Busy Bees Day Nursery at Gillingham Brompton

Brompton Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY408017 Inspection date 01/06/2010 Inspector Linda Patricia Coccia

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Setting address Khartoum Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5AX

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Telephone number 01634 362221 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

Brompton Day Nursery is owned and operated by Kinder Nurseries Ltd. It opened under its current owner in 2010. It operates from a large detached building in Brompton, Gillingham, Kent. The nursery comprises nine playrooms, a sleep room and a separate staff room/office. There are separate kitchen and toilet facilities. Children have access to three secure outdoor play areas. There is a step to access the front of the premises and a ramp to the rear entrance. There is an internal staircase leading to the play areas for the over fives and the office. The nursery serves families from the local community and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered to look after a maximum of 158 children, of whom no more than 118 may fall within the early years age range. There are currently 102 children on roll, of whom 100 fall within the early years age range. The group opens five days a week from 7am until 6pm for approx 51 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

The setting has procedures in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 25 members of staff who work with the children, all of whom have a recognised early years qualification to NVQ Level 2 or above. This number includes the manager.

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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 provision is effective in providing good quality care for children because it has a staff team who have a good understanding of how young children learn and develop. Many of them are very experienced in childcare. Staff have close relationships with the children they care for. Since their registration the nursery has undergone a transformation. All the rooms have been freshly painted and many new resources have been supplied. This shows that the provision can effectively maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop the self-evaluation by means of rigorous ongoing review and assessment of procedures and practice in order to ensure that children continue to receive quality care and learning opportunities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The provider has clear aims and objectives for the running of the provision. Parents are fully informed of these and have been fully appraised of all changes which have occurred since the nursery's new registration came into effect. The provision is managed well by the manager and her deputy. They are supported by a Kinder area manager. They are proficient in ensuring the smooth running of the nursery and are currently implementing a mixture of Kinder's policies and procedures and those left over from the previous organisation. This is because the provider has agreed a phased transition period to allow all staff time to adjust to the new ways of working. Eventually all policies will reflect Kinder's operating procedures which will allow the managers to further drive improvement within the nursery. All staff are involved in the self-evaluation of their practice which takes place at team meetings. Parents' views and comments are also taken into account

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the early years provision

as part of the evaluation. However, self-evaluation has not been formalised yet due to the short period of operation for this registration. The manager states that no one is allowed to feel complacent as there is always room for improvement. Kinder has rigorous and robust staff recruitment and vetting procedures which are implemented from their head office. The manager holds a Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check list which shows each staff member's CRB check number, the date it was carried out and the outcome. A full training record for each staff member is held on site and staff are encouraged to upgrade their qualifications whenever possible. Staff can also elect to attend training workshops and short courses which enhance the experiences provided for the children. Procedures also include regular staff monitoring and annual appraisals carried out by the manager. This ensures that children are cared for by practitioners who are suitable to do so.

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the early years provision

The whole building is regularly risk assessed. In particular, any new toys, equipment and play areas provided for the children. Appropriate safety equipment is used throughout and children learn to use new equipment safely. For example, the splendid new pirate ship and play area situated outside the main entrance. Children practise the nursery emergency evacuation drills on a regular basis. These are fully evaluated by the manager. The nursery provides an excellent range of toys and activities which are suitable for the ages of each group of children using them. These range from treasure baskets for the younger children to intricate construction equipment for the older ones. All toys are fully accessible to the children allowing them to self-select those they wish to use. The rooms have been organised to ensure children get the most from the facilities. For example, the raised platform in the two to three-year-olds room has been moved to a corner to

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the early years provision

provide a raised reading platform and lower den area for imaginary play. The nursery also has outstanding practice to help children learn about equality and diversity. It provides a fully inclusive service for all children where each individual child's needs are met. It fully supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their parents by providing the service of a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. She ensures that children have individual educational plans. She also provides support for parents when dealing with other outside agencies such as speech therapists. Staff are keen to communicate with children in their own home languages and collect key words and phrases to use. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Parents are fully involved in translations to aid them. There are many resources in different languages including Braille. All children are commended by staff for their

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the early years provision

individual abilities particularly at group times. Children learn that everyone is different.

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the early years provision

The nursery has outstanding links with local schools and other agencies to help children's transition to school and to ensure that children are fully supported. For example, reception class teachers visit the nursery or the children are taken to the school to visit. The nursery has outstanding practice when working in partnership with parents. There is a wealth of written information displayed on the walls concerning the Early Years Foundation Stage, policies such as the complaints procedures plus lots of photographic evidence of the children having a great time participating in activities. Parents indicate that they consider their children are receiving the best possible care. Parents are fully involved in the children's 'All about me' record books. Many have reported to staff that they really like the new system for seeing their children's records and there are many opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning. For example, the older children

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the early years provision

take home boxes which they fill with special items to show each other at group time. Parents provide information as to why the items are special. Parents also provide up-to-date information about children's individual medical needs. They give written permission for specific individual care needs or for children to be involved in specific activities. Children receive consistent care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with good quality care and learning opportunities because staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff use their skills to settle children into the provision with the help of parents. There are a number of new children attending who have problems separating from their parents. Staff offer cuddles, comforters and lots of distraction to help children settle. The majority of children arrive happy and eager to participate in the day's activities. This shows they feel safe and secure in the setting.

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and outcomes for children

All children have excellent opportunities in all the areas of learning regardless of their ages and abilities. Babies fully enjoy the comfort of their play room with lots of snuggle cushions and blankets. Their sleep room is calming with strings of glowing fairy lights around the walls and ceiling. Their bedding is individual to each child and are washed frequently to ensure good hygiene. Staff work closely with parents of babies to ensure individual care routines are maintained. The older children are fully involved in the planning of activities. Every morning they sit in their key worker groups and plan what they will do during the day. They help the key worker make a written record of their plans. Their comments are recorded. Later in the day they review the activities they have used and record how much they have enjoyed them. This helps the children to practise decision making for themselves and to acknowledge their own and others' achievements. They develop

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and outcomes for children

lots of self-confidence. All children enjoy books and looking at the pictures or attempting to read. The babies and younger children have plastic and cardboard books with bright primary colours and attractive pictures. The older children have a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 comfortable book area with comfy cushions and seating. Children are articulate and enjoy conversations and discussions with staff and each other. Older children have access to computers which they use competently. The younger ones use push button musical toys and enjoy dancing or singing along to them.

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and outcomes for children

Children are regularly challenged by staff with numbers, shapes and other mathematical concepts such as measurement and time. These necessitate the children, thinking about problems and working together to solve them. For example, a few children made a platform out of some long wooden beams and they needed to fix them so that they did not wobble. After some discussion they added some blocks underneath to help secure the top ones. This also demonstrated their creative skills as the platform became a large van with space for police officers from the pretend police station they had constructed previously. These activities followed a visit from the local constabulary who showed the children how to take fingerprints and use handcuffs. The children created their own handcuffs from pipe cleaners and spent lots of time looking at their painted handprints to see the fingerprint lines. Younger children enjoy the challenge of

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and outcomes for children

looking after the guinea pigs in their room. They handle them very gently and the guinea pigs respond very well. Children learn to feed them with healthy food and spend time talking to them and confiding in them. In all areas of the nursery children select their own activities. This gives the staff an insight into their likes and abilities which are observed and recorded. Staff use their interests to plan activities for individual children. Children's identity is protected on the planning sheets displayed on the walls. All staff are able to recognise each child from the planning and can cater fully for their individual needs even though their key worker may not be present. Records show that children are making excellent progress towards the early learning goals and are developing excellent skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children have many opportunities for physical play both indoors and outside. They develop both their gross motor and fine motor skills using the excellent range of equipment available. The majority of the older children understand about the effects of physical exercise on their bodies. They know their hearts work fast when they run around. They also know they need to rest after physical exertion. They understand that fresh fruit and vegetables are good for their bodies and make their bones strong and help them to grow. At snack time, the children competently pour their own drinks and spread their own butter on their crackers. At tea time children help prepare food. For example, fajita wraps. Through their understanding, children are able to adopt healthy lifestyles. Children have excellent involvement in some of the running procedures of the nursery. For example, they plan how rooms are arranged and which toys are purchased. The children

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and outcomes for children

understand the rules of the provision. They know what is acceptable behaviour but if they need reminding they have discussions with staff. They interact well with their peers and engage well in cooperative play. Younger children's behaviour is managed by staff mainly by distraction. Children are cooperative with staff and regularly exceed the staff's expectations of behaviour. Children manage their own behaviour very well. 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 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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