Busy Bees Day Nursery at Blaydon

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. Lakeside Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY288926 Inspection date 28/07/2009 Inspector Janet Fairhurst

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Setting address Park View, Shibdon Road, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE21 5LU Telephone number 0191 499 0550 Email blaydon@justlearning.co.uk 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

Lakeside Children's Day Nursery was first established in 1993 and in June 2004 was registered to the current provider and is now part of the national chain, Just Learning Limited. It operates from a two storey detached building in the Blaydon area of Gateshead. The nursery serves both the local community and wider area. The nursery has eight play rooms which accommodate the different age groups of children. The babies and pre-school groups are situated on the ground floor. The rooms for the toddlers are situated on the first floor and are accessed by a flight of stairs. There are two outdoor play areas, kitchen and laundry facilities available.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered for a maximum of 67 children. There are currently 131 children on roll aged from birth to under eight years. The nursery is open 52 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 07.30 to 18.00. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are 21 part-time and full-time staff who work with the children; this includes a manager, deputy manager and four senior nursery nurses. All staff hold early years qualifications. The setting 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. The management and staff team work well together to provide good quality provision to children and their families. The staff are very good at promoting the children’s welfare and ensuring that children enjoy their day. The setting provides a caring environment where there is a focus on ensuring that all children are fully included, making them feel valued and special. The nursery are committed to continuous improvements and are developing the systems further to encourage a whole setting approach.

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further?

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

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further?

 employ a whole setting approach to self evaluation to ensure that staff, parents and children are able to contribute to this process  continue to develop the systems that lead to effective sharing of relevant information with other practitioners delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

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provision

The staff team work extremely well together. Children are very secure in their relationships with the staff and happily approach any of them. Robust recruitment and induction procedures are fully in place, which ensures adults working with the children are suitably qualified and checked. There is a comprehensive appraisal This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 system and induction procedure to ensure staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. There is a high level of qualified staff with further training encouraged to continue to extend their knowledge. The nursery has a comprehensive range of policies and procedures that are securely implemented by all staff to support children's safety and welfare. This, combined with effective recording systems for medication, accidents and allergies further ensures children are well protected. Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding children and

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provision

know the procedures to follow if they were concerned for a child's welfare. Highly detailed risk assessments have been drawn up for all areas of the nursery and outings to make sure children are effectively protected from potential dangers.

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provision

New parents are provided with a comprehensive induction pack, giving good quality information about the EYFS and the different types of activities the children participate in. The children’s learning and development records are always available to parents and the setting encourages parents to add their own observations of their children’s achievements. This helps to provide all with a full picture of the child and their capabilities. Parents are kept informed of significant events through regular newsletters and discussions with staff. Parents are asked their views about the quality of the provision through annual questionnaires. Comments reflected within the questionnaires help to demonstrate parents overwhelming satisfaction with the service and the professionalism of the staff. Although the nursery have not been complacent in its effort to develop effective links with other local providers delivering the EYFS they recognise that the current

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provision

arrangements are not totally successful. However, they remain pro-active and accurately feel that they need to review the current system and adopt a more assertive approach to ensure continuity in children's care and learning. The management are steadily promoting a culture of reflective practice and self- evaluation to identify the setting’s strengths and priorities for development. The management have completed the Ofsted self evaluation form and this has helped them to identify areas they wish to develop further. They do however, fully acknowledge that in order to produce an accurate assessment of what needs to improve the process of evaluation must also include all staff and parents.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Staff have a very good knowledge of the EYFS and comprehensive planning helps children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. There are very good systems in place for staff to observe and record what children know, understand and can do. There is a strong focus on learning through play and first hand experiences therefore plans remain flexible so staff are able to respond to the children's interest and ideas. Assessment procedures are comprehensive and ensure that staff are fully aware of each child's progress. This information is used effectively to influence the next steps in learning for each child. Effective links are made across areas of learning that help to make connections in children's experiences and learning. The quality of staff's questioning and intervention is very good. At its best, it challenges children and extends their thinking, encouraging them to seek their own solutions and fostering curiosity.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

There is well-planned, purposeful play both indoors and outdoors with a good This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Children delight in physical play, they shout and squeal as they climb on climbing frames, roll hoops and chase their friends. Babies enjoy pushing the walkers along to develop their mobility skills and experience the sense of weight as they try to scoop sand onto their spades. Children start to learn about modern technology as they work on the computer, understanding some of the programmes and what happens when they press certain keys. They use the art programmes to draw pictures, exploring connections between the mouse and the screen. Children's curiosity is well promoted as they explore the internal workings of a radio which generates great conversation with children asking questions, such as 'what does this do'.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children learn to hold pencils and paintbrushes well with some children able to write their names and learning to sound out words phonetically. There are good opportunities for children to develop creative skills with a varied range of textures for them to explore. They thoroughly enjoy moulding the dough and making shapes with it and concentrate well as they paint their picture, with free expression given high priority by staff. Children make a positive contribution by becoming involved in all areas of play. They learn about the wider world and its diversity through good examples and are beginning to appreciate multi-cultural society. For example, they take part in other festivals and celebrations and through their creative work which encourages discussion about the world and where people live. Children use a good selection of books, including books which also reflect a variety of backgrounds, cultures and positive images, for information and enjoyment, and

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Adults are excellent role models and praise children warmly, especially when children are kind or thoughtful. As a result, the children’s behaviour is very good. They listen carefully to staff and respond very well to requests, such as helping other children and sharing resources. Staff are very positive in their interactions with all children, engaging in their play to extend their learning effectively and provide comfort and close physical contact to help them feel secure. Babies feel very secure as staff sit with them soothing them off to sleep with gentle lullabies which helps them to settle. The layout of the building means that it is difficult for all children to fully develop their independence, but staff work around this by planning time for the children to use the garden and the close supervision they provide when children use the toilet.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The setting provides healthy and nutritional meals and snacks for all children. Hygiene routines are good, with children washing their hands at appropriate times and clear procedures for nappy changes help to prevent the spread of infection. Children have many opportunities for physical activities which help them to develop a healthy lifestyle. For example, they enjoy walks within their local community, visiting the library, post office and nearby shops. They visit the park to feed the ducks and to explore their environment, with close supervision from staff, allowing them to develop a sense of their own limits. Children's safety and security is recognised as important and there are good systems in place to maintain this. For example, the nursery has close circuit television and coded entry systems alongside very effective procedures for the collection of children. 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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