Busy Bees Day Nursery at Derby Heatherton

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 23/03/2004 Inspector Name Georgina Walker

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Leapfrog Day Nursery (Heatherton) Setting Address Hollybrook Way Littleover Derby Derbyshire DE23 3TZ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd 3229362

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd Address Central Office Second Avenue Centrum One Hundred Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire DE14 2WF

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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

Leapfrog Day Nursery (Littleover) opened in 1999 and is part of a national chain of childcare facilities, owned by Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd. It operates from a purpose built, one story building in Heatherton village, Derby. There are ten playrooms and the emphasis is on small group care within the larger overall groupings. Under two's, two to three year-olds and three to five year-olds are cared for in separate units. Each unit has relevant changing and toilet facilities and there are associated staff and domestic facilities. There is access to outside play in age defined areas. The nursery serves the local area. There are currently 157 children from 3 months to 5 years on roll. This includes 56 funded 3 and 4-year-olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting can support children with special needs and currently supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The Nursery opens Monday to Friday, 07:00 until 19:00 all year round including Bank Holidays with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. Thirty five full time or part time staff work with the children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Six unqualified staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. Administrative and domestic staff are also employed. The setting receives support from Derby City Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) and the company training department. They are members of the private day nursery association.

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How good is the Day Care?

Leapfrog Day Nursery (Littleover) provides good quality care for children aged 0-8 years. Occasionally over fives attend and their needs are addressed with age appropriate activities. Children have opportunities to access an excellent range of activities which promotes their welfare and development. They are observed to enjoy the activities in all the play rooms and outdoors, but their play is interrupted by set

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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 snack and meal times. The babies are cared for by staff who create a calm atmosphere and address individual needs. One to two-year-olds respond eagerly to messy play activities. Their free access to well presented books is limited. The two to three-year-olds are developing good social skills and are given opportunities to choose their own activities and request others. Resources to promote diversity within society are evident in some playrooms. The programme of learning for three to five-year-olds is good. Children have a good awareness of safety and behaviour management expectations. Staff consistently follow policy and procedures to ensure the children are safe. The procedures for child protection are comprehensive. Children with

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How good is the Day Care?

special needs and English as an additional language are actively included. Thirty five adults regularly work with the children, many have early years qualifications and all staff attend ongoing training or assessment programmes. Staff meet regularly to discuss planning and future activities. Good induction, review of policies and cascading of training information ensures staff are informed of new practices. There are comprehensive policies and procedures, in the form of an operational plan and staff files, to ensure requirements meet the children's needs effectively. Staff are interested in what the children do and encourage them to learn. Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are provided with comprehensive information about the services and detailed daily information sheets.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the previous inspection the nursery agreed to provide a number of documents relating to a request for an increase in registration, a new daily register, incident records and insurance, These have been provided or introduced resulting in an increase to being registered for 107 children and meeting the national standards and ensuring the safety of children when on the premises. Resources to promote positive images of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability have been purchased and are generally in use by the children.

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What is being done well?

• Children access an excellent, stimulating range and balance of activities, in all age group units, which promotes their welfare and develops their emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities on an individual basis. They are purposefully occupied with activities linked to well planned themes, which include seasonal and cultural topics and outings or walks locally to extend experiences. • Children are encouraged to follow good safety and behaviour management strategies from the role models provided by staff. Positive steps are taken to promote safety and socially acceptable behaviour within the setting and on outings. • Staff ratios are maintained to a high level, especially in the baby unit. Staff hold a range of childcare qualifications and are encouraged to access and

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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 update their training and /or qualifications. • Documentation is maintained to a very high standard and covers all aspects of the practice within the nursery. • Parents are provided with comprehensive written information, which includes daily information sheets. They are invited to contribute to their child's learning.

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What needs to be improved?

• the access to resources which promote equality of opportunity, to ensure they are consistently available throughout the nursery •• the books provided in the baby unit, as some are unsuitable and this leads to many being ripped and does not promote correct use • the routine, which is dominated by snack and meal times and interrupts children's learning.

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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 3 Consider the effectiveness of the routine and how interruptions for snacks and meals effect the children’s learning. 5 Ensure children have consistent access to age appropriate resources and those which promote equality of opportunity.

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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?

The provision for nursery education at Leapfrog Day Nursery is good. It enables children to make very good progress towards the early learning goals in the areas of mathematics, personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and physical development. They are making generally good progress in all other areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff plan a range of interesting and stimulating activities to promote the children's learning. Relationships between staff and children are very good and encourage communication skills. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and they encourage independence. Children have many good opportunities to enjoy books but are not sufficiently involved and stimulated at story-time. Staff make very good use of the wide range of resources but do not plan the duration and learning of snack-time effectively.

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How effective is the nursery education?

The leadership and management of the nursery is very good. There are clear policies and strategies in place to monitor the provision of care and education for all the children. Good staff relations are fostered and further staff development is encouraged. Staff work well together to develop continuous improvement in the provision. The partnership with parents is very good. They are kept well informed about their children's progress during daily feeback and parent's evenings. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the children's learning through topic information and the sharing of books.

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What is being done well?

• Provision for the children's learning in the areas of mathematics, personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development is very good. • A high standard of planning is in place which provides a wide range of worthwhile activities for all the children and extension activities to extend the learning of able four-year-olds. • Children's progress is well monitored and recorded. These records are used to plan future activities for individual children. • The leadership and management of the nursery is very good and promotes continuous improvement in the provision of care and nursery education. • The very good partnership with parents extends and promotes children's learning.

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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

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What needs to be improved?

• story reading to children in a large group situation • the duration and learning potential of the snack-time routine.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Generally good progress has been made since the last inspection. The larger group sessions are now planned to be more practical and to use real objects. They now meet the different needs of the children. In communication, language and literacy staff now use real objects to illustrate sounds at the beginning of words. In mathematics children are now able to count objects and match them to numbers. Children now have opportunities to handle solid shapes and explore their properties. Children are now developing an understanding of addition and subtraction by combining groups of objects and taking objects away.

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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 The children have good relationships with the staff and each other. They work well in small or large groups. They take turns and share the computer. They are able to persevere with tasks. The children are developing good independence skills and behave well. They are kind to each other. They understand nursery routines and are developing good self-discipline. Through a variety of interesting topics children are learning to understand other people's needs, cultures and beliefs.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children communicate well with staff and each other. They can read their own names on their place-mats. They enjoy books and are able to re-tell stories to each other. Children are not sufficiently involved and stimulated at story time, in a large group. Children write their own names on their work. Some older children are beginning to form letters correctly. The children are beginning to hear, say and write sounds. Staff are not consistent in their use of the sound of letters or their names.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are given many opportunities to count objects and match them to numbers. Older children count accurately and know that nine comes after eight on the hop-scotch. Children are encouraged to use mathematical language such as heavy and longer in their activities. Children are developing a good understanding of addition and subtraction using number rhymes and the computer. Children have a good understanding of shape. They recognise and name 2D and 3D shapes such as a circle and cone.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are given a wide range of well-planned activities to encourage them to investigate and explore. They have a bird hide and keep count of the birds they have seen. Children use the computer confidently. Older children can use simple programs independently to support their learning. Children learn about many other cultures and beliefs in their topic work. Children work well co-operatively when designing and constructing, with a wide range of objects chosen independently.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children enjoy a wide range of activities to develop their physical skills. They can kick a ball, run and jump. They are able to climb and travel along large climbing equipment confidently. When using the wheeled toys children use the space well and are able to avoid obstacles. Through well-planned activities the children are learning how to keep themselves healthy. The children are developing good skills when using tools and materials such as scissors, brushes, recycled materials and sand.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good The children have good opportunities to use a wide range of media and materials to express their own ideas in paintings and model-making. Children use their imaginations well in the role play areas. A three-year-old says she has to cook the dinner, when in the home corner. The children know many rhymes and songs and enjoy joining in the actions. Although children use their imaginations when sharing books with each other, at group story time they are not always animated nor involved.

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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 level of children's involvement and stimulation when listening to stories in a large group situation • review the length of snack-time, particularly for younger children and develop its full learning potential.

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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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