Busy Bees Day Nursery at Walthamstow

Just Learning Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Just Learning Nursery

Unique Reference Number 155097 Inspection date 28 March 2006 Inspector Theresa May

p.1

Just Learning Nursery

Setting Address 20 Sutton Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 5QA

p.1

E-mail

Registered person Just Learning Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

p.1

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

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Just Learning Nursery opened in 1999. The nursery is located in a purpose built building in Higham Hill Walthamstow. The children are organised into 12 playrooms. All children share access to a large outdoor play area. A maximum of 140 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is

p.2

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 open each weekday from 07:00 to 19:00 for 52 weeks of the year.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 122 children aged from 3 months to under 5 years on roll. They are drawn from a wide catchments area as most of their parents travel to work into the City of London. The provision supports children who speak English as an additional language, and children with special needs. The nursery employs 28 staff. All staff hold, or are working towards either the Diploma in Nursery Nursing (NNEB), or the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2 or 3. Staff receive support from an advisory teacher from the Waltham Forest Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP)

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Good daily routines ensure children learn the importance of personal hygiene. Children are reminded to wash their hands before eating and after visiting the toilet. Staff carry out effective procedures to prevent the spread of infection such as ensuring children have individual bed linen and nappy changing routines. All the staff are trained in First aid and have access to a fully stocked First aid boxes which means they can give appropriate care if children have an accident. Children have a varied and nutritious meals which are planned and freshly cooked on the premises. Children's special dietary needs are respected and catered for. Their special dietary needs are displayed in the kitchen and base rooms to ensure continuity of care. Parents wishes are respected if they wish to provide their own food. Parents receive a record of the children's food intake to keep them informed.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered healthy snacks and enjoy the fruit and juice at the snack bar. However, during lunch times the children can sped a long time sitting and waiting for their food or to eat it, if staff are not sitting with them, children can become restless. Older children serve themselves to lunch but staff are not consistent in fostering their independence at this time. Children have daily opportunities to take part in physical play daily outside in the garden. They use their large muscles as they ride trikes and shout in delight as they climb, jump and are encouraged to take risks under the supervision of the staff on the large climbing frame.

p.3

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 benefit from playing in a spacious and well organised environment which allows children opportunities to be active, engage in physical activities, table top and floor activities and look at books in a comfortable environment. Children move around the base rooms with comfort and ease. They are warm, welcoming and the children's art work is displayed. Babies have there own space which has soft furnishings to allow then to explore their environment safely. Children enjoy and learn from a wide range of good quality toys and equipment. This includes a variety of man-made and natural materials that are laid out for the children so they can freely access and investigate. They are age and developmentally appropriate and contributes to a stimulating environment. Children are protected because staff have a understanding of child protection issues

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and would progress any concerns to the manager or deputy. Implementation of effective systems, such as the collection of children, recording of visitors and risk assessments contribute to children's safety.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Staff greet and welcome the parents and children into the base rooms. Younger children are supported in leaving their parents while the older children quickly settle in to the routine of making their own choices about their play. Staff know the children well and sensitively interact with children and are aware if they are tired or upset. This interaction and the implementation of a successful key worker system between children and staff helps develop meaningful relationships. Staff record observations of the children which is used to plan activities using the Birth to Three Matters framework. Children enjoy and learn from a range of activities that allows them to explore and investigate. They can independently choose from a range of toys and activities which are age and developmentally appropriate. They enjoy adult led activities such as making chocolate rice krispy cakes and flick

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

painting. Younger children enjoy exploring the different textures and textiles in the treasure basket. Nursery education The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children’s attitude towards learning is good and they are making progress in the stepping stones. Children sit in the book corner and look at books, they hold them the right way up and turn the pages carefully. They can recount their favourite stories while they interact with each other in imaginary games. Children calculate through singing rhymes of 5 little monkeys, and can answer ' how many left ?'. They count independently and are beginning to learn the names of shape's. Children have access to a computer and are developing control of the mouse. Most staff make use of planned and routine activities, such as, interacting

p.4

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 occasionally to encourage or extend the children's learning. Staff have an understanding of how children learn. Staff observe the children and plot the children's progress using the stepping stones however, this system has been newly introduced and therefore not consistently applied. The assessments do not inform planning. The long term plan is displayed for the year and the weekly plan encompasses the six areas of learning. The activities are not evaluated to plan for the next steps for children's learning.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children learn about themselves and the wider world through discussions and planned activities. There are pictures and posters displayed which reflect the society we live in and a good quality range of toys and books. This helps children to understand and value the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children with special needs are welcomed and supported by staff who work in partnership with parent's and other professionals to ensure the children's care and development. Children's care plans are carried out and progress is reported on. Careful planning for the building has ensured that the environment is accessible for children with a special need or a disability. Staff provide good role models for children by being calm and polite. Praise is given freely to children, ensuring that they develop confidence and self esteem and

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

understand that they have done well. Children are generally well behaved they respond to requests for good behaviour. Rules of behaviour are displayed in the pre-school rooms. They are aware of the boundaries set and the expectations of the setting such as lining up at the door to the garden. Parents receive information about the nursery setting with all their policies and procedures. They also receive information from news letters, parents evenings and weekly information sheets on their care and food intake. Parents settle their children into the nursery and children's individual needs are recorded and respected. Parents receive daily verbal and written information about their children's general welfare and are welcome to speak to the staff at any time. Relationships with parents are friendly and supportive. Partnership with parents whose children receive nursery education is satisfactory. Planning in the Foundation Stage is displayed in the hall of the pre-school rooms for

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

parents to view. Staff have recently adopted a new system of observing children and using the stepping stones for the children's assessments. Parents have only just received information on the Foundation Stage through a parents evening, so previously have not been involved in their children's assessments or the planning for the next steps of their development.

p.5

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 The organisation is good. Leadership and management good. The deputy manager leads by being a role model and working hands on with her team. The management use room meetings and have introduced a formal system to monitor and evaluate the quality of the teaching and the impact of the curriculum on children's learning. However, as this system is newly introduced it is to early to see how this is implemented effectively. There is good commitment to staff training who can access it through house training or the Early Years Partnership. Children are cared for in a well organised environment. Children are grouped according to their age and allocated a key worker which promoted consistency. Staff are deployed effectively so the staff ratio is maintained and children receive appropriate adult attention, which helps children feel secure. Designated roles are

p.5

Organisation

allocated appropriately, and staff are allocated areas of responsibility. Staff work well as a team The records, policies, and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision and for promotion of the welfare, care and learning of children, are in place. The office contains locked cabinets to store confidential information. All information is well organised and easily retrievable. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection a general risk assessment is carried out daily in each room. Any risks that have been identified are brought to the attention of the management and recorded. The risk assessment identifies actions to be taken to ensure the safety of the children in the areas used by them. A written record, signed by parents, of medication given to children is obtained to ensure their continuity of care. There is a complaints procedure where all complaints are recorded, they are investigated and the findings are reported back to the parent who made the complaint. These are made available to all parents.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

Since April 2004 Ofsted has received eight complaints relating to National Standard 1 - Suitable Person, National Standard 2 - Organisation, National Standard 7 - Health, National Standard 8 - Food and Drink, National Standard 12 - Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers, Annex A - Babies/children under 2. The complaints related to the care of the under 2's, staffing ratios, the conduct and suitability of staff, the lack of hot water in the nursery, the health of staff, food safety and hygiene; nappy changing practice and information sharing with parents. Initially the provider was asked investigate these complaints and following one investigation Ofsted carried out an unannounced visit and evidence was found that improvements had been made. On another occasion Ofsted met with the provider

p.6

Complaints 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 discuss their findings and there was evidence that the National Standards had been breached and the provider agreed to two actions which have been met. Following the provider's own investigations no evidence was found that the National Standards had been breached in respect of three complaints and Ofsted was satisfied that the provider had taken appropriate steps to address the other complaints. 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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

p.7

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): • organise meals times so there is shorter waiting times, staff to sit with the children and ensure there is consistency in older children serving themselves.

p.7

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): • continue to develop observations and assessment to inform planning. Plan for the next steps in children's learning and share this with parents regularly • continue to develop procedures to monitor the effectiveness of teaching and the impact of the curriculum on children's learning

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7