Butterfly Day Nursery

Butterfly Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Butterfly Day Nursery

Unique Reference Number 221567 Inspection date 08 December 2005 Inspector Emma Bright

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Butterfly Day Nursery

Setting Address 27a Elizabeth Way, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 1DD

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E-mail

Registered person Bernadette Chevli 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?

Butterfly Day Nursery is privately owned. It opened in 1989 and operates from purpose built premises and is situated close to Cambridge city centre. A maximum of 37 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open 5 days a week from 08:30 to 17:30 all year round. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 28 children aged from 18 months to under 5 years on roll. Of

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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 these, 15 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from the local area and further afield as parents travel into Cambridge to work. The nursery currently supports a small number of children with special educational needs and also supports a significant number of children who have English as an additional language. The nursery employs 5 staff, of these 3 of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications and 2 members of staff are currently working towards a qualification.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children's health and well-being is promoted and they are protected from the risks of cross-infection by good hygiene procedures. For example, staff use gloves to prepare and serve food or when changing nappies and each child is provided with their own linen at sleep times. Children competently wash their hands during the daily routine and know that they do this "because the germs get in your tummy”. Thorough procedures and documents are in place to ensure children's individual dietary and medical needs are met, for example, all medical consents are obtained from parents and all staff hold first aid certificates. All children enjoy sufficient quantities of food and drink; they enthusiastically tuck in to the meals provided and many children ask for second helpings. Meals are nutritious and freshly prepared each day and the varied menus ensure children's nutritional needs are met. Children benefit from the range of good quality meals,

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Helping children to be healthy

which help them to understand about making healthy choices. Children's individual dietary needs are noted and provided for, to take into account any special dietary requirements. This ensures that children are well nourished and content. Good routines for sleep and quiet times are in place, which ensures that all children are well rested. Children enjoy physical activity outdoors, such as such as climbing on large apparatus or balancing on small 'rockers'. They demonstrate good coordination skills as they pedal their tricycles, steering them with good control to avoid collision with others. This ensures that children benefit from physical activity to promote their good health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a secure and safe, indoor and outdoor environment. They move around safely and freely in the space provided under the supervision of the staff. However, children do not always have privacy when they are using the toilet. Good security procedures are in place to restrict unauthorised access to the setting; staff greet each child and the times of arrival and departure are recorded. However, risk assessments are not carried out regularly and the system for monitoring sleeping

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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 children needs improvement. This compromises children’s ongoing safety. Children are beginning to understand about keeping safe and staff explain dangers to children to ensure they learn how to avoid accidental injury. Children use a good range of interesting resources that are appropriate for their age and stage of development, and these are checked regularly by the staff to ensure they are in good condition and are safe for children to use. Children are protected and kept safe from harm as the staff have a sound knowledge of child protection procedures and have the necessary skills to identify signs and symptoms. The child protection policy is in place and shared with parents, which enures children are protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. All children enjoy their time at the nursery and they separate happily from their parents and carers, settling into their activities quickly on arrival. Children are confident, they play happily together and are beginning to develop positive relationships with one another. This contributes to their sense of belonging. Children benefit from the warm interaction with the staff and they have formed good relationships with them, which helps to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children are independent and these skills are encouraged throughout the daily routine. For example, 2-year-old children manage the 'magic' way to put on their own coats and competently feed themselves. Children are interested in the good range of activities and resources on offer, most of which they can access easily so that they can follow their own interests. However, staff do not yet have a clear understanding

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of the 'Birth to three matters' framework, which means that positive outcomes for children under three are not yet fully promoted. Nursery Education. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Practitioners have a good understanding of the Foundation Stage and plan a suitable range of activities and experiences that cover the areas of learning. Children's achievements are linked to the stepping stones, and assessment records show that children are making satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. However, these records have not been sufficiently developed to include planning for the next step in their learning and do not yet take account of parents' contributions. This means that practitioners have an incomplete picture of some children's attainments, consequently some of the activities lack challenge for older and more able children. Children's independence skills are well developed and they competently tend to their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

personal needs, such as putting on their coats or pouring drinks for themselves at meal times. They concentrate and persevere in tasks that stimulate them and demonstrate pride in their achievements. Children's behaviour is generally good and they are developing good negotiating skills as they learn to share and take turns. However, some activities lack challenge for older and more able children who are

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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 ready to move on to the next stage in their learning. Children confidently communicate with adults and each other, and they have formed good relationships with one another. They initiate conversations and use conventions such as 'please' and 'thank you' unprompted. Children's early writing skills are developing. Some children are beginning to form recognisable letters and they talk about the letter that their name begins with. Children develop their understanding of numbers, counting and calculation in a range of practical activities and during the daily routine. They use mathematical language to describe shape and size in their play as they talk about who is big and they know it is "round like a circle". Children observe changes in the weather and discuss what clothes they need when it is cold. For example, "You need hats and gloves and coats

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and everything!" Children enjoy manipulating playdough and observe it being squeezed through a garlic press "like worms". However, children do not have rich opportunities to use their imagination in design and in creating for enjoyment. Children enjoy singing familiar songs and join in enthusiastically to noisy renditions of 'When Santa got stuck up the chimney'.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are supported well in the transition between home and nursery. This ensures that they feel secure and settle readily. Children's individual needs are met as information is gathered from parents to ensure staff know about these needs and this contributes to children's well-being. Systems are in place to welcome children with special needs, which ensures they are supported appropriately. Children behave well and demonstrate an understanding of the rules for good behaviour with the support of staff. Some staff use effective strategies to manage children's behaviour and they consistently use positive language to help children understand what is expected of them. Children access a good range of resources that promote a positive view of the wider world and this helps them to understand about their differences and similarities. However, some children with English as an

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Helping children make a positive contribution

additional language are not fully supported to help them feel included in the setting. Children benefit from the good relationships between the staff and their parents. Parents receive information about the setting so they know about activities and events, and they have daily opportunities to discuss their child with staff. This ensures children's individual needs continue to be met. All policies and procedures are in place to share information with parents and carers. The partnership with parents of children who receive nursery education is satisfactory. Parents receive information about the Foundation Stage and have access to their child's records. However, parents have few opportunities to contribute to their child's assessment record, sharing what they know their child can do at home. This means that children do not benefit from the sharing of information that would enhance their learning and build on their existing knowledge and skills. The

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Helping children make a positive contribution

provision fosters children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are happy and content as staff have developed warm and caring relationships with them. Sound recruitment procedures ensure that staff are vetted, which ensures children are protected. Over half of the staff team hold appropriate early years qualifications and appraisals identify areas for professional development to further improve staff's knowledge and understanding of the needs of the children. All required documentation is in place and children’s records are kept up to date, so that they receive appropriate care. This enables them to settle in well and become confident members of the nursery. The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is satisfactory. The newly appointed manager is committed to improvement to ensure that all children have access to good quality learning experiences and has begun to identify areas for improvement. However, systems to monitor and evaluate the provision for

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Organisation

nursery education are not yet in place, which means the impact of the teaching on the children's learning is not always effectively assessed. Overall, the setting meets the needs of the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, the admissions policy has been updated so that parents are informed about the admission of children under two and the security system has been improved to ensure that only authorised persons have access to the nursery. The provision for promoting children's early writing skills has been improved and topics are extended into most areas of learning and supported through the use of stories and discussion. However, opportunities have not been improved to extend and focus older children's learning and this is reflected in the report.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since 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 AND 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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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): • conduct a risk assessment of the premises on a regular basis to identify action to be taken to minimise risks • further improve systems for monitoring children when they are sleeping • ensure that the dignity and privacy of children is respected when using the toilet • further develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework to improve outcomes for children under three • further develop effective systems to improve support for children with English as an additional language.

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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): • further develop the system of assessment and ensure that parents have additional opportunities to contribute to their child's assessment records in order to improve staff's knowledge when planning the next steps in children's learning • implement systems to monitor and evaluate the provision for nursery education to ensure that children have access to good quality learning experiences.

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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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