated Saint Valentine's day by making heart-shaped biscuits and dressing in red clothes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well, take turns and share. Staff encourage the children to help tidy the toys away and teach the children how to return toys to the correct container. Children are enthusiastic and take a pride in helping and staff reward them with clapping and stickers. Children are praised by staff who frequently say 'thank you for sitting quietly' and record good behaviour in daily diaries. Unacceptable behaviour is managed with distraction and a clear explanation of the difference between right and wrong.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The nursery has various visitors from the surrounding community to increase children's knowledge of the wider world and to raise awareness of diversity in their community and develop a positive attitude to others. Children are aware of various feelings and are developing a sense

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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 of humour. The older children and staff make each other laugh as they join hands and dance around and around to popular music. Infants are gently rocked by staff and cuddled whilst having a bottle. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The nursery has good access and operates on ground floor level. Currently, there are children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities attending and designated staff members have formulated a system to provide appropriate support and ensure the policies and procedures promote inclusion for all children. Staff work closely with fellow professionals and carers.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All children benefit from the positive partnership staff have developed with parents and carers. The individual routines and preferences are discussed and recorded which means that staff are aware of all the children's care needs. Parents of children under two years are provided with a written daily diary detailing food, physical care and achievements throughout the day. There is a complaints policy and procedure, however the contact details of the regulator are not included which makes it difficult for parents to report a complaint.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers of children in receipt of early education is good. They are made aware of how the nursery operates in a detailed prospectus. They are informed of topics and operational changes verbally, in regular newsletters and on notice boards. In addition, parents and carers are invited to attend a parent's evening to discuss their children's progress and development. Each month staff provide a topic information sheet detailing activities to continue at home and parents are provided with a written progress report every three months.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management of early education is good. The staff team regularly attend training on the Foundation Stage and continue to enhance their knowledge of the stepping stones and the early learning goals with advice and guidance from the local authority. In addition staff attend meetings with other local nursery staff and courses provided by the company which owns the nursery. They are confident and have established their own methods of recording and evaluating children's progress. The manager monitors staff practice and staff have regular team meetings to share and discuss teaching methods, further develop their expertise and understanding of planning and how children learn. Children in receipt of funding for early education are steadily achieving and progressing because the teaching methods are effective.

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Organisation

Children in the nursery are provided with resources and furniture from high quality specialist nursery equipment suppliers. The management and staff team work hard to welcome children and families to the nursery and are dedicated to providing good, high quality care for the children.

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Organisation

The nursery has good recruitment methods to ensure staff are appropriately checked, vetted and qualified. The registered person is developing procedures to ensure there is an efficient system in place to ensure the continued suitability of staff to care for children.

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Organisation

The staff team work well together and are continually striving to perfect appropriate policies, procedures and practice to keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. There are clear systems in place for recording accidents and medication. Staff and children's attendance records clearly show the actual arrival and departure times and the rooms which staff work in.

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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 Documentation is well-maintained, mostly up to date and under review to reflect the progressive improvement of the operational practice. The staff team work well together to plan and provide children with exciting innovative experiences to enhance their development and progress. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the nursery was asked to: ensure children over two years of age have easy access to water during the day and are encouraged to pour their own drinks, to improve the organisation of the play areas to allow children to access all resources throughout the day, and to encourage children to select their own resources to become increasingly independent.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The senior management team have ensured that all children in the nursery have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day and where appropriate they are encouraged to help themselves and pour their own drinks. All rooms within the nursery have resources suitable for the children's age and stage of development stored and presented at a low level in order for children to make choices and select activities according to their likes and dislikes.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last early education inspection the provider was asked to: improve the challenges for children to develop their creativity, to give attention to increasing children's awareness of the different purposes of writing, to encourage and support children to develop their own ideas, thinking and imagination, and to encourage children to access resources to develop and practise fine motor skills.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The pre-school team have developed opportunities for children in all six areas of learning and offer children a wide variety of activities both in adult-led and free play to make steady progress through the stepping stones to achieve the early learning goals.

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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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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):

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • monitor and maintain an adequate temperature in the nursery at all times • review the current child protection policy and ensure all staff are aware of the Local Safeguarding Children Board's policies and procedures • ensure the complaints procedure contains the contact details of the regulator and parents are provided with a copy.

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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): • ensure children recognise the importance of staying healthy and understand that they must wash their hands before eating snack food.

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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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