Busy Bees at Epsom

Treetops Nurseries Limited (Epsom) Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY404028 Inspection date 22/07/2010 Inspector Lindsay Ann Farenden

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Setting address 12 The Parade, EPSOM, Surrey, KT18 5DH

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Telephone number 01372745905 Email 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

Treetops Nurseries Limited (Epsom) is one of 26 nurseries run by Treetops Nurseries Limited. It was re-registered in 2009 and operates from eight rooms within a converted building in Epsom, Surrey. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is situated close to Epsom town centre and is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm, all year round.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 68 children may attend the nursery at any one time, where no more than 30 may be under two years. There are currently 101 children within the Early Years Register age group on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery provides support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 15 members of staff of whom nine hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager has a degree in childcare. Two members of staff are currently working towards a qualification.

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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

The staff create a safe and welcoming child-centred environment and are very skilled at making sure children benefit from an exciting range of stimulating activities. Staff are fully inclusive in their practice and they recognize the uniqueness of every child. The nursery works extremely well with parents and is committed to working with other agencies to ensure that children get the support they need. This leads to effective continuity of care and learning, enabling all children to make good progress. The management team are very aware of the strengths and areas for improvement within the nursery and with the staff constantly strive to improve the outcomes for the children.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide older children with further opportunities to use large outdoor play equipment  continue to develop the range of resources which reflect positive images of diversity.

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the early years provision

Children’s welfare and safety are effectively protected because of comprehensive polices in place for staff to follow. Staff have a good understanding of the signs of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 abuse and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child. Staff have undergone a robust recruitment and induction program, which ensures that all staff working with children are suitable and have relevant training and experience. Staff are deployed successfully within the nursery and good staffing ratios are maintained at all times, ensuring children are well supervised and extremely well supported during activities. Children learn to keep themselves safe through practising fire drills and by being gently reminded to use the stairs in a safe manner. There is an effective key worker system in place and staff’s commitment to training ensures they keep up to date with changes and learn new skills.

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the early years provision

The motivated management team has a very clear vision to securing future improvements to the nursery. Extensive self-evaluation by the management team and the staff enable exceptionally well targeted action plans to be put in place to continually develop the provision. They have pinpointed the nursery to be completely refurbished and for the rooms to be reorganized so babies have more space to play and older children have free flow play between the inside and garden area.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from a bright and welcoming environment in which their own dedicated group rooms are equipped with furniture and play resources which are suited to their age and stage of development. The toys are attractively organized at a low level, so children can make independent choices about what they would like to play with. Photographs displayed in the nursery provide parents with a wealth of information about the activities children do in the nursery.

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the early years provision

Staff value parents' role as partners and this contributes significantly to children’s well-being in the nursery. Staff actively seek parents' views about their child’s need’s and interests when their child first starts and use this information and their own observations as a starting point to support children in their next stage of development. Parents are invited to give ideas to staff of any of activities they would like the nursery to provide. Each child has their own learning journey file which includes photographs of them enjoying activities and their art work and parents are also welcome to contribute to it. It is given to parents when their child leaves, providing them with a superb record of their child’s time at the nursery. Staff give daily feedback to parents about their child’s day and keep parents very well informed of their child’s progress. Various workshops for parents provide them with further opportunities to be involved with children’s learning. Parents

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the early years provision

spoken to at the time of the inspection were very complimentary about the staff and the nursery provision. Staff have built up good relationships with schools to ensure children’s transition is as smooth as possible for them. The nursery offers a fully inclusive service in which children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are welcome. Staff are committed to working with outside agencies involved with the children in order to give them all the support they need to reach their full potential. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely happy and self-assured in the nursery. Lots of happy laughter takes place as they eagerly choose what they want to play with and interact with their friends and the staff. Children are very well supported by staff who are skilled at encouraging children’s experiences and learning through questions, discussions and listening to them. Babies are very content and smile with glee as staff constantly engage with them. Young children become engrossed in a group activity in which they help make a volcano out of sand and watch in wonder and fascination as different foods are mixed together to make it foam to pretend it has erupted. Children are very imaginative, they put chairs together and pretend it is a train and call out to their friends to join them to go to holiday destinations. Home corners in the play rooms are well resourced, which encourage children to use their imaginations. Children listen intently to stories and older

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and outcomes for children

children are beginning to understand that words have meaning as they register themselves into the nursery with name cards. Older children access an extremely well resourced trolley with drawing materials and more able children write clearly formed letters. Toddlers have lots of fun making marks at the table using crayons. Staff use everyday opportunities to extend children’s mathematical skills during play and daily routines and children rise to the challenge of counting the correct numbers of plates and cups needed at the lunch tables. All children, including babies, are provided with many opportunities to use a varied range of materials, such as play dough, cornflour, paints, glue and shredded paper. They create exciting individual art work which is beautifully displayed in the nursery, giving children a sense of achievement and belonging. Older children are confident in using information technology as they enjoy using the nursery and have the use of

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and outcomes for children

two up to date laptop computers. Cooking sessions are extremely popular with the children where they weigh and measure ingredients and learn about healthy eating. Children are starting to learn about culture festivals that may be different from their own through planned activities relating to them. They access a small range of resources which promote positives images of race and disability. When children first start at the nursery, they are thrilled to receive a small soft toy called ‘Roarie the Lion’ which children are then encouraged to take on outings and holidays with them. The parents are asked to take photographs of these events and bring them to nursery to be shared with the other children.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy playing in the super refurbished garden, which provides children with extensive opportunities for them to learn through play. Children enjoy making marks with their feet and hands in the large sandpit. Children have tremendous fun playing in wet sand, as they fill up buckets with it and talk about why they are heavy, bury shells and count them as they find them. They use their imaginations very well as they put on builder’s hats and jackets and build their own constructions using large wooden bricks in a taped off area, giving the effect of a real building site. Some older children are particularly skilled at playing bat and ball games. Younger children enjoy playing in the separate area using appropriate sized climbing equipment, push along and ride on toys.

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and outcomes for children

Staff make good systematic observations of children’s achievements and use these This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 very effectively to inform planning, so each individual child is very well supported to help them achieve their full potential and are provided with enjoyable and challenging experiences across all areas of learning. Staff provide excellent role models for children, providing positive praise and encouragement, which ensures children develop high self-esteem and confidence. Children’s behaviour is exemplary because they are constantly busy and enjoying their play.

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and outcomes for children

All children relish their time to play in the garden to gain fresh air and take part in physical activities, although older children would benefit from further opportunities to develop their balancing and climbing skills using large apparatus. Staff help children to enjoy hand washing by showing them how to make bubbles with the soap and explain to them in simple language why they need to wash their hands. Children receive very nutritious meals that are cooked on the premises and snacks of fruit. Staff work closely with the parents to ensure children’s individual and cultural needs are known and the cook takes account of these when preparing meals. Older children develop good independent skills, as they serve themselves to meals at the table. A cleaning program and risk assessment for each room has been established so children play in a clean and safe environment. 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 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 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 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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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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