Busy Bees Pre-School

Busy Bees Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 206126 Inspection date 13/04/2011 Inspector Janice Walker

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Setting address Scout Hall, Off Woodlands Road, Allestree, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 2HE Telephone number 01332 510202 Email 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

Busy Bees Pre-School became registered in 1999. It is a privately owned provision and operates from the annexe of the Scout Headquarters, which is situated to the rear of the Scout Headquarters building in Allestree, Derby. Children have access to the main hall of the annexe and to the main hall and smaller rooms in the headquarters building. There is a secure outdoor play area, which is safety surfaced, and a separate grassed area. Children attending come from the local and surrounding area. There are strong links with local schools.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and also on the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered to provide care for 24 children from two years to under eight years, all of whom may be in the early years age range. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years. It is open from 9.15am to 3.15pm each weekday during school term times. Children attend a variety of sessions each week depending on the individual requirements of each family. There are currently 61 children on roll aged two to four years. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs 11 staff to work with the children. Ten staff hold an appropriate early years qualification and the owner has a BA (Honours) degree in Early Childhood Studies and Early Years Professional Status.

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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

Busy Bees Pre-School provides a welcoming and stimulating environment for children. Staff are committed to ensuring each individual child feels happy and secure, which helps to ensure that they make good progress in their learning and development. Their individual needs are met well as staff are proactive in ensuring they have a good knowledge of their key children. Good links with other providers and extremely positive relationships with parents support this effectively. The setting have responded positively to recommendations from their last inspection and the owner and staff work closely together to ensure the ongoing improvement of the provision and have established good systems to support this to happen.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the links between observations, assessments and planning in order to ensure that individual children are consistently provided with appropriate levels of support and/or challenge  review the wording of written consent for urgent medical advice or treatment in the future to ensure that requirements are fully met and children's welfare This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 is fully promoted.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in a secure setting where staff deploy themselves effectively to ensure children are safe and well supervised. Clear policies and procedures are effectively implemented by the staff team, which helps to ensure that children are safeguarded. However, the wording relating to written consent for emergency medical treatment does not fully reflect what is required and this needs amending in order to better promote children's welfare. A comprehensive risk assessment ensures that potential hazards are identified and the risk minimised, and daily checking procedures make sure that the building, toys and equipment are safe and ready for children's use. Staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities regarding safeguarding and the designated person has undertaken training to ensure she follows relevant procedures regarding any concerns. Children are further safeguarded by the setting's robust recruitment and vetting procedures

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the early years provision

which help ensure the suitability of staff who work with the children. The annual appraisal process is effectively used to monitor their ongoing suitability.

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the early years provision

The staff team work hard to create a bright and welcoming learning environment with a wide selection of interesting activities, both indoors and outdoors. They are well led and supported by the management team and work effectively together to ensure children's immediate needs are met and that activities are effectively supported to enhance learning experiences. Ongoing support through regular meetings and appraisals, along with access to training, support the development of their skills and knowledge which contributes to ongoing improvement of the setting. They have responded positively to recommendations from the last inspection and make good use of self-evaluation, incorporating input from the staff team, parents and children to effectively monitor and evaluate all aspects of the provision and support their strive for continual improvement.

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the early years provision

Staff establish excellent relationships with parents, who speak very highly of the staff team. They are kept fully informed of current information through the use of notice boards, newsletters and ongoing verbal exchanges of communication. The annual 'Early Years Foundation Stage presentation' event provides extremely useful information about the ways children learn and how this can be supported within the home. From the outset parents share detailed information about their children's background, routines, needs and levels of ability, enabling staff to respond sensitively to their individual needs and to identify clear starting points for learning. Staff provide parents with regular, high quality information about children's achievements and identified next steps, along with tailored guidance about precise ways they can support their child's learning. Parents are involved in decision-making through ongoing informal verbal exchanges, along with effective

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the early years provision

Each child is recognised for their uniqueness and staff encourage all children to learn to value differences and diversity through planned activities and positive images portrayed through resources. Very good systems are in place to support This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with highly effective links with other professionals involved with such children, resulting in them making good progress. Good relationships have been established with local schools, with reciprocal visits by staff which strongly support a smooth transition for children when they move on. The setting have some very effective systems for sharing information with other providers where the care of children is shared in order to promote consistency and continuity of children's care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development as each member of staff has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Key workers know their key children well through effective liaison with parents, along with good use of observations. They evaluate their assessments of what children can do against the six areas of learning to identify children's next steps. However, the links between these evaluations and the planning of activities are not yet fully effective in ensuring that there is an appropriate level of support or challenge for individual children to enable them to make the best progress possible. Activities are well planned to cover all areas of learning and very good use is made of available space, particularly the outdoor area. Children move freely between indoors and outdoors, and the outdoor area reflects the indoor learning environment and is hugely popular. Indoors, there are labelled spaces for

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and outcomes for children

children's personal belongings, strongly contributing to their sense of belonging, and this is supported by attractive displays of their work which also act as visual reminders of their learning experiences.

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and outcomes for children

Good levels of support from staff and effective use of questioning while children play encourages children's developing language skills. Well-organised and facilitated story sessions, with children encouraged to participate through the use of puppets, are extremely successful in encouraging children to speak in small groups and to re-tell stories. The puppet theatre supports this very well with children confidently using books and puppets to tell a story they have created. Children use the computer with support and regularly access other computerised equipment, such as the 'bee bot', supporting their ability in using information technology. They learn about similarities and differences within society through the positive images displayed around the setting and planned activities. For example, parents from different cultural backgrounds participate in activities linked to festivals they celebrate, enhancing children's learning experiences.

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and outcomes for children

High priority is given to children's safety and their welfare needs. Personalised and sensitive settling-in procedures help children to establish trusting relationships with staff, including their key worker, before being left in their care. They demonstrate a strong sense of security as they seek comfort from staff in the form of cuddles after being hurt and through spontaneous declarations of 'I love you'. They begin to learn about possible dangers and how to stay safe through gentle reminders of rules, such as to walk indoors. Staff offer simple but clear explanations to support children's awareness when appropriate. For example, a child engrossed in an activity is swinging on two legs of his chair and staff ask him to sit properly with a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 short but clear explanation of the possible consequences. Good hygiene practices

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and outcomes for children

across the provision help to minimise the risk of spreading infection. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene habits through daily routines, such as hand washing, and they follow these well. The setting promotes healthy eating through the provision of a variety of fresh fruits at snack time and by working effectively with parents regarding the contents of lunch boxes. Planned topics related to health issues, with related stories and activities, support children's understanding of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Children behave very well; they receive high levels of attention and are engaged in interesting activities. During small and larger group activities they learn to share, take turns and listen to each other, beginning to develop well the skills they will need for 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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