Bubbles Nursery

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Bubbles Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY391346 Inspection date 26/08/2009 Inspector Valerie Fane

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Setting address Old Laundry, Clenchers Mill Lane, Eastnor, LEDBURY, HR8 1RR Telephone number 01531 632425 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Bubbles Nursery was re-registered as a privately owned day nursery in 2009. It operates from the old laundry building in Eastnor, near Ledbury. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas. The setting is all on the ground floor with a ramp for access and there is a fully enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round except for a week at Christmas and at Easter. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 36 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 77 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The setting also offers care to children aged over five years to eight years. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds. It supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 13 members of child care staff. Of these 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications, nearly all at Level 3. One member of staff has Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children enjoy their time in this friendly nursery and they make good progress in their learning and development with regular opportunities for outdoor play in the well-resourced garden as well as walks in the local area. There is an effective key person system in place and staff work closely with parents to ensure children's welfare needs are met and that they have a detailed knowledge of children's individual circumstances. In addition the nursery has developed good links with the local community and is now establishing a link with a nursery in India to support children's awareness of diversity. The owner and her staff work together closely and are committed to making ongoing improvements to their practice. They have a secure understanding of all aspects of safeguarding and almost all documentation is in place to support their good practice.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 update the record of risk assessments to include any assessments of risks for outings. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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provision

Children are safeguarded well because all staff have a secure knowledge of child protection procedures. Many of them have completed basic training and senior staff have had additional training such as the Common Assessment Framework. Several staff are booked on more advanced safeguarding training in the near future. Employment procedures are robust and CRB checks are carried out on new staff and repeated regularly to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. The premises are safe and secure and regular safety checks are completed. Written risk assessments are in place for the premises and visual risk assessments are completed for outings but no written record is kept. All required policies and procedures are in place and these work effectively in practice.

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provision

Children benefit greatly because they receive care from a committed team of staff who are nearly all qualified to Level 3 or above and who work together well as a team. The owner is committed to providing good quality childcare and she uses the self-evaluation document to identify strengths of the setting and areas for future development. Parents are involved in the evaluation process and have suggested changes such as an increase in the number of outings and these suggestions have been implemented where practical. Planned future improvements include the development of the newly established link with a nursery in India and the development of writing and number areas in the pre-school room.

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provision

Children thrive because staff work in close partnership with their parents and, where applicable, with other agencies and other EYFS providers. The key person system is effective and parents provide detailed information about children's routines, likes and dislikes as part of the admission process. This enables key staff to develop a detailed knowledge of individual children and develop a close relationship with them and with their families. Children are able to continue their learning at home because parents see information on the nursery notice boards, babies have daily diary sheets and all parents see children's records from time to time so that they know what they are learning and can contribute to the record. Parents are encouraged to come into the nursery and talk about their jobs where this is of interest to the children. For example, they enjoy a visit from a parent who is a postman. Children who attend other EYFS provision have good continuity of

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provision

care because the nursery owner is developing close links and sharing information and she has identified strengthening these links as a priority for the future. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities progress well because the nursery works closely with outside agencies such as the local Children's Centre staff and Portage workers to assess children's particular needs and to learn how to adapt activities to enable them to participate fully.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children settle well in this friendly nursery and develop close relationships with the staff. They behave well and are enthusiastic learners because staff are good role models and older children contribute to establishing the simple rules for good behaviour in the nursery. They make good progress in their learning and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development because staff have developed their knowledge of the EYFS and plan and provide appropriate activities for children of different ages. They observe and assess children's progress through both brief informal observations and more detailed observations of specific activities that are used to identify children's next steps in learning. Staff then use the observations and assessments to inform future planning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children make excellent use of the outdoor area and this supports their understanding of healthy lifestyles as well as their learning. Babies use a separate play area and enjoy developing their newly acquired climbing skills on the small climbing frame. The oldest children use chalks to create a road layout on the main playground and the pre-school children develop balance and control as they try to steer their bikes along the 'roads'. Children go on regular walks and outings to Eastnor Castle. During the summer holidays they enjoy activity days at the castle such as pottery making. They create their own models with the clay and paint them and afterwards they enjoy a picnic in the castle grounds. Children learn about healthy eating because they enjoy nutritious snacks and meals that are prepared on the premises. Older children learn to exercise control over their eating because they serve themselves snacks and lunches so they can choose how much

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

they eat and also ask for second helpings. Their understanding of healthy foods is also supported through cookery activities making recipes such as flapjack and fruit kebabs.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children in the pre-school room make good progress because staff provide appropriate differentiation for the wide age range. For example, they divide into two groups for story time so that younger children can enjoy age-appropriate shorter stories and can talk about the story. Older children listen to stories such as 'A squash and a squeeze' that develop their awareness of rhyming and alliteration and provide opportunities for them to join in with repetitive phrases. Children enjoy a mix of planned activities and opportunities to self-select from the wide range of toys. Babies enjoy creative activities such as making hand prints for an autumn picture followed by time to explore the paint freely and create their own pictures. Older children enjoy role play in the home corner and the shop. They show care and concern as they pretend to feed the doll a bottle and they begin to play co-operatively and talk to each other about their doll's needs. In the shop

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

they serve the adults with food and use the cash register to work out the bill. Staff encourage their problem-solving skills by encouraging them to calculate how many more pennies they need to add if they have entered 5p and need 6p. These activities also support children's development of skills for the future.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children become involved in their local community. For example, they have an Easter bonnet parade for the residents of the adjacent care home and they take part in a 'Toddle Waddle' to raise money for charity and to begin to understand that others are less fortunate than themselves. Children's home culture is celebrated in the nursery and if children speak other languages staff learn some words from their parents so that children feel at home in the nursery. Children also develop their awareness of different cultures. The nursery has recently established a link with a nursery in India so children will be able to learn about life in India and exchange pictures using the internet. They take part in activities linked to other This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 cultures because they celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year by using the role play area as a Chinese restaurant and by having a Chinese lunch.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 2 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 2

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 2 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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