Brambley Tots Day Nursery

Brambley Tots Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY418473 Inspection date 24/08/2011 Inspector Susan Marriott

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Setting address Brambley Tots Day Nursery, Ivel House, Mill Lane, BIGGLESWADE, Bedfordshire, SG18 8AZ Telephone number 01767313636 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.

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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

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

Brambley Tots Day Nursery was re-registered under new ownership in December 2010. The provision operates from a detached house set within its own grounds in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The building has ramp access. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open each weekday for 51 weeks of the year with the exception of Bank Holidays and one week at Christmas. The sessions are from 7am to 6pm. A maximum of 58 children may attend the provision at any one time. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 98 children on roll, of whom 25 are in receipt of funding for early years education. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. There are 22 staff members. Of these, 18 hold relevant childcare qualifications.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

This is a very friendly nursery under new ownership which genuinely strives for improvement. Some weaknesses in monitoring everyday practice lead to inconsistent practice amongst staff. Staff sustain generally good quality interaction with children to guide learning from play and promote positive attitudes to learning. Children make sound progress in their learning and development, however, planning, observation and assessment systems are in a transitional stage of development and some planned activities lack challenge for the older or more able children. There are sound partnerships with parents and carers. Capable leadership and emergent self-evaluation secures the nursery's satisfactory capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 assess the risks to children in relation to hazardous plants in the garden and the garden gate and take action to minimise these (Suitable premises, environment and equipment). 09/09/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 implement effective systems of management which encourage continuous quality improvement and embed effective practice  ensure staff consistently implement existing measures to prevent the spread This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of infection during nappy-changing routines  improve the planning and use of observation and assessment to provide enjoyable and challenging learning and development experiences that are appropriate to each child's stage of development as they progress towards the early learning goals  develop the key person system to offer parents and children a more settled relationship during their time in the nursery  increase the opportunities for children under one year to enjoy daily fresh air and play outdoors and outings into the local community.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is generally promoted as the nursery has effective safeguarding procedures. Staff are booked onto training and review their procedures to ensure that they keep up-to-date with this area of work. Appropriate checks are carried out to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Risk assessments and daily checks are appropriately recorded and ensure that most hazards are minimised. However, the risks to children in relation to hazardous plants in the garden and the warped garden gate have not been appropriately assessed. This is a breach of a specific legal requirement. Well-kept fire drill records show that practices are sufficiently frequent. Staff conscientiously check the identity of visitors before admitting them to the premises and this secures the safety of children and staff. Good daily practice, such as ongoing explanations from staff, reinforces children's understanding of safety issues. For example, children are

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the early years provision

reminded to hold the low-level hand rail when climbing the stairs from the nappy- changing area.

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the early years provision

Available resources are generally used well and the new owner is aware that the premises, toys and equipment are due for refurbishment. For example, grubby carpets are being replaced with new linoleum. The nursery is based in a busy town and the staff are also able to take the children to the library, supermarkets, butchers, fire station and dentists, along with an annual outing at Christmas to the pantomime. However, babies in particular do not have sufficiently frequent trips out into the local community. Staff hold appropriate levels of qualification and work very well as a team, helping to create a positive environment where children feel secure and happy. Staff have a clear understanding of anti-discrimination, enabling them to implement appropriate policies and provide a service which is inclusive for all children and their families. At Chinese New Year children visited the local Chinese restaurant so that they could experience first hand some of the

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the early years provision

decorations and foods used to celebrate this festival. The staff are alert to the early signs of needs of the children that could lead to later difficulties and are proud of their 'Every Child a Talker' accreditation. They involve other agencies as necessary, to promote consistent and appropriate care for children.

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the early years provision

The nursery works with parents and carers to ensure that they understand each child's background and culture and are therefore able to meet their needs and promote children's awareness of individuality. Parents receive appropriate information about the setting and their children's progress, for example, on This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 noticeboards and daily diaries and talks with staff. Staff observe each child at play in order to understand and support their individual well-being and development, enabling each key person and family to work together. Parents have responded positively to a recent questionnaire about the service offered and the improvements being made by the new owner and her staff. Management has a considered approach to change, steadily introducing improvements to the service through satisfactory self-evaluation in consultation with staff, parents and the

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the early years provision

advisory services. However they accept that improved monitoring of daily staff practice encourages continuous quality improvement and embeds effective practice. For example, not all staff implement existing procedures to prevent the spread of infection during nappy changing routines.

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and outcomes for children

Children experience a generally enjoyable programme of learning and development at Brambley Tots Nursery. They are generally well supported by the friendly and caring staff who work hard to meet their individual needs. A key person system is in place, but this is not developed to promote secure meaningful relationships between staff and children. The daily routine supports generally effective learning. For example, children learn to recognise their names as they read their name cards to see where to sit at lunch time. Children's enjoyment is enhanced and their learning is effectively extended because staff join in appropriately with their play and discussions. For example, a member of staff notices children showing interest in a red toy bus and sits with them to talk about what they are doing.

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and outcomes for children

Most staff speak clearly and calmly, commenting upon what the children are doing, asking open questions and capably extending children's understanding. They acknowledge children's achievements with praise and actively promote children's independence. They include teaching about colours and counting in their commentary so that children learn through play-based activities. However, staff knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements is still developing. This results in some missed opportunities to extend children's learning within activities, particularly those for literacy and numeracy. For example, sunflowers have been grown by the pre-school children and a ruler next to these shows that some measuring activities take place, however, the flowers have grown much taller than the ruler and the measure has not been extended to continue the activity. A delightful display of children's drawings of sunflowers shows that some

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and outcomes for children

children are writing their names on their own work, but pictures provided for children to copy provide a poor representation of the real thing. Opportunities for children to 'read' a recipe or discuss why water is needed to make dough are not utilised by staff.

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and outcomes for children

Group stories, activities and songs contribute positively to the quality of the provision. For example, children in the Gosling room enjoy singing nursery rhymes before lunch and pre-school children enjoy a story about a munching caterpillar. Gosling children enjoy group mark making on paper at the table. Babies use movement and senses to focus on, reach for and handle objects as they enjoy exploring shredded paper and the discovery bottles. The learning environment This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 promotes children's progression towards the early learning goals. The space inside the premises is bright and play areas reflect the six areas of learning. The two gardens are used regularly to provide additional play opportunities for the children and children enjoy practising their physical skills, such as, balancing on beams and digging in the sand. Younger children paint with water on the fence and splash in

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and outcomes for children

puddles created by staff. Outcomes for children have improved as a result of new canopies and increased naturalisation of the environment.

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and outcomes for children

The manager and her deputy are prudently drawing upon support from local authority advisory staff to improve the quality of provision. A current review of the planning, observation and assessment system has been initiated and staff are excited about being able to have ownership of their new system. However, management are not monitoring this effectively and are unaware that staff do not understand how to match identified learning intentions to the criteria in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that some adult-led focus activities are planned with inappropriately low expectations of children's capabilities and opportunities for some learning are missed.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery takes part in a 'Healthy Eating Award' and children benefit from meals which are freshly prepared, appetising, varied and nutritionally balanced. Sound policies and procedures are in place to ensure the health and well-being of the children, but ineffective monitoring by management means that some staff do not adhere to these, potentially compromising the measures in place to prevent the spread of infection. Children's behaviour is managed well by the staff and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs. Children learn about the relevance of healthy lifestyles and develop skills for the future as they become independent, share ideas and work together. Children's self-esteem is promoted as they are offered opportunities to talk about themselves, their families and recent experiences. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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