Bright Horizons Bramingham Day Nursery and Preschool

Kidsunlimited Nurseries - Bramingham Park Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY291389 Inspection date 04/04/2011 Inspector Tina Kelly

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Setting address 79 Lucas Gardens, Bramingham Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 4BG Telephone number 0845 3652953 Email bramingham@kidsunlimited.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 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

Kidsunlimited Nurseries-Bramingham Park is one of 57 nurseries run by Kidsunlimited. It originally opened in 1996 and was re-registered to Kidsunlimited in 2004. The nursery is situated in Luton, Bedfordshire. The setting operates from a two storey building with secure outside play areas. There are seven age-related home rooms catering for children aged from three months to five years for sessional and daycare. An out of school service offers 16 places for children aged from five up to 11 years. The before and after school club collects from Bramingham Park Primary and Warden Hill schools. The holiday play scheme is open to the community.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare register to care for a maximum of 134 children at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am until 6.30pm, 52 weeks of the year. There are approximately 300 families on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as children who have English as an additional language. Children in attendance come from a wide catchment area of towns and villages in Bedfordshire.

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Description of the setting

The manager and deputy are supernumerary to the team of 37 staff. A high ratio of staff are qualified to National Vocational Training Qualification Level 3; others are undertaking training to achieve Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education. The nursery receives support from the development and training officer from Kidsunlimited head office as well as the development team of the local authority.

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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

The nursery staff have a good understanding of how children learn. As a result they are effective in promoting the children's welfare, learning and development to a good level. Observations and assessments are established; most of the information gained is used to plan for the children's learning. The setting is well resourced, however, some aspects of the outside play provision is not effective in promoting the children's play and development. Effective documents and policies are in place for the well-being of the children and for the smooth running of the setting. Parents are kept well informed about aspects of the nursery and their children's achievements. The management team has established an effective evaluation process to review practice and identify areas for improvement to promote and maintain continuous improvements.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop the method for planning the children's next steps, matching these to the children's abilities and the early learning goals  review the planning and use of resources for the outside play areas to promote all areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Children's health and well-being is promoted through good practice and effective policies and procedures. Children are safeguarded as the majority of staff have attended safeguarding training provided by the Local Safeguarding Children Board. A robust recruitment and induction process further protects children. Safeguarding information is readily available for parents in their handbook and around the nursery as reminders for staff. Comprehensive risk assessments and an in-house site assessment ensures children's safety around the building and out in the community. A daily check list in each room ensures day-to-day issues are identified and action taken to ensure a safe and hygienic environment is provided at all times.

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the early years provision

Staff are vigilant in regards to health and hygiene procedures. Children are learning about personal care skills as good routines are in place around nappy change and cloakroom visits. All visitors are required to use a hand sanitizer prior to entering the nursery, shoe covers are used to keep the baby room floors clean. Children are encouraged to be independent, they are beginning to wipe their own noses with readily available tissues and dispose of them in the bin. A healthy lifestyle is further promoted with meals cooked on site. The kitchen holds a 5 star accreditation from the Food Standards Agency. A new menu has been devised through head office. This takes into account the nutritional values of the food provided to ensure children have tasty and well-balanced menus through the week. Children enjoy their lunch. The older children's independence is encouraged as they are starting to serve their main meal themselves. Staff sit with the children

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the early years provision

to talk about the food, what is good for the children and how healthy food makes them grow up strong. Children become engaged in the conversation, they are keen to try new food experiences with good support from staff. Children with dietary requirements have their needs identified and met as the cook and staff are well aware of any individual diets.

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the early years provision

The nursery building is in good repair and has recently been redecorated and refurbished. It provides seven care rooms linked to the ages and stages of the children's development. There are two rooms for each of the age groups, babies, toddlers and preschool plus the after school room. Staff review and reflect on the layout of the rooms to ensure all children have opportunities to play freely and to take part in small group work and have places to rest and relax. Resources are set around all the rooms in the nursery at low level so children have free choice about their play. The layout of the setting means that children on the ground floor have ready access to the outside play areas. Older children in pre-school based on the first floor have opportunities throughout the day to access the outside areas. The spacious rooms are used flexibly with pre-school children being able to free flow between the well-resourced rooms at certain times of the day. This is effective in

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 developing the children's independence and choice of activities and resources. Positive behaviour is praised; children are thanked as they help staff with everyday tasks. Children are beginning to learn that their actions may have an impact on others playing nearby. They are co-operative and are starting to negotiate when they want to join in play or use toys used by other children

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the early years provision

Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress and care routines through discussion with their key person and daily record sheets for the younger children. The parent forum has proved valuable for the staff to identify areas of the nursery that work well and areas to be developed. Parents are welcomed into the setting to share in cultural events and for the stay and play sessions. A range of social events through the year enable parents to become involved and to meet with other parents. Children develop a strong sense of belonging with books made up of their own family photographs that show their parents, extended family and people and pets who are important in their home lives. Newsletters and notices outside each of the home rooms outline the activities the children have taken part in. The setting provides an inclusive setting where all children, their families and backgrounds are valued and respected. The setting provides out of school care for

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the early years provision

children up to the age of 11 years. They have very good working relationships with the two local schools where they collect from and where most of their children go on to attend the reception class. Staff from the schools visit the preschool rooms to meet with the children and to see the routines and experiences the children take part in. This ensures a smooth transition for the children as they leave to move onto school. The nursery provides a range of information for parents about the services provided by the local children's centre and other family support agencies.

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the early years provision

The senior staff and the room leaders have clear responsibilities within the setting. The nursery has established an effective evaluation process using the Ofsted format. Information from the parent forum, staff meetings and issues raised by Kidsunlimited advisors is used to monitor and review all aspects of the management and overall practice within the setting. This enables the provision to promote continuous improvements and improve outcomes for all children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled within the nursery. They are able to access resources and toys independently from around the home/play rooms. Children's achievements and development are monitored and recorded in their learning journeys. Parents complete the 'All About Me' form; this is updated throughout the year to ensure staff have current information about home experiences and their developing skills and care needs. Children's learning opportunities are loosely based on a theme relevant to their interests or the time of year. In each room staff take responsibility for the planning of resources and activities relevant to the ages and stages of development. The comprehensive observation and assessment process works well in supporting children with additional support needs and English as an additional language.

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and outcomes for children

Having recently reviewed the observation and assessment documents the staff are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 working towards a cohesive and consistent process throughout the nursery. The key person records and evaluates the children's skills and achievements to form a basis for future planning. This is reviewed on a termly basis with a summative assessment and at regular parents' evenings. The information is used to plan for the next steps in the children's learning. The learning journeys show all children take part in a wide range of learning opportunities around the nursery and out in the community. However, some aspects for the planning for individual next steps is not effective. For example simple next steps such as ensuring children know their colours, shapes, numbers and skills such as scissor control are overlooked for wider outcomes that are not linked to the children's interests, abilities or the early

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and outcomes for children

The two outside play areas provide secure space for children to play. The younger children have impact absorbent surface to ensure their safety. The garden area for the pre-school and mobile toddlers is mainly laid to grass with some hard standing areas for different styles of play. Children spend most of their time playing freely but the planning and the use of resources for both outside play areas is not effective. Children have little opportunity to develop their imaginative play ideas. The sporting equipment that is available is not used to extend the children's physical skills. Where children freely access the footballs, hoops and race sacks this frequently impacts on the children playing nearby. Their outside play experiences are not focused or linked to the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

In all the home/play rooms the designated areas of learning work well. Children move freely between the different areas and activities. They are keen and confident learners. When working with staff in small key groups they show good concentration skills. They are beginning to understand the rules of taking turns and helping each other as they put together a large floor puzzle. Counting and mathematical concepts are brought into every day activities by staff who ask appropriate questions to the children they are working with. At lunch time children are chosen as helpers. Staff ask how many, is that enough for every one and do we need more. Children respond well and can count and are beginning to estimate the plates and cutlery needed. Children's language is well supported through the setting. Staff talk to the children about every day activities and they wait for a response. They extend and promote their understanding and conversation to a

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and outcomes for children

good level. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Children play well together; they are curious and inquisitive learners. Children receive an enjoyable experience across all areas of learning which ensures they have the basic skills to promote their future learning. 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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