Busy Bees Day Nursery at Wigan Marylebone

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 12/02/2004 Inspector Name Victoria Gail Halliwell

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Just Learning Private Day Nursery Setting Address 35-37 Walkden Avenue Wigan Lancashire WN1 2JJ

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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

Just Learning Private Day Nursery opened in 1998. It is one of a number of nurseries owned by Just Learning Limited. Just Learning operates from seven rooms within a detached two storey building on the outskirts of Wigan town centre. The nursery is managed on a daily basis by Ann Marie Ellison. There are currently 85 children on roll. This includes 29 funded three year olds and 7 funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting currently supports a small number of children with special needs, they do not support any children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery opens 5 days a week all year round from 07:30 until 18:00. Five part-time and 17 fulltime staff work with the children. Almost all the staff have an early years qualification to NVQ level 2 or 3. The setting receives support from a community advisory teacher from Wigan Sure start and is taking part in the National

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Information about the setting

Day Nursery Association quality assurance scheme Quality Counts.

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How good is the Day Care?

Just Learning Day Nursery provides a good standard of care for children. The nursery is well managed by an experienced nursery manager who is committed to improving the service offered to young children. Practices within the nursery are routinely monitored and evaluated and attention to staff training and development is very good. The staff are effectively deployed to promote the smooth running of the nursery and key worker systems are implemented to varying degrees for all children within the setting. Children are grouped according to their age and ability in individual room that are generally well furnished and equipped with a wide range of resources. Some rooms lack facilities for children to relax in comfort during the nursery day and have limited low level stimulation. Attention to documentation is generally very good. Staff have a clear understanding of heath and safety and implement established

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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 systems to minimise potential hazards and promote positive hygiene practices to the children. Mealtimes are a valued social occasion, staff are positive role models who dine with the children. Staff support children with additional needs well, they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to child protection. Children are valued as individuals, the staff are knowledgeable about their routines and preferences and respond sensitively to meet individual needs. Many children have formed secure attachments with the staff and enjoy mutually affectionate relationships. All children have daily access to a broad range of interesting activities and play materials. Opportunities for children to enjoy outdoor play and sensory

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How good is the Day Care?

experiences are particularly good. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents are provided with good quality information about the setting and their child's day. The nursery regularly consults with parents verbally and through questionnaires about the service they and their children receive.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Since the last inspection Just Learning have agreed to; provide an incident record book, a book is now available to record of any incidents that occur, so that staff can monitor incidents and track possible patterns in behaviour. ensure the outdoor play area is made safe, the outdoor play area is well maintained to ensure the children can play outside in safety. ensure that the premises is adequately ventilated, a new air ventilation system has been added to the first floor rooms to ensure fresh air is circulated. ensure that staff are informed of and aware of the importance of good hygiene and informed of and kept up to date with hygiene procedures. Ongoing training is provided for all staff to ensure good standards of hygiene are maintained for the children.

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What is being done well?

• The provision of interesting and stimulating sensory area's for all children aged from 0 to 2 years. • The implementation of the key worker system for babies from 0 to 12 months. Where possible the key worker is responsible for meeting the individual needs of children in their group such as bottle feeding and nappy changing providing high levels of continuity for the younger babies. • All children have continuous access to a good range of sensory experiences and raw materials such as sand and water. • The stimulating outdoor area is used repeatedly by all children from 2 to 5 years on a daily basis.

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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 • Children have formed good relationships with staff, the staff are knowledgeable about individual children and respond sensitively to meet their individual needs. • Communication and consultation with parents is particularly good. Parents are routinely encouraged to share what they know about their child informally, during parents evening and by entering their own comments in daily diaries or on their child's progress report. • The nursery is very committed to staff training and development. All staff routinely complete a range of in house and external training course to further extend their knowledge of child care practices.

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What needs to be improved?

• The records of progress for children aged from 0-3 years. • The implementation of the key worker system for children from 12 months to 3 years. • Low level stimulation and the provision of area's for children aged from 12 months to 3 years to relax in comfort during the course of the nursery day.

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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 Further develop the system for recording what children aged from birth to three can do to help staff plan the next steps in children’s play and learning.

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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 nursery education provision at Just Learning is of high quality. The children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is very good, staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the stepping stones which lead to the early learning goals. They plan effectively and provide appropriate support to enable children of all abilities to make progress in each of the six area's of learning. Staff provide a very stimulating and accessible low level environment which promotes independence and encourages the children to make their own choices, leading to key strengths in personal development. Staff carefully balance interesting planned activities with opportunities for children to make their own discoveries and learn through direct experiences. Leadership and management is very good, the manager has a sound understanding of the stepping stones and regularly monitors the effectiveness of the curriculum

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How effective is the nursery education?

planning and its implementation through planning meetings and observation. Good systems are in place to ensure all aspects of the curriculum are delivered to all children. The staff are well deployed and work well as a team; communication between team members and the management is very good. The staff and management are equally committed to improving the care and education of the children through regular self evaluation. The partnership with parents is very good, parents are provided with good quality information about the setting when their child is admitted. They continue to receive regular communication form the nursery through newsletters and notice boards. Parents are well informed of future learning intentions and have good opportunities to find out about the foundation stage and monitor their child's progress towards the early learning goals. Parents contributions are valued, some parents have supported

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How effective is the nursery education?

themes with talks about their jobs, culture and lifestyles.

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What is being done well?

• Children have high levels of independence, they are highly motivated and make meaningful decisions about the activities they engage in and confidently select their own resources. • Children are interested in books and the written word, many can identify letter's in their name and understand that print carries meaning. • Staff carefully plan a stimulating and accessible low level environment which promotes children's progress in all area's of learning and offers excellent opportunities for children to learn from direct experiences. • Children have excellent opportunities to express themselves freely through role play, sensory experiences and creative artwork.

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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 • Children are becoming very aware of the world they live in, they are learning about their own and the lifestyle's, cultures and beliefs of others. • Staff regularly observe what the children can do and monitor their progress along the stepping stones to the early learning goals. They use the assessments of children achievements to accurately identify future learning intentions.

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What needs to be improved?

• Opportunities for parents to write their own comments on their child's record of achievement.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The progress made by the setting in response to the points for consideration raised at the last inspection have been very good. Point for consideration 1. Meet the needs of all children. In response the setting now ensure that activities to develop children's writing skills are adapted to cater for the needs of children who learn more slowly. Point for consideration 2. Improve the assessment process. More detailed assessments that are informed by regular observations of children's progress along the stepping stones are now maintained.

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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 have high levels of independence, they select their preferred activity and resources with confidence. They have a strong sense of belonging and proudly identify their work that is displayed. Children have formed good relationships and are becoming increasingly aware of the feelings of others, offering words of encouragement and reassurance. Most children work well within a group, they take turns and share and are able to negotiate effectively to resolve minor disputes.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children communicate effectively, they interact skilfully in one to one conversation's asking appropriate questions to find out more and confirm details. Most children speak confidently in a large group sharing their 'news' and listening with interest to their peers. Children enjoy looking at books and listen carefully to group stories. Many are able to link sounds to letters and routinely name letters in the print rich environment. Children are developing good pre-writing skills.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Most children can count confidently beyond 10, they can identify numerals and select a specified number of items on request. Children are interested in number, they enjoy practical planned activities such as finding 4 red items to put on the red section of the parachute and measuring items so they can order them in sequence. Children routinely explore mathematical concepts such as capacity in the water play and consolidate what they have learnt using a range of interesting resources.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children are knowledgeable about their local community and roles within society. They enjoy informative talks from parents about their profession, culture and lifestyles and enjoy trips to places of interest such as the local hairdressers. Children design and construct models confidently, they are curious about how things work and carefully select appropriate shapes. They persevere and are often able to find solutions to their own problems. Children use technical equipment confidently.

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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 move skilfully and with confidence, they have good opportunities to learn new skills and explore additional ways of moving through planned sessions such as P.E. and music and movement. Many children operate and manoeuvre small equipment skilfully following narrow pathways on trikes or with prams. More able children test and extend their balancing and climbing skills outdoors on the large apparatus. Children manipulate small tools such as scissors with increasing skill and control.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children have excellent opportunities to explore their own creativity, they select their own resources and work independently until they are satisfied their masterpiece is complete. Children experiment with raw materials such as sand and water adding a varied range of resources to extend their experiences. They particularly enjoy mixing their own play doh considering the texture as they add more water. Children play with imagination expressing their thoughts and feelings confidently.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no key issues the following is a point for consideration. • Provide more formal opportunities for parents to include their comments on their child's record of achievement.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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

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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