Mama Bear's Day Nursery

Mama Bear's Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY338699 Inspection date 23/09/2010 Inspector Yvonne Campbell

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Setting address Mama Bear's Day Nursery, 17 Oakfield Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2AW Telephone number 08003288151 Email mamabearclifton@btconnect.com 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 telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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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

Mama's Bears Nursery, Clifton, is one of seven Bristol based nurseries run by a family group which includes the registered person. The nursery opened in 2006 and operates from a detached four-storey Victorian property in the Clifton area of the city close to the main Clifton shopping centre and Bristol University buildings.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 7.00pm. It operates all year round except for bank holidays. Children have access to all areas of the building except for the laundry area, storage rooms, the kitchen and the staff facilities. Children also have supervised access to a large room in the basement, which has been set up for soft play. There is an enclosed garden to the front and sides of the premises which is used for outdoor play . Another garden located towards the back of the premises is used for learning and exploration.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 72 children at any one time. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children may attend from three months upwards. There are currently 117 children on roll. All are in the early yeas age group. The nursery provides funded nursery education for three and four year olds. They support children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

A total of 37 staff members work directly with the children. Of these, 15 hold Level 3 qualifications and of these 15, six also have degree level qualifications. Other staff are working towards completing Level 3 training in the near future. The manager holds a degree level qualification as well as Level 3 in Childcare and Education. The setting also employs two early years teachers and two cooks.

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Description of the setting

The nursery has achieved The Bristol Standard in Early Years Care on the city- wide quality assurance scheme.

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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 making very good progress in this family-orientated but highly professional nursery. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide a variety of stimulating activities and learning experiences to promote children's progress towards the early learning goals. Effective systems for risk assessments are in place. This ensures children play and explore, both indoors and outdoor, without contact with any harmful materials. Partnerships with parents and other agencies are a key strength of the nursery. Staff have forged links with others to ensure the provision offered to children is holistic and of a high standard. Children's individual needs are met well as staff make ongoing observations and assessments to inform plans for progress. There is also regular self evaluation of the setting by the manager and staff. Areas for improvement are prioritised and promptly acted upon resulting in improved

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase the opportunities for children to use mathematical language during play  assess the risks to children in regards to toys which are not in current use and left on the floor and where risk is identified take action to remove these.

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the early years provision

Children are kept safe and there is a reduced risk of child abuse as the nursery has effective safeguarding policy. All staff have completed criminal record checks and are safe to be in close contact with children. New staff have thorough induction in safeguarding and they know the signs and symptoms of abuse and the action to take if they have concerns about a child in their care. The Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance is accessible for reference. Safeguarding training updates are also provided for staff. Parents are aware of the safeguarding children policy as they have access to the document displayed in the entrance area.

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the early years provision

The nursery manager works very closely with her staff, the teachers and the registered person. The self evaluation document provided by the regulator is thorough and correctly identifies areas of strengths and also those for improvement. For example, staff engage extremely well with parents, including those who speak English as an additional language. This ensures all parents feel relaxed and able to contribute their feeling, suggestions and some aspects of family culture. Staff provides suggestions of how parents can be involved in their children's learning and they are informed on a daily basis about which staff are working in the base room and those who are away. This aids communication and parents always know who they should speak to if they wish to discuss issues about their children's care. The plans for improvement include further development of the outdoor play area and additional training for staff to enhance their

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the early years provision

understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements

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the early years provision

The nursery is well resourced with stimulating, age appropriate toys in age of the base room. Key workers organise and plan the rooms to support learning considering children's individual and also developmental needs. Resources are accessible at child height and children can self select other items they want to play with. In some cases specialist equipment is provided such as the camera in the nesting box in the 'secret garden'. This is connected to a computer in the nursery and allows children to observe the birds as they hatch and nature new born chicks.

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the early years provision

Staff ensure that children feel at home in the nursery regardless of their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 background or home language. They liaise with parents to provide a list of familiar words so staff can communicate with children, affirm their individuality and meet their basic needs. Other ways of supporting children who have limited English or language skills include the use of labels and symbols so they can visually identify activity areas.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and excited as they play and explore outdoors. Staff ensure that preschool children are able to experience free flow inside and out when selecting the area they want to play in. They play happily individually, such as when riding bikes or the form group to play together to test out their ideas. For example, a group of girls get together to make a shed, they talk about how many pieces of interlocking pieces they need and work together to construct the imaginary equipment, celebrating when they achieve their aim. Staff make sure that all children are included and have a sense of belonging. Younger children greet the manager happily as she enters their base rooms and show signs of attachment to her as they raise their arms for hugs which she lovingly gives the children remembering each one by name. Shy children who want to sit and share with an adult are given time and space to do so.

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and outcomes for children

Children have the opportunity to learn about nature, growth and change. They plant and tend vegetables such as onions and carrots in the garden. Long tubes are provided so children can observe how root vegetables grow downwards in the soil. Children are learning about the needs of other living things. The nursery has African snails in a tank. Children enjoy feeding the creatures and spray them with mist from a water container as they know the snails need to stay moist. The content of the nursery curriculum is constantly reviewed. Several highly trained staff are in post including the two teachers who are responsible for overseeing planning. Children benefit from the system as all staff, including those trained to Level 2, are becoming increasingly confident in delivering the learning and development requirements. Children's progress is recorded and shared with their parents. The teacher has correctly assessed that though children count and

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and outcomes for children

handle toys that promoted their understanding of numbers, staff do not provide sufficient opportunities for children to use mathematical language as part of their vocabulary.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a variety of nutritious snacks and meals to promote their healthy physical development. Meals are prepared on the premises and staff encourage children to take responsibility for taking the amount of food they want to eat at meal time. They serve their own lunches under close supervision from staff and are learning to explore different tastes and make healthy choices in the food they eat. Information about diet is shared with parents so they are able to support healthy eating at home. Children's bodies are kept hydrated as they have access to fresh drinking water in their water bottles and also at meal times.

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and outcomes for children

A safe environment is maintained for children to play in. Risk assessments This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 documents are located in each base room so staff can use these as reference and be aware of any action necessary to keep children safe. All areas are secure and children's movements up and down the stairs are controlled by several safety gates. Children and staff are familiar with the procedure for leaving the premises in an emergency as a fire drill is practised and evaluated on a regular basis. However, on occasion, unused toys are left on the floor and this may be hazardous to newly mobile children who are at risk from tripping on these.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave very well. They are purposefully occupied and fully engaged at all times. All staff have behaviour management training during induction so they use appropriate methods to moderate any incidents of unacceptable behaviour. Children also know that they should tell staff if they are worried about the behaviour of others and share minor concerns with a trusted member of staff. 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 1 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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