Mama Bear's Day Nursery

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

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Unique reference number EY355441 Inspection date 05/01/2011 Inspector Susan Harvey

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Setting address 691 Wells Road, Bristol, Avon, BS14 9HU

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Telephone number 01275 891 316 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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 Bear's Day Nursery is one of 10 nurseries owned by the registered person. It is situated in a large detached house in Hengrove, Bristol and was previously registered within the premises of Hengrove Community Arts College. Children under three years are cared for on the ground floor, in rooms according to age group. Children over the age of three years are located on the first floor in an open plan area. The nursery opens from 7.30am to 7pm. The setting operates throughout the year except for Public Holidays and Christmas week.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is registered for a maximum of 37 children under five at any one time. There are currently 58 children on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery has a number of children with special educational needs and or/disabilities and also caters for children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 15 members of staff who work with the children, nine of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery provides funded early years education for three and four-year-olds.

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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 attending Mama Bear's Nursery (Hanham) show a strong sense of belonging, as staff are welcoming and children feel very safe in their care. There are highly effective partnerships between staff and parents; with strong support from key agencies ensuring children's needs are fully met overall. There is a comprehensive monitoring system in place which focuses staff's attention on continually improving outcomes for children. Children are effectively safeguarded by extensive recruitment and vetting procedures. The environment is generally beneficial to enable children's learning and qualified staff provide and inclusive environment to benefit children's well being.

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further?

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

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further?

 create an indoor environment that is reassuring and comforting for all children with special regards to the decor in the nursery  make sure that the indoor environment contains resources which are appropriate and well maintained for all children, paying particular attention to books and book corners. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children in Mama Bear's Nursery (Hanham) are consistently safeguarded and thrive under staff's excellent protection. A comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues amongst all staff is heightened through attending regular training courses. Close working relationships with a raft of key agencies provides extensive collaboration and consistency of care and learning for each child. Comprehensive policies and procedures are well documented and implemented consistently. The extensive recruitment and vetting procedures successfully assist with the induction of new staff and students, who play an important part in the nursery. Resources are generally deployed effectively across the nursery and staff are skilled at promoting positive attitudes to children's learning. However, some parts of the environment, such as the décor and resources in the book corners are in need of attention to make them more inviting and so promote children's literacy

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the early years provision

more effectively. Equality and diversity is managed extremely well. Children are introduced to various festivals generating a positive experience through activities and jigsaw puzzles.

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the early years provision

There is an excellent partnership and communication with parents. Any parent with English as an additional language can be easily accommodated as there are members of staff who can interpret as required. The partnership between parents and staff is positively established before children start in the nursery through open visits and extended settling in sessions. This important period provides the keyperson with sufficient time to gather information about the child and assess their individual starting points and capabilities. The ongoing practice of parents providing information about their child at home is routinely met through parents' evenings and a 'home links' board, giving parents ideas for helping children at home. Parents say that they are very pleased with the communication and information they receive and appreciate the family environment. The values adopted in the nursery are important to parents which sets a good example to the

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the early years provision

children. Partnerships with other settings are very well established, such as those with the primary school and local Children's Centre. These relationships clearly value children's futures and support their transition into school.

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the early years provision

There is a robust system in place for evaluating the nursery's practice, which takes into account the views of children, staff and parents effectively. Staff identify areas of success and improvement, demonstrating how they have raised children's achievements and made improvements to the provision. There is a common sense of purpose between adults who work well together to insure that all groups of children have the opportunity to achieve as well as they can. Staff members have a good understanding and clear knowledge of the welfare and learning requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This promotes children's learning, and social, physical and economic well-being, using a robust system to observe and assess children's progress. The nursery employs a qualified teacher to support staff in their knowledge of the early learning goals and so ensures staff are suitably qualified in their management of children's progress.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children and babies are looked after by caring staff. They feel safe and secure and settle well into the daily routine. Children are developing their self-esteem through lots of praise and encouragement from the staff. They are confident and have developed excellent relationships with staff and each other. Children know the routine of the day and are independent in their personal care. For example, they confidently visit the bathroom, know when they need a drink and know exactly what they want to play with and where to find it. Babies are well looked after in a stimulating environment, they are happy and content.

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and outcomes for children

Staff encourage children to develop good personal hygiene routines. They independently use tissues and dispose of them correctly. Children make good progress in developing their personal qualities. They are able to take responsibility for small tasks such as tidying up after their play, giving out cups, knives and forks at lunch time and serving their own food from dishes at the table. Even though children are not able to spontaneously go outside to play, staff routinely plan opportunities throughout the day for all children to exercise and have some fresh air in the garden. Wholesome home cooked meals are provided with fresh fruit and vegetables each day to encourage children to eat healthily.

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and outcomes for children

All children in the nursery have a many opportunities to learn through play. The toys and resources are mainly interesting for children to use. For example, the well stocked home corner for older children in the nursery enables them to practice adult skills as they prepare meals from plastic food, using a selection of kitchen equipment. Interesting treasure baskets for babies contains natural materials. Various size plastic bottles filled with rice and glitter water to shake and make a noise help young children to develop their coordination and tactile senses. Children love to sing and dance; they are skilful in following instructions on tape and know all the words and actions to the songs. They learn new skills and are developing well, through regular access and use of information technology equipment. Children love to listen to stories and look at books, but this is hindered by the condition of some books around the nursery and book corners that are not

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and outcomes for children

attractive to children most of the time. Art and craft activities play an important part in the children's time. They love to use paint, glitter and cut out pictures, displaying the end result for all to see. Other forms of non-verbal communication are used in the nursery, such as picture cards for children to express what they want and posters with sign language images, effectively supporting children as they are displayed at their height. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1 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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