Busy Bees Day Nursery at Swindon Peatmoor

Swindon, Peatmoor

Inspection report for early years provision

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Swindon, Peatmoor

Unique Reference Number 507993 Inspection date 17 October 2005 Inspector Rachel Edwards / Nikki Whinton

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Swindon, Peatmoor

Setting Address Peatmoor Village Centre, Shearwood Road, Peatmoor, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 5DJ Telephone number 01793 887602

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E-mail

Registered person Nord Anglia Nurseries Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day 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 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 inadequate - enforcement action. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - special measures.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Princess Christian Day Nursery opened in 1998. It operates from purpose-built premises at Peatmoor, Swindon. The two storey premises include entrance hall, office, kitchen, 10 childcare rooms, toilets and nappy change areas on each floor. Children are accommodated in groups according to age, with the under two's on the

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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 ground floor and older children on the first floor. There are enclosed outdoor play areas which have grass and hard surfaces. The nursery serves the local area. The nursery is registered to care for up to 100 children under 8 years. There are currently 35 children from 12 weeks to 4 years on roll. This includes 6 funded 3 and 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children with special needs and those with English as an additional language. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round except Christmas and the New Year. Sessions are from 07:30 to 18:00. There are 13 staff working with the children, in addition there is a manager and cook, 9 staff have early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is inadequate. Children are not fully protected from illness as the premises are not effectively cleaned. Procedures are in place to ensure that children suffering from an infection are excluded from the setting, which helps protect children from illness. However, staff expose children to the risk of cross-infection, as they do not routinely wash their hands between and after changing nappies. Some procedures are in place to help children to learn healthy personal hygiene routines, for example, they wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. However, children leave the lunch table before having hands and faces wiped, which makes the play equipment sticky and dirty. Some children are left in clothes that are soiled with food, which is unhygienic and does not foster children's self-esteem. Children's dietary needs are well met, including special dietary needs. They enjoy a

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Helping children to be healthy

variety of healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. However staff do not sit with children at meal times and they do not routinely talk to children about why some foods are good for them. Babies are regularly offered drinks and toddlers are able to point to drink bottles if they are thirsty. However, children from 2-4 years do not have free access to drinking water throughout the day, which is detrimental to their health. Toddlers and older children benefit from and greatly enjoy limited daily outdoor play in the nursery garden. 2-year-olds love to scoot fast on wheeled toys but only one tricycle has pedals so that older children are not sufficiently challenged. The outdoor area is not used imaginatively or extensively, for example, sand pits have been empty for some time and children are not currently allowed on the damp grass, which greatly restricts their play opportunities. Babies use the garden during the summer

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Helping children to be healthy

but at other times they only go out infrequently for walks, which is detrimental to their well being and development.

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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 provision is inadequate. The premises are very secure and procedures are in place to ensure children cannot leave unsupervised. Precautions are taken within the premises to safeguard children, for example, children cannot access the kitchen and water temperature is routinely monitored to prevent scalding. However, staff are not vigilant in supervising children and identifying and addressing potential hazards to safeguard children and protect them from injury. For example, staff demonstrate a lack of safety awareness when escorting 2-year-old children down the stairs to the garden and the surface around the climbing frame is badly worn causing children to trip. Children do not consistently learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, children do not always understand

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

why they must not bang the door (to protect themselves and others from injury), as staff do not consistently correct them nor give clear explanations. Children play with a basic range of resources and play materials, which are generally in a satisfactory condition. The manager has a satisfactory understanding of child protection procedures. However, children's welfare is not fully protected as several staff have a poor understanding of child protection issues. Staff do not receive induction training, which should include health and safety and child protection procedures in their first week of employment. This means that staff may not recognise children at risk and would not be able to follow the correct procedure for dealing with any concerns. Not all accidents are recorded and parents are not always informed, which could jeopardise children's health.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is inadequate. Staff interact very warmly with the youngest children who are in the baby room. They know the children well and spend time cuddling, talking and singing to the babies. They are attentive to their needs and respond to the children's attempts to communicate by gesture and early speech. They are using guidance from the Birth to three matters framework, although staff knowledge is still developing in this area. The poor range resources in the baby room limits staff's ability to foster children's development in all areas. Staff are frequently moved between other rooms in the nursery so that staff and children do not get to know each other well. There is not an effective key worker system, where staff have a particular responsibility for a group of children. This adversely affects children's development and emotional well-being, for example, children who are upset are often comforted by staff who they are unfamiliar with.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There is a lack of resources throughout the nursery and staff show a poor understanding of how to engage children in purposeful play and activities. For all children, much of the day is very adult led, with even the young children frequently involved in whole group activities. This prevents children choosing activities that interest and engage them. Children often have to sit for long periods, for example, 2-year-olds were told to sit with 'hands on laps ' for 15 minutes whilst waiting for their snack to arrive, this means that children are often bored and begin to show disruptive

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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 behaviour. Activities are poorly planned with no clear learning intention and children's free access to play materials is restricted as resources are generally pre-selected by staff. This inhibits children's independence and prevents them from planning their own play. NURSERY EDUCATION The quality of teaching and learning is inadequate. The play leader has a satisfactory understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and what children need to learn. However, she does not work each day and in her absence staff are unclear as to their roles. They have an inadequate knowledge of the Foundation Stage, are unclear about what children should be learning and do not effectively help them make progress. Staff do not regularly observe and monitor children's progress. They do not plan,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

adapt or extend activities to meet the differing needs of children to promote their learning and development. This results in some children undertaking activities which present too much challenge, affecting some children's self-esteem. More able children are often not sufficiently challenged so that some children are bored and do not make adequate progress. Children are very independent in their personal care; they visit the toilet, collect their snack and put on coats, needing little help. Children are able to sit quietly when appropriate and can concentrate for extended periods when sufficiently interested. However, they are often required to sit for long periods, for example, for adult led whole group activities and waiting for meals. They have limited opportunities to demonstrate their independence in selecting their own resources or become involved in self chosen activities. Children are able to play co-operatively, they share and take

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

turns, although their learning and enjoyment is frequently disrupted by the inappropriate behaviour of 2-year-olds within the room. Staff do not consistently manage behaviour well. They do not always give clear explanations so that children do not learn the acceptable boundaries of behaviour. At times staff use inappropriate methods such as humiliating a child who did not want to sit with the others, this is damaging to children's self-esteem. Children enjoy conversation with their friends and staff, using an increasing vocabulary but they are not routinely encouraged to hear initial sounds in words and begin to link these to letters. The book corner is uninviting and the books are in poor condition so that children are not helped to develop a love of books and reading. Children have varied practical opportunities to make marks and develop pre-writing skills. However, the occasions for them to use writing for a purpose are limited.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children count well but staff do not consistently help them link numbers to groups of objects. Children have limited opportunities and little adult support to help them use their knowledge of numbers to solve simple problems. They recognise simple shapes and explore ideas of volume as they play with water. Children have few opportunities to explore and investigate. Their natural curiosity is not encouraged, for example, a child was prevented from playing with a leaf floating in a puddle. There are regular visitors, such as the police, fire service and dentist but

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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 children do not have outings to find out more about their local environment and community. They can use a computer each day which helps them become familiar with technology but the equipment is poorly arranged, making it difficult to use. There are limited opportunities for children to learn about the wider world, preventing them from developing an understanding of the needs of others. Children enjoyed making imaginative and individual pieces of artwork to sell to parents to raise funds for the earthquake appeal. However they did not really understand the purpose of the activity and a really useful learning opportunity was lost. Children demonstrate good manipulative skills as they competently use a variety of tools and materials, such as brushes, cutlery and rollers. They confidently build and design with a variety of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

resources. Children explore colour and use a range of materials in art work. However, their creative development is often hindered by the organisation of the day or too much adult input. Many activities are heavily directed by staff and children have insufficient time or encouragement to express themselves freely. Children enjoy singing familiar songs but do not often have the chance to explore sound in other ways.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is inadequate. Children's differing needs and home background are not adequately acknowledged or valued by staff. As a result, care and learning opportunities are not sufficiently tailored to individual needs, for example, there are no comfortable, quiet areas for pre-school children who need to rest during the day. Children are not sufficiently introduced to diversity, which prevents them from learning to recognise and respect differences within society and to feel good about their own identity. There are no children currently attending with identified special needs. However, there is no designated special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) within the nursery. Staff have little knowledge of the Code of Practice (2001) for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs. This reduces the likelihood of staff identifying children with special needs and adapting the care and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

learning to meet their needs. Staff do not consistently manage behaviour effectively. At times, staff value children's efforts and offer praise and encouragement. However, children do not consistently learn right from wrong and are not always aware of the consequences of their actions as they are not given clear explanations. This restricts children from learning about acceptable behaviour and the boundaries set within the nursery. Staff sometimes have unrealistically high and at other times, too low expectations of children's behaviour. Children often become disruptive within the nursery, due to the poor range of play opportunities available to them. For example, children often have to share limited resources, which younger children find difficult. As a result of this, children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is not fostered. Parents have friendly relationships with the staff and most state they are happy with

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Helping children make a positive contribution

the nursery. They receive daily written information relating to their child's care. They have access to the nursery policies and procedures, although many of these are not

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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 fully implemented in practice. The nursery has two open evenings per year when parents can discuss their child's progress with the staff. The partnership with parents in relation to the provision of nursery education is inadequate. Parents are not given information about the Foundation Stage nor the early learning goals their children should be working towards. They are not encouraged to share with staff what they know about their child to aid initial or ongoing assessments and they have limited opportunities to become involved in their child's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. The current person in charge of the nursery has been acting manager since July 2005. She is aware of the nursery policies and procedures but is not ensuring that they are followed in practice to promote the safe and effective provision of care and education for the children. She has not been well supported in her new role by senior management. As a result, there are many areas of the National Standards for day care not being met. These omissions are having a detrimental effect on children's health, safety and well being. There is no effective key worker system as staff are frequently moved between rooms (see Enjoying and Achieving). Not all staff are appropriately trained in early years care and education. This, combined with the poor range of resources, restricts them in providing a quality range of play and learning experiences, appropriate for young children. Staff do not monitor children's progress by regular observations and

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Organisation

many children's developmental records have not been updated since the last parent's evening, some months ago. This means that staff cannot plan for children's individual learning needs. The leadership and management relating to the nursery education is inadequate. The play leader in the pre-school has a satisfactory knowledge of the Foundation Stage but does not ensure that the curriculum is effectively delivered in her absence. Not all staff in the pre-school have received Foundation Stage training and their lack of knowledge is reflected in the inadequate provision. The play leader is aware of weaknesses in planning, assessment of children's progress and staff knowledge but there are limited plans in place to address these areas. The manager has failed to address areas of weakness. The manager and senior staff were unaware of the last Ofsted inspection report and have no plans in place to rectify areas of concern. The manager and room leaders do not effectively monitor

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Organisation

and evaluate the standard of care and education for which they have responsibility. Many of the current weaknesses were identified in the previous two inspections. Overall, the nursery demonstrates little commitment to improvement. The setting does not meet the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection serious weaknesses in the provision were identified and several actions and recommendations were raised. These relate to the implementation of nursery policies and procedures; minimum staffing ratios; children's individual needs for rest, food and water; staff knowledge; resources in the baby room; behaviour management; resources to reflect positive images of diversity; organisation of the daily routine and assessment, planning and monitoring of the nursery education. Minimum staffing ratios are now being met, which improves children's safety and wellbeing, especially at the start of the day. However no other areas have been addressed resulting in the current inadequate standard of care and education being provided. The poor organisation and lack of clear leadership within the nursery mean that policies and procedures are not fully implemented which has a detrimental effect on

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Improvements since the last inspection

children's health, safety, well being and learning. This remains a serious weakness in provision. Children's dietary needs are now well met. However, children over 2 years still do not have free access to drinking water and there is no provision for pre-school children to rest during the day. This adversely affects some children's health, wellbeing and ability to enjoy and achieve. This remains a weakness in provision. There is now a rocking chair in the baby room for staff to use whilst nursing children. However, they report it as not being very comfortable to use and it is not a safe and suitable support for children learning to walk and stand. There are very few resources to reflect diversity throughout the nursery. This adversely affects children's self image and their awareness and understanding of others. These remain weaknesses in provision. Staff do not consistently manage behaviour well. Although they generally praise and

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Improvements since the last inspection

encourage good behaviour, they do not always give clear explanations for unwanted behaviour and at times use inappropriate methods. As a result children do not learn the boundaries for acceptable behaviour and on occasions their self esteem and confidence is damaged. There is no named person responsible for behaviour management within the nursery and staff have not received behaviour management training. This remains a weakness in provision. Staff show a lack of knowledge of what captures children's interest and motivates them to learn. Too frequently children are 'managed' in adult led, whole group activities, appropriate resources are not freely available to them and they are often required to sit for too long, for example, waiting to stir ingredients in a cooking activity or sitting 'nicely' for a long time waiting for meals. There has been no attempt to review the daily routine and make more effective use of time and resources to ensure

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Improvements since the last inspection

that activities and routines are planned around the children's needs. This remains a weakness in provision. The key issues raised at the last nursery education inspection related to staff's understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum, the organisation of the daily

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 routine to prevent children sitting for too long, and the assessment of children's progress. These remain serious weaknesses in the provision. Staff are not sufficiently aware of appropriate teaching methods to deliver the curriculum. As a result of this, the children's progress towards the early learning goals is not sufficiently planned for and monitored.

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Complaints since the last inspection

A concern was raised on 21 April 2005, under National Standard 1 - Suitable person, that the person in charge is unsuitable for the role. Ofsted visited on 4 May 2005 when the above and other matters were discussed. A further visit was made on 23 May 2005 when the general staffing was found to still be unsatisfactory. A different person in charge started in July 2005. The provider was interviewed on 3 August 2005 and a formal warning letter was issued. The provider has since produced clear written policies and Ofsted will be monitoring to ensure that these are implemented to provide a safer environment for children. The provider remains qualified for registration. 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 inadequate - enforcement action. The registered person does not meet 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 inadequate - special measures.

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The quality and standards of the care

Ofsted is taking enforcement action to safeguard the welfare of children.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

The setting requires special measures to improve the provision for nursery education. The following urgent action is required: • improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the foundation stage and early learning goals and the different ways in which children learn. Devise and implement a system for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching

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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 • improve the planning and monitoring of the curriculum to ensure all areas are covered in sufficient detail. Make regular observations and assessments of children's progress and use this information to plan for individual children's learning • provide parents with information about the Foundation Stage and early learning goals. Encourage them to share with staff what they know about their child to aid initial and ongoing assessments. Develop opportunities for parents to become actively involved in their child's learning within the setting and at home The Department for Education and Skills and the local authority have been informed.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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