Busy Bees Day Nursery at Stowmarket

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 08/07/2004 Inspector Name Jean Goodrick

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name JUST LEARNING NURSERY Setting Address Kestrel Drive Stowmarket Suffolk IP14 5QU

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Just Learning Ltd Address 45, High Street West Maling Kent ME19 6QP

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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 Day Nursery opened in 2002. It operates from a purpose built building situated on the outskirts of Stowmarket. The day nursery serves the wider area. There are currently 105 children from 5 months to 5 years on roll. This includes 12 funded three year olds and 7 funded four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports a small number of children who have special needs. The group opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07:30 until 18:00. Twenty part time and full time staff work with children. Over half the staff have early years qualifications to NVQ level 2 or 3. Three staff are currently working towards a recognised early years qualification. The setting receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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How good is the Day Care?

Just Learning Nursery at Stowmarket provides good quality care for children. Staff work well together as a team and are clear about their roles and responsibilities. They regularly attend training and are open to new learning to develop their practice. Children have opportunities for a wide range of activities including outdoor play. Staff are conscientious about following health and hygiene procedures and give a high priority to the welfare and safety of the children. Staff have warm affectionate relationships with the children. Babies are fed, changed and comforted with great tenderness. Staff know the children well as individuals. They listen and respond to the children with respect and they are attentive to children's individual needs. Staff have a variety of strategies to promote good behaviour including plenty of praise and encouragement and consistent boundaries. Meal times are pleasant social occasions with freshly cooked nutritious meals. Staff

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How good is the Day Care?

have a range of resources and activities which help children to develop respect for

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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 difference. Partnership with parents is very good. Parents speak highly of the flexibility of the nursery, staff sensitivity during the settling in period, and the availability of staff to discuss their children's progress. Staff keep records up to date.

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What is being done well?

• Consistency of care and consistency of staff is given a high priority for babies and toddlers so that they feel secure and can develop trusting relationships. • Staff provide a wide range of activities, including outdoor activities, for all age groups so that the children make progress in all areas of their development. • Staff are developing knowledge and skills in the area of special needs and show an excellent commitment to meeting children's individual needs. • Staff pay scrupulous attention to safety procedures, for instance, in checking people's identity before allowing them into the nursery. • Parents receive a warm welcome in to the nursery. There is a large entrance lobby with photos, displays and relevant information. Staff are available to exchange information with parents on a day to day basis.

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What needs to be improved?

• health and safety procedures so that room temperatures are recorded when the weather is hot. • access to shade in the outdoor play area so that children are not so restricted to indoor play during fine weather. • staff's knolwedge and understanding of children's development from nought to three years • child protection procedures so that they include procedures to be followed in the event of allegations against staff. Also the relevant information leaflets should be made available to staff.

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Outcome of the 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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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 staff’s knowledge and understanding of children’s development from nought to three years 13 Improve the child protection statement by including procedures to be followed in the event of allegations against staff and by including contact numbers for the local police and social services

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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 Just Learning Nursery is of high quality. Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals. Teaching is very good. The staff have a clear understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and how children learn through practical, meaningful activities. They use this knowledge to deliver fun, interesting and varied opportunities for children to experience. Assessments are in place for each child and are used to identify children's strengths and help them progress. Staff interact very well with the children, supporting them in their play by using good questioning skills to extend their learning. Staff have clear expectations of the children and manage their behaviour well; children respond to their consistent and positive behaviour management. There is an effective system in place to support children with special educational needs. Leadership and management is very good. Support from the management is

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How effective is the nursery education?

effective, which enables the enthusiastic pre-school supervisor to offer good quality early years experiences for children. The staff are very committed to improving practice and the care and education of children. The staff team meet regularly to share their knowledge, skills and to evaluate their group practice. The staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities and work very well together as a team. The staff participate in regular training opportunities to ensure their practice continues to develop. The partnership with parents is very good. Staff have good relationships with parents; they ensure that parents have regular opportunities to discuss their child's progress with them. Parents receive good information about the setting, it's provision and aims for children. Regular notices and newsletters keep them informed about the curriculum, the daily routines and activities. Parents are encouraged to take part

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What is being done well?

• Planning is very good. It is based on a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum and makes clear what children should be learning from the activities; this enables staff to offer stimulating and exciting pre-school experiences for children. • Children have excellent opportunities to paint, draw and make marks in a range of play situations and activities. This means their early writing skills are developing very well. • Children are happy and motivated to learn and are developing good attitudes to independent learning. The staff carefully nurture their confidence and self-esteem.

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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 staff form very good relationships with the children and their families. They show a genuine interest in what children say and do, treating their comments and opinions with respect. Adults provide good role models, showing children how to be respectful and caring towards one another.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for parents to contribute towards their child's assessments.

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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 highly independent and motivated to try new experiences. They select their own resources, concentrate well and persevere with their chosen tasks. Children are supportive of one another and have formed firm friendships. They readily share resources and co-operate with each other. Staff use praise and encouragement effectively, which means children are developing good levels of self-esteem. They respond well to the positive messages given to them and their behaviour is good.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children are very confident communicators. They initiate conversations and express their ideas and opinions freely in a familiar group. They are developing very good early reading skills, recognising letters and linking them to sounds in a word-rich environment. Children enjoy listening to stories, joining in enthusiastically. Children are skilled at mark making in a range of planned and spontaneous activities, such as writing signs and captions. Their fine motor skills are developing very well.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children show a great interest in numbers and counting, both in planned activities and in their play. Staff develop children's understanding of simple calculations through everyday activities and in song and rhyme. Children enjoy using resources to group, match and re-create simple patterns. They recognise shape and size, using the appropriate vocabulary. They are beginning to use mathematical concepts to problem solve. Simple positional language is used in context by children.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children use their observational skills to investigate their environment and the natural world. They display great curiosity when exploring new experiences and activities. Regular visitors to the group and outings to the local area further support learning. Children have developed excellent design and building skills. They select their own resources to create complex structures; they are inquisitive to learn about how things work. Children have regular opportunities to use technology.

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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 freely with confidence and good coordination; they enjoy using the well resourced outdoor area. Staff plan very good opportunities for children to practise new and existing physical skills. Children use a wide range of small tools and equipment in planned and spontaneous activities with good control. They are developing a good awareness of changes in their bodies after physical activity and of healthy practices, such as hand washing and healthy eating.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good This is the highlight of the group. Children have excellent opportunities to be creative and are clearly encouraged to express their imagination through a range of media and materials. They readily select their own materials to design and create art that reflects their own ideas. Children explore their senses in imaginative activities, confidently responding to experiences. They make very good use of the well resourced role-play area, re-enacting scenarios and familiar stories.

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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 significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • further develop the system of assessment to increase opportunities for parents' contributions.

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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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