Busy Bees Day Nursery at Enfield

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 14/03/2005 Inspector Name Kay Williams

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Leapfrog Day Nursery (Enfield) Setting Address 2 Florey Square WINCHMORE HILL London N21 1UJ

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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 100 Burton Upon Trent STAFFS DE14 2WF

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of 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 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 is one of 103 nurseries run by Nord Anglia PLC. This setting opened in 2001. It operates from a purpose built, two storey building situated in the centre of a residential area. A maximum of 120 children aged 0-5 years may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open weekdays from 07:00 to 19:00 all year round There are currently 120 children aged from 0-5 years on roll. Of these, 64 receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children come from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special needs and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 37 members of staff who work directly with the children. The manager is excluded from this figure as she is supernumerary. Ten of the staff, including the manager hold appropriate early years qualifications. Eight are working

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Information about the setting

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

Leapfrog Day Nursery provides generally good quality nursery education where children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of the curriculum. Structured activities effectively teach children communication, language and literacy and mathematics. However, there are weaknesses within the individual programmes. The quality of teaching has significant weaknesses which hinders some aspects of their learning. Routines are hectic at times, children have to wait a long time for snack and spend too long waiting for other children to complete tasks. Staff changes are frequent, as the need to cover breaks and absenteeism takes them away from the children. When engaged in the children's learning, staff effectively support and question their work, but this is not consistent. Planning includes all areas of the curriculum and some good activities, especially within the programme for creative development are well presented. However there

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How effective is the nursery education?

are periods throughout the session where empty table and exclusion of the literacy room limits the children's learning. The leadership and management is generally good. The staff are clear about their role and responsibilities and are committed to developing their practice through staff meetings and attending training courses. However most of the weaknesses within the setting stem from the inadequate level of fully trained, qualified staff, and the ineffective systems for addressing this weakness. Partnerships with parent's is generally good. Informal daily feedback and regular more formal meetings keep them updated regarding their child's progress. Their comments also compliment this process. They are offered detailed information relating to the theme that children are focusing on and the home reading scheme encourages them to be involved in their child's learning. However, they are not offered sufficient information regarding the foundation stage curriculum

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What is being done well?

• Staff effectively promote children's literacy skills, by teaching them the name and sounds that letters of the alphabet make. • Children are offered a good range of creative art activities, during which they are free express their own individual imaginative work. • Staff encourage children's independence well, especially during meal times and while tending to their own personal toileting needs. • Parent's express satisfaction with the service they receive and feel well informed regarding their child's progress.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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What needs to be improved?

• staff knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum and effective methods for teaching young children • daily routines and the range of activities • the consistency of the staff team and the approach to their interaction in support of children's learning • information offered to parent's.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident and independent. They part happily from their parent's and settle quickly to their chosen activity. They are generally well behaved, although there are times when activities do not sustain their interest and they become disruptive. They have good relationships with their peers and care for each, one child spontaneously served another child his lunch. They demonstrate excitement in their play, especially during singing time.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children are confident communicators who are used to speaking in small groups. They use language to organise ideas. They enjoy listening to stories and make good use of the comfortable book area. Children are able to write their names and other simple text. They know the sounds that letters make and are able to identify their own name and often those of their friends. Much of the teaching is structured hence opportunities to write for varied purposes are not effectively fostered.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children have a good understanding of number and quantity. They can count reliably to 10 and sometimes beyond. They can recognise written numbers. They are learning about measurement, recording their height on a wall chart. They use mathematical language with increasing knowledge, considering concepts such as symmetry. They are learning to calculate by adding and subtracting sums, however staff do not make effective use of practical activities to reinforce counting for every day purposes.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children use a variety of resources to learn to build and construct. They make good use of the computer to develop their ICT skills. They recall past events in their lives during circle time discussion. Planned activities teach them about their own culture and those of others. Children observe and record the weather each day, although there are no other opportunities for them to explore and investigate or to learn about living things or handle natural resources.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children enjoy a good range of activities which promote their fine physical skills, including cutting and gluing. They demonstrate a good awareness of space and are able to form a circle easily. They observe changes in their body when they are active, especially after big action songs. The outdoor area is used daily and children use bikes and climb and balance with increasing skill. However the time allotted to outdoor play is brief and staff miss opportunities to extend their learning.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are offered a very good range of creative art activities during which staff encourage them to engage in at their own level and support their individual creativity effectively. Children enjoy role play and the use of small world resources to recreate situations and learn to make sense of their world. They enjoy singing and participate enthusiastically, although movement to music is limited and there are too few opportunities for them to make their own music.

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

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of 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 staff knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum and the stepping stones for children's learning, including enhancing their knowledge of the most effective methods to effectively teach and promote children's learning. This knowledge can be drawn on to produce information for parents. • review the daily routines in order that children, spend more time engaging in hands on learning rather than waiting their turn or queuing. Create a more free flow environment where children can access a wider choice of resources for longer periods of time. • provide a more extensive range of activities and resources which effectively address the weaknesses identified within all six areas of learning • develop greater consistency within the staff team members who work in the pre-school room. They in turn must spend effective and consistent amounts of time promoting the children's learning through appropriate interaction and

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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 Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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