Busy Bees Pre-School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/07/2003 Inspector Name Jacqueline, Ann Connell

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Busy Bees Pre-School Setting Address Village Hall Church Lane, Bishops Sutton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0AA

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REGISTERED PROVIDER 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

Busy Bees Pre School runs in the village hall in Bishops Sutton. This is a rural area and the hall overlooks farmland at the rear. The pre-school is managed by a committee of parents and it serves the children of the local area. The group is registered for 24 children between the ages of two and five years, although it is the policy of the pre school not to take children under the age of three years. It is open, during term time, between 9:30 and 12pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and on Tuesdays between 9:15-11:45am and 12:30-15.00 The pre-school operates with a staff ratio of at least 1:6. There are five members of staff and of these three are fully qualified and two are in training. All the staff hold a first aid certificate. The group is able to take three and four year olds who are receiving funding, including children with special needs. It has close links with the local schools.

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How good is the Day Care?

The playgroup provides good care for children. The playgroup environment is warm and welcoming which helps the children to settle easily and to enjoy their play. Staff place a high priority on the childrens' safety both inside and outside the group. There are comprehensive procedures which ensure that regular reviews of safety are made. Children are encouraged to develop good standards of hygiene through the example of the staff. The playgroup has a team of staff who work closely together and operates with a high staff ratio. Each child has a keyworker. The children are involved in a broad range of stimulating and enjoyable activities. These are planned to ensure all the childrens developmental needs are met. At times, for instance, when activities are being changed over, the children are not occupied and there is limited interaction,

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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 but throughout the majority of the session the children are very happy and fully absorbed in their play. There is a wide range of safe and suitable toys and equipment which the children can access easily, although there are few toys and activities to promote equality of opportunity. Good behaviour is valued and praised and the children are encouraged to take responsibility. Both parents and children understand the behaviour boundaries. There are good working relationships with parents based on the regular sharing of information. All the required documentation is in place and kept securely.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This does not apply as the last inspection was a transitional inspection.

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What is being done well?

• The staff provide a broad range of well planned, stimulating activities that encourage the children's whole development and helps them to learn new skills. Children enjoy their play and interact confidently with the staff, helping the children to express their ideas and to develop their language. • Staff are very committed to providing good care for the children. They know the children well and understand their individual needs. The children receive a home visit from a member of staff, before starting the pre-school, so that a relationship can be formed and the settling-in period made easier. •• Children behave well and good behaviour is valued and encouraged. There are clear behaviour boundaries which the children and parents understand. The staff encourage children to take responsibility, to have good manners and to be kind and considerate to others. • The staff welcome and value parents in the pre-school and encourage them

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What is being done well?

to become involved in a variety of ways such as parent helpers and committee members. They receive clear information about the group's aims and procedures and have regular opportunities to discuss how their child is progressing. Parents feel able to approach the staff especially if they have a concern about their child.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of each session so that the children are kept involved and occupied; (Standard 3) • the equipment to promote equality of opportunity, especially relating to disability, in order to extend the childrens' knowledge and understanding of the wider world. (Standard 5)

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What needs to be improved?

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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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 ensure the sessions are organised so that the children are kept involved at all times. 5 provide additional toys and activities to promote equality of opportunity, especially those giving a positive view of disability, so that the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is increased.

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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?

Busy Bees pre-school provides generally good nursery education. The children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. Children are making very good progress in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and creative development and generally good progress in all other areas of learning. The quality of teaching is generally good. The staff have a good understanding of the early learning goals. The staff know the children well, question them effectively according to the child's stage and are effective in building the children's confidence and self-esteem. The staff's use of evaluations and assessments are not consistent,and do not effectively inform the planning of activities or what the children need to learn next. The leadership and management of the pre school is generally good.The committee and staff work well together and are clear about their individual roles and

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How effective is the nursery education?

responsiblities.The staff aim to provide good quality education for the children. The staff evaluate activities but there is no consistent system in place to use these effectively to improve the provision. The partnership with parents is very good. Staff provide a welcoming and supportive enviroment where parents feel able to communicate their ideas and concerns about their children. Parents are encouraged to take an active role either by being part of the rota system or by supporting the current theme.

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What is being done well?

• Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good. Children are confident, have good relationships with each other and the staff play an active part in their learning. • Children's spoken language is developing well. They can negotiate well and express their real and imaginary experiences during a range of planned activities. • The children have many experiences to encourage their creative development. They are encouraged to explore colour and textures and use their imaginations across a range of activities. • Staff provide a welcoming and supportive environment where parents feel comfortable in communicating about their children, which contributes to the children's learning. • The staff work well as a team providing an interesting range of activities, and their knowledge of the children contributes positively to their 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?

• the use of observations and assessments made on the children, to ensure learning opportunities are not missed. •• the use of the evaluations of activities, ensuring that the plans are effective for all the children. • the opportunities for children to calculate or solve practical problems. • opportunities for children to learn about their own and other cultures. • activities to enable children to learn about changes that happen to their bodies.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

The pre-school has made some progress since the last inspection. Two areas have been carried forward to key issues for this inspection. The programme includes sufficient time for the children to become familiar with letter shapes, sounds and familiar words. Children have opportunities to recognise and record numbers and take part in practical activities for addition and subtraction. There has however been limited progress in the use of observations, assessments and evaluations. Observations and assessments made on the children are not used to inform the planning therefore learning opportunities are being missed. Evaluations of the activities are not consistent and not used to inform the planning. It is not recorded how an activity went or on how improvements could be made.

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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 programme for personal, social and emotional development is very good. The children work well both independently and in a group. They take the initiative and show high levels of concentration, for example,in role play situations and during craft activities. The children are confident, interested and play an active part in their learning.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good The children are making very good progress in communication, language and literacy. The children's spoken language is developing well, they engage easily in conversations with each other and with adults. They learn to link sounds and letters to make words. Children take part in activities supporting a cursive writing style as agreed with the local local infant school.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in mathematical development is generally good. Many children count, understand and use numbers up to twenty. Children learn about patterns, size and shape but have few opportunities to problem solve or calculate.Children learn to use correct mathematical language.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in knowledge and understanding the world is generally good. Children learn about features of their environment and the natural world whilst growing vegetables and looking at mini beasts found in the garden. The children discuss past and present events, for instance the visit to the local school. Children have limited experinces to learn about other cultures. The children enjoy using the computer.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children make generally good progress in physical development. They use a wide range of equipment and tools safely and competently for instance when digging their carrots up and whilst making their hats. The children demonstrate a good sense of space when moving around the room and when playing whole group games. The children have limited opportunities to explore changes that happen to their bodies.

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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: Very Good The children make very good progress in creative development. The children explore colour and textures whilst using their imaginations in a number of ways including art and craft activities. They express their own ideas and thoughts through a range of activities including role-play and music and movement sessions.

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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

• use observations and assessments made on the children to ensure that learning opportunities are not missed. • use the evaluations of the activities to ensure that the plans are effective for all the children. • increase the children's opportunities to calculate or solve practical problems. • ensure that children learn about their own and other cultures. • develop activities to enable the children to learn about changes that happen to their bodies.

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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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