Busy Bees Day Nursery at Blaydon

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 30/11/2004 Inspector Name Janet Fairhurst

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Lakeside Day Nursery Setting Address Lakeside Childrens Day Nursery Park View, Shibdon Road Blaydon-on-Tyne Tyne and Wear NE21 5LU

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Just Learning Ltd Address 45 High Street West Malling Kent ME19 6QH

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Lakeside Children's Day Nursery was first established in 1993 and in June 2004 was registered to the current provider and is now part of the national chain, Just Learning Limited. It operates from a two storey detached building in the Blaydon area of Gateshead. The nursery serves both the local community and wider area. The nursery has eight play rooms which accommodate the different age groups of children. The babies and toddler groups are situated on the ground floor whilst the rooms for the pre-school children are on the first floor. There are two outdoor play areas, kitchen and laundry facilities available. The nursery is registered for a maximum of 69 children. There are currently 67 children on roll aged from birth to under eight years; this includes ten funded three-year-olds and five funded four-year-olds. There are no children attending who have identified special needs or who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 08.00 to 18.00. There are 15 part-time and full-time staff who work with the children; this includes a manager, two deputy managers and two senior nursery nurses. All staff hold early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority.

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How good is the Day Care?

Lakeside Day Nursery provides a good standard of care for children. All staff have appropriate childcare qualifications and are keen to attend additional relevant training to develop their own knowledge and skills. The staff work well as a team and are clear about their roles and responsibilities. The effective key worker system enables staff to establish consistent and good relationships with children and parents. The operational plan is effective and underpins the smooth running of the nursery. Staff give high priority to children being safe, both inside and outside the nursery.

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How good is the Day Care?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 Staff are proactive in ensuring that children follow good personal hygiene routines; however the hand drying arrangements need to improve. All staff hold current first aid certificates. There are effective procedures for the administration of medication and recording accidents. Security and monitoring of the children is good, which ensures that no unauthorised persons have access to the nursery area. Staff plan and provide a range of practical activities, although the emphasis on the end result sometimes hampers children's natural creativity. Babies are given good opportunities to play with natural materials in the form of heuristic play. Staff are fully involved with the children and have established warm and caring relationships with

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How good is the Day Care?

them. Children are happy, confident and show interest in the activities available to them. Children are well behaved and understand the boundaries and expectations of the group. Parents are provided with good information about the setting. They are kept well informed, both verbally and in writing, about their child's progress and activities. Parents also have the opportunity to attend formal meetings to discuss their child's progress.

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What is being done well?

• Staff give high priority to children being safe, both inside and outside the nursery. There are effective procedures in place to monitor all visitors. Staff are deployed effectively and ensure children's safety by carrying out risk assessments, including for outings. • There are effective procedures for monitoring the adminstration of medicines and recording of accidents. Accidents are monitored to identify regularly occurring accidents, so that steps can be taken to minimise the risk. • Parents are kept updated through the plans being displayed and via information on notice boards. All children have daily diaries which parents take home with them and to which they are encouraged to add additional information. Parents are invited to formal meetings to discuss their children's progress. • Babies and children are settled, happy and well cared for. They clearly enjoy being in the nursery and are keen to explore, play and approach staff.

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What needs to be improved?

• arrangements to prevent cross-contamination.

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PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS (This section applies only to inspections carried out

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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inspection or 1st April 2004 whichever is later.)

Since April 2004 there has been one complaint relating to National Standard 14. The complaint related to records detailing children and staff attendance and how the written communication policy reflects the current practice. Ofsted investigated this and the provider agreed to carry out two actions to ensure that they meet the National Standards. The provider has now carried out both actions and remains qualified for registration.

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 7 Improve hand drying arrangements for the children to prevent cross-contamination. 8 Ensure that appropriate crockery is used for all children.

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by the time of the next 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

Lakeside Day Nursery provides a happy welcoming environment where children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. In some areas such as personal, social and emotional development, mathematical development and physical development, children's progress is very good and generally good progress is made in all other areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good with some very good aspects. Staff's knowledge of the foundation stage is good and this enables them to plan effectively to ensure that children receive a broad balance of activities. However, informal observations and assessment are not carried out regularly enough to ensure that children's individual learning is assured. Staff emphasise and promote mathematics well; however, opportunities for the older and more able children to link letters to sound and practise writing is limited and the there is insufficient challenge for

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How effective is the nursery education?

developing children's imagination and skills within creativity. The accommodation is not used fully and this limits children's choice and access to resources. Staff are good role models and give clear boundaries and structure for children to follow and, as a result, their behaviour is good. Leadership and management is generally good. Staff are supported in their development with relevant training. Through the effective communication process, staff are kept well informed about the group's aims and objectives. While the leader assesses the strengths and weakness of the setting informally, this is not always fully effective. The partnership with parents is very good. Staff are warm and welcoming and encourage informal discussions to exchange information. Parents receive good information about the setting and the education provision, and are kept up-to-date about their child's progress and activities through daily diaries and formal meetings.

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What is being done well?

• Children are good communicators, they are keen, confident and interested in their environment and activities. Children form good relationships with adults and their peers. • Children are developing a very good knowledge of health and bodily awareness through their spontaneous and planned activities. • Mathematical development is given high priority and children's progress in this area is very good. Children are confident and show an eagerness to participate and to use numbers and mathematical language during their everyday play. • Staff are good role models for the children, which encourages them to behave well, share, take turns and make friends.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • The relationships with parents are positive. They are kept well informed through a variety of means: daily diaries, discussion, written information displayed on notice boards and regular news letters. Staff are always willing to talk to parents about their children, discuss concerns, progress, look at assessment folders and exchange any information to support children's learning.

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What needs to be improved?

• the system to use observation, assessment and evaluation of children's activities and progress so that their learning can be assured • use of the accommodation to ensure that children are able to have regular access to the full range of resources available to them • opportunities for children to engage in mark-making for a purpose and for the more able children to link sounds to letters • opportunities for children to freely express themselves through art and role play activities • the system to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the group.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This was the first nursery inspection under the current ownership of the setting.

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What has improved 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are confident and show good levels of concentration when completing tasks. Behaviour is good, children are co-operative and show respect for clear behaviour boundaries. Children are learning to share, take turns and be aware of others when playing games. They are developing greater independence and confidence with regard to their own personal needs, for example as they wash their hands and put on their coats. Children are happy, quick to settle and motivated to learn.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy looking at books and show respect as they handle them. Opportunities for more able children to link letter sounds are occasionally missed. Children are developing good speaking and listening skills as they share their news. Children are provided with some opportunities to see, hear and draw; however, mark-making for a purpose is rarely encouraged in play situations and there are not enough opportunities for self selection of writing tools.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are able to count up to nine and beyond. Some children recognise numerals up to five. Children have good opportunities to use numbers as a tool when counting specific items during number games or counting cups needed for snack time. Older children are beginning to understand simple addition as they work out how many more pegs or cups are needed. They are also beginning to understand number values, recognising who is older and younger themselves.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children talk freely about their families and the things they do at home. They show an awareness of their own environment and the people within it through their visits and visitors to the group such as dentist and fireman. Children are developing a sense of time as they talk about past and future events. Children's opportunities to use technology is limited due to the use of the accommodation. They use their own observation to design and make models using a variety of resources.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are aware of space in relation to others as they pedal wheeled toys. Children are aware of taking care of their bodies, looking at health and fitness as seen in past projects. Children are developing their hand-to-eye co-ordination and fine skills as they manipulate malleable materials, such as dough. Children develop all round co-ordination and skills through a wide range of equipment and activities.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's planned dance sessions develop their awareness of a range of musical styles. They sing enthusiastically and know many songs from memory. Some children demonstrate a good understanding of form, space and shape as they design models, for example, creating a snowman from dough. Children's freedom to express themselves through art and role play is limited.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• improve the observation, assessment and evaluation system so that it clearly shows children's progress. Use the knowledge gained from ongoing informal observation of children to inform future planning • make greater use of the accommodation to ensure that children have access to all resources • improve the provision for communication, language and literacy to include regular opportunities for children to engage in mark-making for a purpose and for more able children to link sounds to letters • improve opportunities for children to engage in purposeful role play activities and to be able to express themselves freely through art and craft activities • develop and formalise the systems to assess and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the setting.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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