The Nest Nursery and Preschool

Busy Bees Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Busy Bees Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 253689 Inspection date 18 May 2006 Inspector Melanie Arnold

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Busy Bees Day Nursery

Setting Address 21 - 23 Portland Street, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN5 7JZ

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E-mail

Registered person Anna Patten 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 satisfactory. 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 opened in 1994 and is privately owned. It operates from two adapted end of terrace houses near to the centre of Lincoln. Children are cared for on three separate floors. The babies are cared for in two rooms on the lower ground floor with a separate cot room used for sleeping children. Toddlers are cared for in three play rooms on the ground floor and pre-school children are cared for in four play rooms on the first floor. Each floor has children's toilets and nappy change

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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 facilities. Additional rooms not used by the children include kitchen areas, a laundry room, a staff toilet and a staff room/office. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area to the rear of the building. A maximum of 42 children may attend the setting at any one time. The setting is open weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. There are currently 56 children on roll. Of these 15 children receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports a number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Twelve members of staff work with the children. Eleven of the staff hold an appropriate early years qualification and one member of staff is working towards a qualification in childcare.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health is effectively promoted through regular opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. Their physical skills are developing well as they participate in a good range of activities inside and outside. For example, children have fun as they join in with action rhymes inside and they access a wide range of resources when playing outside, effectively promoting their well-being. Older children's physical skills, control and co-ordination are developing well because staff plan a good range of adult led and child initiated activities for them to complete. Children enjoy negotiating up, over and through the climbing frames and slides. Their all round physical development is promoted well as they enjoy joining in with P.E sessions, where they learn to stretch, balance and co-ordinate their movements. Children show an awareness of space when playing outside and when doing P.E activities as they skilfully negotiate around

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Helping children to be healthy

each other. They are beginning to understanding how exercise affects their bodies as they access drinks after being active. Children learn good hand washing practices through the daily routine, with effective health and hygiene routines also implemented by the staff to help prevent the spread of infection. A healthy environment is maintained for all children because relevant policies and procedures are in place, including an exclusion policy for sick children. Children sleep according to their needs, with a quieter area provided for babies and toddlers to ensure they can sleep peacefully without distractions. Children's health and well-being is effectively promoted through the provision of a balanced diet and healthy, nutritious snacks. All children enjoy eating meals and snacks at tables, enabling them to learn good table manners and social skills. Children receive relevant support at meal times to meet their individual needs. Their dietary

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Helping children to be healthy

requirements are fully met because staff are well aware of children's individual dietary needs. Children enjoy regular drinks of milk or water only, helping to promote their good dental health. Older children have access to drinking water at all times, while younger children are regularly provided with drinks to meet their needs.

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Helping children to be healthy

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 developing good self-care skills in the pre-school room as they pour their own drinks at snack and meal times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children enjoy playing in a well organised environment, where space is used effectively to meet their needs. They are cared for in different rooms according to their age/stage of development, where toys and resources are stored at child height creating an accessible, stimulating environment in which children can initiate their own play. Children access a wide range of developmentally appropriate equipment and resources, which effectively promotes their welfare and development. Children's pictures are displayed on the nursery walls in each room, creating a warm and welcoming environment, enabling children to feel a sense of belonging and self-worth. Children's safety is ensured within the nursery because risk assessments are in place, which identify and minimise potential hazards. For example, gates prevent children having unsupervised access to the stairs. Children's safety is maintained as

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

they go up and down the stairs because staff are vigilant and implement good safety precautions. For example, children are helped by staff to go up and down the stairs two at a time ensuring they receive a good level of support to meet their needs. Children's welfare is maintained at all times because a large number of staff hold current first aid certificates. Staff are also deployed and supervise children well, which helps to prevent accidental injuries. Children remain safe and secure at the nursery because effective security procedures are in place. For example, main doors are kept locked and staff vet people at the entrance before allowing them into the building. Children benefit from taking part in regular fire evacuation drills, which helps them to learn what to do in an emergency. They are kept safe on any outings because good procedures are in place, for example, staff take a mobile phone and a

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

first aid kit with them to ensure they can deal with any emergencies. Children are well protected and their welfare is fully safeguarded because staff have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures to follow should they suspect child abuse.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are settled and relaxed in their environment because consistent staff work in each room. Children enjoy their time at nursery, where they arrive happily and show eagerness to participate in activities. Staff use an approach in line with High/Scope, which enables children to initiate their own play, ensures planned activities follow children's interests and encourages children to plan and review what they do, helping to promote their thinking skills. Babies are cared for in two different rooms depending on their age and abilities, where staff refer to the 'Birth to three matters' framework to support their learning. They enjoy partaking in a lot of hands on activities, as staff provide resources at ground level enabling all children to fully participate. Babies

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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 have fun exploring different textures like jelly, shredded paper, materials and paints. Their early language skills are developing as they enjoy listening to stories read by staff. Staff interact well with the babies as they sit on the floor engaging in play with them. Toddlers are cared for on the ground floor where they have access to three rooms containing a good range of resources, which are stored to provide them with easy access. Children enjoy initiating their own play as they independently select toys and resources they wish to play with. They also participate in group activities, where they are encouraged to develop their own ideas and explore. For example, staff provide children with glue, straws and tin foil, it is then left to the children to decide what they would like to do with these resources. Some children glue using the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

straws, others independently access scissors to cut the foil, others access glue sticks and paint brushes which they use in the glue and some children have great fun spreading the glue on their hands and feeling how sticky it is. However, planning and assessments within the toddler room are linked to the Foundation Stage curriculum, which is not developmentally appropriate for younger children. Although assessment records for all children under three show observational records for activities, they do not show their rate of progress to ensure children are sufficiently supported and challenged appropriately. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is generally good. Children are making sound progress towards the early learning goals because they have free access to a good range of resources and activities covering all areas of learning. Children have access to four different rooms, where toys and resources are stored to enable them to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

independently access and initiate their own play. The setting uses a High/Scope approach, which focuses on a child centred learning encouraging children to make decisions for themselves. Planned activities are completed in line with children's interests. However, assessments are not currently used to fully chart children's progress or to inform future planning for individual children, therefore planning lacks information regarding how individual children will be sufficiently challenged to move them on to their next stages of their development. Children are eager to learn and they enjoy accessing a wide range of toys and resources and they enjoy participating in a good range of activities. Children are settled and separate from their main carer with confidence. They are confident and speak out in group activities and they are developing good levels of concentration. Children are beginning to show an awareness of the needs of others

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

as they wait patiently for their turn when pouring their own drinks at meal times. They are aware of their own needs and they independently access drinks when thirsty or visit the toilet when required. Children's behaviour is good and they are beginning to learn the difference between right and wrong as staff encourage children to solve problems themselves. Children sit and listen well to stories. They independently access a good range of writing materials enabling them to practise writing for a variety of reasons. Children are beginning to understand print carries meaning because resources are well labelled. They also recognise their own names in print as they independently find their own name and put it on to the board to identify they are present at nursery. Children's understanding of number is promoted generally well during the daily routine, for example, children confidently count how many children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are present at register time. Their understanding of mathematical concepts like

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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 shape, space and measure are promoted through a good range of practical activities. Children investigate and explore their environment because they have free access to a wide range of resources, materials and equipment. They learn about the environment and caring for living things as they help to plant seeds, care for them and observe them grow. Children confidently use the computer, switching it on and loading their own programmes independently. They freely explore colour, texture and shape as they independently access a good range of resources in the creative room. For example, children have access to paints, glue, sand, water, play dough, scissors, collage materials and junk model materials, enabling them to freely express themselves and use their imagination in their art and design. Children also use their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

imagination in play as they enjoy dressing up and completing role play activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children receive continuity of care because regular staff work with each group of children. Therefore, staff get to know the children well enabling them to provide a good standard of care to meet each child's individual needs. All children are treated with equal care and concern and they have equal access to all resources regardless of gender. Children's understanding of the wider world is satisfactorily promoted through activities, visits to the local area and the accessibility of a suitable range of resources reflecting diversity. Children with special needs receive appropriate support from staff and the setting works with outside agencies to ensure their needs are met. Children's behaviour is good because staff use positive behaviour management techniques. For example, children's self-esteem is effectively promoted through staff offering regular praise and encouragement. Children are beginning to learn right from

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Helping children make a positive contribution

wrong as staff calmly discuss any inappropriate behaviour with them and because they encourage children to find their own solutions to their problems. Children happily arrive and are eager to participate in activities, where they are learning to share and take turns. Their confidence and independence is developing well. For example, children independently visit the toilet when needed, they access drinks if thirsty, they pour their own drinks at meal times and they have the freedom to choose the activities they wish to do. Children are settled and relate well to their peers and the staff, which helps them to form good relationships. This results in children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development being fostered. Children benefit because partnership with parents and carers is generally good. Parents are kept well informed of their children's daily care routines through discussions with staff. Younger babies care routines are recorded on daily sheets,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

which are passed on to parents to ensure they are fully aware of appropriate information regarding sleep times, feeds and nappy changes. However, parents are not made aware of the settings policies and procedures to enable them to all work together to support children's well-being. Parents of children receiving nursery education are kept appropriately informed of what their children are doing through newsletters and information displayed on notice boards. The pre-school room is also beginning to develop some links with home. Children are encouraged to take folders

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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 home with details of recent nursery rhymes and letter work sheets, which parents are encouraged to discuss with their children. However, limited information is provided for parents on the Foundation Stage curriculum to ensure they are fully aware of the six areas of learning. Parents are kept appropriately informed of their children's progress through open days where they are invited into the setting to discuss their child's progress record. However, although current progress records contain informative observations of what children do while they are at nursery, they contain limited information showing children's actual progress towards the early learning goals.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are confident and settled because staff display a caring nature creating a warm and welcoming environment. Their needs are effectively met because space and resources are organised well, with children cared for in different rooms according to their age and stage of development. Children enjoy playing with a good range of developmentally appropriate toys and resources, which are stored at their height creating an accessible, stimulating environment. Their well-being is maintained because all records are completed with relevant information and stored confidentially. Overall, children's needs are met. Leadership and management is generally good. The manager and staff are committed to improving opportunities to encourage children to learn through play. Children's welfare is promoted because suitable staff recruitment and induction procedures are in place. Children receive a good standard of care because the

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Organisation

majority of staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications and because staff regularly attend further training courses to improve their knowledge and skills. The owner and the staff work together as part of a team to ensure continuity of care for children. Communication is generally good within the setting, with staff meetings held each term to discuss nursery issues and complete training. However, nursery education is not being effectively monitored and evaluated, resulting in the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum not being identified to fully ensure all children are achieving to their full potential and to ensure there are not gaps in the curriculum planning.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting agreed to work on several key issues relating to their nursery education provision. Although some improvements have been made, there is significant development still to be achieved. The setting also agreed to work on several actions and recommendations raised at the last inspection, including updating a large number of policies and procedures and to ensure children act regulations are complied with regarding informing Ofsted of significant events. Improvements have been made in all areas, resulting in a better framework for the care of children.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the 1 April 2004. 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 satisfactory. 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

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further improve outcomes for all children from birth to three by using an approach in line with the 'Birth to three matters' framework to ensure children are sufficiently challenged • ensure younger children's assessment records clearly show their rate of progress.

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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): • develop information for parents on the Foundation Stage curriculum and ensure parents are made aware of the settings policies and procedures (also links to care) • ensure planning identifies clear learning objectives and identifies how activities will be adapted to meet individual children's needs • develop the use of observations and assessments to inform future planning to ensure individual children are sufficiently challenged and moved on to the next stages of their development • develop monitoring and evaluating systems to review the nursery education provision to ensure children receive a broad and balanced curriculum.

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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 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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