Busy Bees Day Nursery at Lancaster

Busy Bees at Lancaster Inspection report for early years provision

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EY241718 Unique Reference Number 11 December 2007 Inspection date Cynthia Walker Inspector

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Ovangle Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 5JR Setting Address

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E-mail

Busy Bees Nurseries 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 satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Busy Bees Nursery was registered in 2001. It is part of a large organisation and operates from a purpose built building situated in Lancaster, which includes 13 playrooms and supporting facilities consisting of an office, toilets, kitchen and laundry room. The nursery serves the local community and wider area. All children have access enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is open each week day from 07.00 until 18.00 all year round apart from Christmas.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 204 children under eight years. Currently 171 children attend the nursery throughout the week, of these, 72 children attend out of school care. There are 29 children who are in receipt of nursery education funding. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities and children with English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 34 staff, of these, 27 work with the children. Over half of the staff working with the children, including the manager holds appropriate early years qualifications and five staff are working towards a qualification. The nursery receives the support of the Local Authority.

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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 well nourished and enjoy a wide variety of meals and snacks which incorporate a good selection of fruit and vegetables. The nursery follow a healthy eating project and with the help of an enthusiastic cook and a nutritionist review and plan interesting menus which include an international flavour. The introduction of fruit boxes for individual rooms enables staff and children to make individual choices. The children's dietary needs are discussed with parents and efficiently recorded to ensure the individual children's needs are met. Children are able to access fresh drinking water throughout the day. Involvement in projects in growing vegetables enables the older children to begin to understand the importance of certain foods.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are developing a good understanding of personal hygiene as they become increasingly independent around personal care as they wash their hands after going to the toilet and before food. They explain that they are washing their hands to get them clean and to get rid of the germs. Staff demonstrate that children are cared for appropriately if they have an accident or need medication because they follow appropriate procedures. Regular reviews of accident records enable staff to effectively monitor if children are at risk. Children's routines are discussed with parents and clearly recorded enabling staff to ensure children have appropriate rest or sleep. Younger children are developing emotional well-being through close and caring relationships.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy physical activity by daily access to the outdoor area. They move freely with pleasure and confidence as they run around the area and negotiate space successfully. Children push and ride the wheeled toys skilfully as they manoeuvre the resources around the available space. They develop their skills as they enthusiastically kick balls and confidently climb up and down steps using control and co-ordination. The children's physical development is extended with weekly dance lessons and staff explain that the dining area is used for music and movement.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm, safe and secure environment where risks are identified and minimised. Comprehensive risk assessments are completed by a named health and safety officer to ensure children's safety is maintained whilst at the nursery or on visits outside the building. Children are learning about keeping safe as they respond to the clear explanations from staff about the dangers of running within the building. Children's understanding of fire safety is reinforced by regular fire practises. There are very clear procedures in place for the collection of children from the schools feeding the out of school club.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The nursery is welcoming to children with colourful displays on all the walls within the nursery which includes a good variety of children's art work. All playrooms are creatively arranged to allow the children to move spontaneously and independently around all areas of play and learning. Children are accessing a broad range of resources which are appropriate to their ages and stages of development and actively support learning in most areas. Resources are well arranged to enable children to make spontaneous decisions about the toys and resources they are going to use. Children have access to a well equipped sensory room and a beach room which enriches the children's play and learning experiences.

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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 Children are effectively safeguarded by staff that have a sound understanding of child protection procedures which are in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time in nursery and arrive happy and eager to participate. Younger children are making good progress because the staff have developed an effective understanding of the needs of children under three. Regular assessments including spontaneous observations are used by key workers to identify children's future learning, however, observations do not record if the future learning has been achieved. Clear planning is in place which is linked to the 'Birth to three framework' and information from the children's assessments is used to directly inform future planning for the key worker's specific group of children, although, the individual children's future learning is not formally identified.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children acquire new skills as they join in a wide range of interesting activities. They enjoy time in the sand room and explain they have been building sand castles as they sit in the deck chairs carefully wiping their feet. Children experiment with scissors as they successfully cut tissue paper and use the pieces to stick on a picture. They play harmoniously together as they enthusiastically wash a doll in soapy water. As music is introduced children move rhythmically to the sounds whilst others hold their doll and rock it to the music. Children under two years enjoy the sensory experience of water as they explore the feel of a string of beads within the water. They enjoy looking at books with staff and mimic the sound of ducks. Children participate in simple movement rhymes as they clap their knees, their hands and point to different parts of the face. They explore the properties of glue as they dribble it across the paper and carefully

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

place pieces of coloured paper to make a picture. School age children explain that they enjoy coming to school care and their favourite activities are painting, gluing and completing jigsaws. They are involved in a good range of activities including colouring detailed Christmas trees and identifying items they would like in their stocking in a sticky picture. Photographs highlight the children's involvement in visits to a hairdressing salon, the local football ground, sports competitions and food tasting during the school holidays.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make satisfactory progress because the staff have a suitable understanding of their needs and provide an interesting range of planned activities and experiences. The key staff take individual responsibility for planning activities for their group of children which reflect their age and abilities. Children's starting points are established through the use of tracker books as they move through the nursery. Although staff are aware of the individual children's next steps for learning and use this information to inform future planning, the individual children's next steps are not formally identified. Presentation of resources and the individual areas of play do not encourage children's participation or maintain their interest. Effective staff interaction encourages children to persist at some activities and the staff's appropriate questioning support children to achieve in most

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have a positive attitude to learning and are interested in the appropriate range of activities. They feel secure and confidently initiate interactions with all adults and other children. Children are good communicators and use language to give explanations about the aeroplanes and car they are making in junk modelling. They share experiences from the nativity play and the parts they are taking and use language to negotiate with others whilst playing with play

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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 dough. However, the availability and presentation of resources to encourage children to make marks or attempt to label their art work is limited. Children confidently count to five as they count the bears in a sack and are given opportunities to count within a variety of other activities. Although planned activities support mathematical development there are few opportunities for children to experience simple calculation within the daily routines. Children use construction for a purpose as they assemble a variety of boxes and use different techniques to join them together to make individual models. Photographs and special projects highlight the children's involvement in activities such as, 'our secret garden' where children planted and cared for vegetables they eventually ate. Children have been involved in visits to a local church, the train

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

station and the local parks. Displays within the room reflect a wide variety of interesting individual art work completed by the children. Children have good imagination which they use to develop their constructional models and as they re-enact 'Farmers in his den' using soft toys for extra people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are developing a positive attitude to others through the provision of a broad range of resources which include displays, small world figures, books, dressing up clothes, jigsaws and cooking utensils. Activities which enable the children to develop an understanding of other cultures are included in the planned activities, for example, a detailed project on Mexico. The nursery liaises closely with parents to support children who have English as an additional language. There are suitable systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities. Discussions with parents and detailed information obtained as children begin their care establish the children's individual needs to ensure appropriate care can be given.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well in response to the clear and consistent explanations from staff, however, occasional lack of continuity of staff in the pre school room has some impact on the children's behaviour. They are confident within the routines of the nursery and respond to the staff's expectations, particularly at circle time. Children play co-operatively together as they help others to complete a model by tearing sticking tape and collecting a variety of boxes. The introduction of different bears, for example, which children can take on holiday reinforces children's caring skills. Younger children are developing self-assurance from close and effective relationships with staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are actively welcomed into the nursery and some parents are members of the parents liaison group which meets regularly. The setting takes appropriate steps to ensure that parents are kept informed of all the policies and procedures. The ongoing needs of the younger children are shared through daily record sheets and discussions with key staff.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents receive comprehensive information about the setting in the detailed prospectus, notice boards in the main hall and outside the play room and regular newsletters. Although letters inform parents of the themes their children are involved in and highlight specific projects they can contribute to, this does not include ideas on how children's learning can be extended within the home. Parents are well informed about their children's achievements by attending a parent's evening twice a year, however, there is no formal system in place for parents to contribute and share information on their children's assessment records.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Comprehensive documentation is in place which contributes to the children's health, safety and well being. Rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to determine the suitability of staff members to safeguard the children attending the nursery. Clear staffing procedures which include annual appraisals and performance reviews ensure the staff's training needs are identified in a training log to maintain the children's care and learning. Documentation is supported by policies and procedures which are regularly reviewed and are reflected in daily practice, for example, health and safety. Space within the nursery is effectively organised to enhance the play and learning opportunities for children.

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Organisation

Leadership and management is satisfactory. The nursery has a clear vision for the children which incorporate a support system for the staff team. A three monthly room assessment is given to parents and the manager completes a self evaluation every three months to monitor the effectiveness of the nursery. No clear evaluation procedure has been established to monitor the effectiveness of the programme for nursery education. The nursery liaises with advisors from the Local Authority to improve the quality of education for the children they are providing.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the nursery were given two actions in relation to the deployment of staff to ensure children were adequately supervised and the risk assessment of the premises. A number of recommendations were also raised in relation to suitable furniture, first aid boxes and the medication and accident books.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Clear procedures are in place to plan the deployment of staff on a weekly basis to ensure the children are adequately supervised. Comprehensive risk assessments are completed by a named health and safety officer to ensure children's safety is maintained whilst at the nursery or on visits outside the building. Staff demonstrate that children are cared for appropriately if they have an accident or need medication because they follow appropriate procedures and first aid boxes are available in all bathrooms. Suitable and appropriate furniture is in place for adults to work comfortably with children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 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 satisfactory.

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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): • include a system for recording how individual children's future learning is identified within the activity planning and record if the learning has been achieved within the assessment records.

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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): • review the presentation of resources and learning areas to maintain the children's interest and help them progress, and increase the opportunities for children to experience simple calculation and mark making within the daily routines • continue to develop the children's assessment records and identify the individual children's next steps for learning in the planned programme and develop a system for evaluating the planned programme of activities • increase the opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning and enable parents to contribute to their children's assessment records.

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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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