Busy Bees at Stokenchurch

Positive Steps Stokenchurch Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY292355 Inspection date 18/10/2010 Inspector Kim Mundy

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Setting address Positive Steps Day Nursery, Lower Church Street, Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3TG Telephone number 01494 484 737 Email info@positivestepsnurseries.co.uk Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

The Positive Steps Nursery is one of five nurseries run by the Positive Steps Group. It opened in 2004 and operates from four rooms within a refurbished building. It is situated in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am to 6.15pm all year round. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area. Children attend from the local area and beyond. The breakfast club operates from 7.45am to 8.30am when children are escorted to Stokenchurch primary school.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 58 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 62 children on roll in the early years age group and they attend different sessions. The nursery is able to support children with special educational needs, and currently supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 15 staff and of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are enjoying their time at this nursery as they learn through play and are supported by kind and caring staff. Positive partnerships with parents, carers and others enable children's individual needs to be met effectively. Good health and safety arrangements promote the children's welfare. The nursery has effective systems in place to review their practice and identify areas for the further development of the service to benefit the children and their families.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop further children's outdoor play opportunities  continue to develop systems for reflective practice and self-evaluation to further enhance the outcomes for all children.

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the early years provision

This nursery is well led and managed; the kind and enthusiastic staff work well as a team to promote good outcomes for children. Children are safeguarded because staff know the possible signs and symptoms of child abuse and the correct procedures to follow should they have concerns. Clear and robust procedures are in place for the recruitment of staff, which includes criminal record checks. In This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 addition, visitors sign the visitor's book and closed-circuit television is in place. Staff undertake daily risk assessments for the premises and outings, which means that children can make independent choices about what they want to play with. The required paperwork is accurate and well organised. The nursery has good systems in place to review their practice and makes ongoing changes to benefit the children. Areas for development are identified and this includes the views of

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the early years provision

children, parents and staff. As part of the on going staff commitments to further improving the service, the managers have stated they aim to introduce a new process to enhance the outcomes for children. However, this was not in place at the time of the inspection. Staff develop their skills by attending training courses, for example, behaviour management, thus benefitting the children.

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the early years provision

The nursery provides an inclusive environment for all children. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator works enthusiastically with children who speak English as an additional language and staff make links with other professional bodies to support children's outcomes. A good range of toys, materials and resources are provided to plan for the children's individual learning.

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the early years provision

Positive partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals enable children's individual needs to be met effectively. Each child is allocated a key person who is responsible for overseeing their care, welfare and learning. The parents are informed of events that are happening in the nursery, for example, via the nursery website, information board and monthly newsletter. Furthermore, they are invited to parents' evenings three times a year to discuss their child's progress and to complete Foundation Stage Profiles before they leave for school. The nursery links up with others to benefit the children, for instance, local receiving schools and health visitors. In discussions with parents during the inspection, they state they are happy with the care and education their children receive.

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and outcomes for children

Good hygiene routines are established to promote children's well-being. Adults are required to cover their shoes before entering the baby rooms where some of the babies are crawling. Babies' bottles and cots are individually labelled and bed linen is stored separately to minimise cross-infection. Good systems are in place for administering medication and several staff have attended first aid training to provide suitable treatment as the need arises. Children are learning about healthy eating. The qualified cook prepares nutritious meals and follows food hygiene routines and guidelines, such as taking fridge temperature readings. Babies enjoy the closeness of being bottle-fed on staff's laps while listening to relaxing music and all children are taught good manners as they enjoy sociable meal times. Children have a variety of healthy snacks and they help themselves to drinking water throughout the day. The children who attend the breakfast club on site,

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and outcomes for children

enjoy a healthy breakfast before they are escorted to the local primary school to start their day.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning to keep safe as they practise the fire drill and learn to use This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 tools, such as scissors safely. Children are developing their independence skills as they help themselves to resources from low level shelving and drawers in all of the play rooms. In addition, steps are available for younger children to access toilets and sinks independently. Children are well-behaved and staff talk about sharing and being kind to one another as this arises during play. Children are proud to receive stickers, for instance, for good listening to put on their 'Well Done Bus'.

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and outcomes for children

Good achievement starts in the baby rooms and continues throughout the nursery. Staff are secure in their knowledge and understanding of the early learning goals and provide a well-balanced curriculum. They are flexible in their approach to children's learning and they build on the children's existing interests and skills. A picture of each child's development clearly emerges through staffs' effective planning and assessment procedures. Children are increasing their mark-making skills as they make patterns in shaving foam, use chalks, crayons and pencils, and write for a variety of purposes. They develop a good sense of belonging as they observe their name on their coat peg, drawer and art work. Children are developing their speaking and listening skills as staff use open questioning, and through discussion and story times. Children's problem-solving skills are developing well, for instance, as they fit puzzles together, post shapes and thread beads. All

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and outcomes for children

children enjoy a range of creative activities, such as painting, sticking and constructing models out of recycling materials. They are caring for living things as they plant vegetables and flowers, and use magnifying glasses to observe mini- beasts. Children are enjoying sensorial exploration as they feel different textures, listen to various types of music and enthusiastically try to catch bubbles. Children enjoy daily fresh air and exercise, for instance, as they climb, slide and roll hula hoops in the nursery garden. In discussions with staff during the inspection, they are keen to further enhance the children's outdoor play experiences, particularly in relation to their imaginative play opportunities. Children also experience walks to the local park and library, which enables them to learn about their local community.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a good awareness of multicultural Britain as they celebrate various festivals, such as Holi and Chinese New Year. There is a range of activities, toys and resources to help children to appreciate difference, for example, books, dolls, posters and puzzles. The curriculum is further enriched by visiting teachers delivering music and French sessions. Staff are raising children's awareness of the importance of caring about the future of their environment as they recycle paper. Pre-school children enjoy caring for the nursery bears, Henrietta and Henry, when they take them home. Children are introduced to positive learning experiences, which help to prepare them for their future education. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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