Hidden Garden Day Nursery, Buttercup Barn

Buttercup Barn Day Nursery Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY400741 Inspection date 25/03/2010 Inspector Hilary Elizabeth Tierney

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Setting address Clays End Farm, Newton St. Loe, BATH, BA2 9JE

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Telephone number 07985 572165 Email lucy_clarke54@hotmail.com Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Buttercup Barn Day Nursery is privately owned and run by the manager. It registered in 2009 and operates from converted premises situated near Newton St Loe, to the west of Bath. The building accommodates the two to five-year-olds in two ground floor rooms and the under two-year-olds on the first floor. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area and are taken on walks around the surrounding farmland. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 33 children under eight years of age may attend the nursery at any one time, of these no more than 12 may be under two years at any one time. There are currently a total of 67 children on roll, of these 29 are in the early years age range. The nursery is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend from Bath and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs seven members of staff and along with the owner/manager they all work directly with the children. A cook is also employed. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children make good progress in their learning and development due to the staff having an excellent knowledge and understanding regarding the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children have a strong sense of belonging and have secure relationships with staff. Effective arrangements and detailed policies and procedures ensure children's safety, health and well-being are met extremely well. Strong links with parents have developed which ensure they are involved in their child's care and learning. Management and staff are fully involved in the self- evaluation process and all work together effectively to drive ambition and improvement in the nursery.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further older children's independence with particular attention to snack and meal times  consider the use of a second key person for children so when the main key person is away there is a familiar and trusted person who knows the child well. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded extremely well. Detailed, robust systems ensure all staff are fully aware of safeguarding and the procedures to follow in the event of having any concerns about children in their care. Robust risk assessments are completed for all areas of the environment that children come into contact with during their time at the setting, these include the walks to explore the farmland which surrounds the premises. The excellent security of the premises ensures children are safe. Staff are vigilant about checking the identification of adults entering the premises and keeping the main door locked at all times. Clear records are kept of any visitors to the premises and fire evacuation procedures are explained to them on arrival. Regular fire evacuations are practised with children and reviewed and amended as required. Children are clear about how to keep themselves safe and understand risks through clear explanations from the staff as they play. For

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the early years provision

example, staff explain carefully to children what will happen if they run inside when toys are on the floor. Clear accident and medication records are kept and shared with parents on the day. Prior written parental permission is obtained before any medication is administered to children.

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the early years provision

Exceptional resources are used highly effectively so that children are able to learn and develop. All are easily accessible both for the older and younger children. Children are able to choose their own activities through the day with little guidance from the staff. Highly effective deployment of staff means that children are extremely well supervised at all times and all areas of the nursery are well thought-out to benefit the needs of all the children. Staff are fully aware of children's interests and their individual needs and as a consequence children benefit and thrive in the setting. The key person system works well; staff know their key children exceptional well and they carry out detailed clear observations on their key children. However, there is no second key person in place which means when the main key person is away children do not have a special person they can relate to. Detailed observations and assessments are used highly

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the early years provision

effectively to help staff support and meet children's individual needs. Children's starting points, interests and next steps are monitored carefully and planning of activities allows staff to build on what children already know and provide extension to their learning. The comprehensive policies and procedures are implemented consistently by all staff. Staff actively promote equality and diversity and demonstrate a clear knowledge and understanding about how they will include children who have English as an additional language or those who have special educational needs and/or difficulties when they start to attend.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is outstanding. Detailed policies and procedures are shared with them. There is a detailed notice board displaying photographs of staff; the safeguarding procedures and complaints procedure are also clearly displayed. Regular detailed information is shared with them both verbally and written at the end of the child's day. There is an open door policy which means parents are able to visit at any time. Parents are able to take home their child's learning journey folder regularly and they are encouraged to share their comments in this folder. Parent questionnaires are used to help staff improve the care provided. Very This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 positive comments were noted on these questionnaires. Parents spoken to were extremely complimentary about the staff, nursery and its setting and how well their child has settled. They commented on how approachable and friendly the

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the early years provision

staff are. All parents know who their child's key person is. The partnership with other settings is developing and as the nursery is new the staff have made contact with other early years settings in the area. However, at present no children attending the nursery as yet attend other early years settings, but staff demonstrated very clearly what steps they have in place to ensure these links are developed when required.

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the early years provision

This is the nursery's first inspection since registration and there has been good progress made on self-evaluation. All staff contribute to the process and they have a reflection book in each room where they record any changes they want to make and when they have made them and the outcomes. All staff are continually making changes and discussing new ideas and improvements. They are able to clearly identify what they want to do for the future and their strengths. They work extremely well as a team and have a driving ambition to improve and develop. All staff work extremely hard to ensure they provide and maintain high quality care in the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from high quality care and the staff's excellent knowledge and understanding regarding the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, they make good progress in all areas of learning and development. Children are welcomed into a warm, friendly, brightly decorated setting. Staff greet the children individually with a smile; this helps children to feel special and gives them a sense of belonging. The younger children are developing early fundamental skills and actively explore their surroundings safely. Babies are spoken to in a calm, caring manner by all staff. They are offered plenty of praise, encouragement and reassurance as they play. The staff know the children well and anticipate their individual needs well. For example, a toddler was observed dressing up and put on a pair of small play shoes; they walked around proudly and all staff made a comment to them. Then a member of staff gives the child a mirror so they can

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and outcomes for children

look at themselves with the shoes on. The child spends a long time looking at themselves in the mirror working out how they can position the mirror to see the shoes. Staff allow the child to find this out for themselves. Babies have access to all the resources because the room has been carefully planned to encourage them to make choices for themselves. They are able to access books, construction toys, role play, and musical instruments amongst the many available. Children were observed having a lovely time playing the musical instrument and pretending to dance. Staff who work with the babies are attentive and show great care and affection towards the children in their care. The younger children have settled extremely well in the short time they have been attending.

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and outcomes for children

Older children are also able to access all resources easily. They are happy, confident and secure in their surroundings. They are active learners, curious and eager to learn, are developing independence and are excited to learn. Staff know This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the children well and develop their interests very well. For example, one child who enjoyed painting was observed having a really enjoyable time with paint and exploring the textures. The child had a bottle of white paint and was squirting it on a large piece of paper on a table. They used their hands, brushes and a pair of small plastic pliers to make shapes and marks on the paper. They thoroughly enjoyed this activity on their own and spent a long time just spreading the paint everywhere. Then a member of staff came to help and the child ended up putting the paint all over the staff's hands and arms and both had a great time laughing

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and outcomes for children

and talking about how it felt. A younger child came to play and ended up putting the paint on the windows, making marks. This helps children to develop their creative skills. Children have lovely access to role play and books; they are able to develop their imagination well. They were observed interacting with each other well and organising games, such as having picnics and going to the seaside. Children are polite and well behaved; they understand the rules of the setting and use 'please' and 'thank you' with little or no prompting from staff. Children are developing excellent skills for the future because staff are excellent role models and offer effective praise and encouragement. Staff speak to children in a caring, calm manner and show great respect for the children and ensure they are treated as individual and unique. Lovely interactions between staff and children help children with their language skills and help them think and problem solve.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. They have healthy snacks and meals freshly prepared on the premises and the owner ensures food is locally sourced. Older children's independence is not fully supported during snack and meal times. They are not encouraged to pour their own drinks, help themselves to snacks or help to serve themselves at lunch times. Children eat well and understand the need to wash hands before eating and after using the toilet. Excellent nappy change procedures are in place which help to ensure the safety of children and their privacy. Staff are vigilant and ensure two people are present when changing nappies. Children benefit from regular access to fresh air and exercise. They have lovely access to the enclosed garden and use this whatever the weather. They were observed having a lovely time finding bugs, worms and spiders in the rain. Children also have good opportunities to explore the countryside with regular

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and outcomes for children

walks around the farm land surrounding the premises. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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Stage

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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