Busy Bees at Wirral Beechwood

Beechwood Private Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY272702 Inspection date 21/07/2011 Inspector Jane Shaw

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Setting address 7 Plymyard Avenue, Bromborough, WIRAL, Merseyside, CH62 6BQ Telephone number 0151 334 7550 Email treetops@bromborough.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

Beechwood Private Day Nursery is one of 31 settings owned and managed by Treetops Nurseries Ltd. The nursery first opened in 1995 and was registered under the current management arrangements in 2003. It operates from a detached house and adjacent building in Bromborough, Wirral. Children are cared for within three rooms on the ground floor, pre-school children are cared for within an adjacent building within the grounds. All rooms are accessible. There is access to a secure outdoor play area, accessed directly from the group rooms.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 68 children aged from three months to under five years may attend the setting at any one time. The setting is open five days a week from 7.30am to 6pm all year, with the exception of Bank Holidays. There are currently 98 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group. Of these, 29 are in receipt of funding for early education. The setting supports children who speak English as an additional language. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

There are 15 members of staff, including the manager, 14 of whom who work directly with the children. Ten of the staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, seven hold qualifications to level 3, and three hold level 2 qualifications. Two further staff are undertaking level 3, and one undertaking level 2 qualifications in early years. The setting are supported by an Area Manager and other personnel from the company. The setting receives support form the local authority and is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for the children who attend, where staff respect and value each child as an individual. Overall, their excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage contributes to the children making very good progress in their learning and development. There are strong relationships between staff, parents and carers, and other professionals, and clear policies and procedures are implemented highly effectively to safeguard and promote children's welfare. All records are robustly maintained in order to promote the efficient management of the setting. Effective self-evaluation and external monitoring, results in the setting's strong capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 developing further, systems for recording children's progress which can be easily shared across settings, particularly for transition to school. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are very well protected as a result of the rigorous company and setting's recruitment and vetting procedures. Regular updating of Criminal Records Bureau checks and confirmation from staff regarding on-going suitability ensures children are protected at all times. Staff have a very clear knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures, their knowledge is kept up to date through annual training, as a result, children's welfare is very well protected. High staff ratios and effective deployment ensures that children are very well supervised and made to feel secure and welcome. All records, policies and procedures that support the nursery in promoting positive outcomes for children are robustly maintained. Thorough risk assessments, twice yearly company health and safety audits, and daily checks of the indoor and outdoor environment, specific activities, resources and equipment ensure children's safety at all times. The manager effectively

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the early years provision

monitors accident recording to show any possible risk assessment concerns. Clear fire evacuation procedures are displayed throughout the nursery and staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and drills are conducted regularly ensuring children's safety.

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the early years provision

The management team have high aspirations for excellent quality care and education through ongoing self-evaluation and improvement, and regular monitoring by the area manager. Staff meetings and appraisals take place, and staff demonstrate a genuine and enthusiastic commitment to their ongoing training and development. These processes, and the addressing of recommendations raised at the last inspection, demonstrate the setting's strong capacity to improve.

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the early years provision

The wide range of high quality resources and equipment both indoor and outdoor are used imaginatively to meet the needs of the individual children. They are accessible for children's self-selection, and as a result children are becoming independent learners as they make choices. Both the indoor and outdoor environments are extremely well planned and fully support children's learning and development and enjoyment. Transition arrangements for children moving through the nursery are excellently planned, with outgoing and incoming key persons meeting with parents and carers. Transitional reports are complied as children move rooms. The formulation of similar reports for the move to school is an area for development.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are excellent and support children's placements extremely well. They have access to a wide range of information on the nursery and the learning and development requirements. Parents and carers spoken to speak very positively about what the nursery has to offer their children. They are invited to make comments on a regular basis, and attend parents' evenings to receive feedback on their child's progress and development. They contribute to the planning for children's learning by sharing their own observations. Parents and carers are invited to regular workshops where they can join in with a variety of topics, such as storytelling and creative activities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff have built positive links with other early years professionals to support children's development. Links with other settings delivering the Early Years

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the early years provision

Foundation Stage, and transition arrangements for the move to school are in place and are effective in order to ensure a complementary curriculum and continuity of learning and care. All children have equal access to the activities, opportunities and available resources, and therefore inclusion is very well promoted.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for by a highly enthusiastic and committed staff team. A stimulating and welcoming environment with a superb range of resources and equipment, both indoors and outdoors, results in children feeing secure and confident. As a result children make significant gains in their learning and development given their starting points. Staff organise the space and resources within the indoor and outdoor areas with great skill, offering an extremely wide choice of experiences and interests. This ensures that children receive stimulating play experiences, with a well-balanced mix of adult-led and child-initiated play and opportunities for outdoor play.

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and outcomes for children

Activities are based on observations of children's interests and development, for example, babies enjoy listening to sounds, and pre-school children enjoy a theme of planets, as a result, children are actively engaged in activities. Staff are confident and have a very clear understanding of observation, planning and assessment, and successfully enhance children's interests. Staff make observations of children's activities, progress and development, and keep detailed records, sharing these with parents and carers who contribute to planning by sharing their own observations.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an appropriate sense of safety, as they use toys and equipment. Staff have risk assessed and sought parents' and carers' consent for 'risky play', which allows older children to use screwdrivers, hammers and bricks in construction in a very safe, well-managed and supported setting. Warm relationships between staff and children are formed and children's behaviour is exemplary. For example, they happily share toys, take turns with the play resources and join together in role play. They are independent as they make choices about their play and whether to play indoors or outdoors. Children are developing excellent communication skills as staff engage with them. Babies and younger children have lots of eye contact with staff, who respond to their gurgles and early attempts to form words. Children are excited as they wait to see what's in the 'magic box'. Pre-school children are skilful communicators with both their

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and outcomes for children

peers and the adults around them. Children, including babies, help themselves to books, and a variety of resources encourages their early mark-making skills, including paintbrushes in outdoor play.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an appropriate understanding of mathematical language as they count, complete jigsaws, match and sort shapes. They have access to computers to develop their understanding of technology; and younger children learn that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 pushing buttons creates further actions. Resources and activities, such as posters, play figures, jigsaws and books promote children's awareness of the wider world. They celebrate a variety of festivals from around the world, such as Diwali and Chinese New Year and enjoy weekly French lessons. Excellent use is made of the outdoor environment to promote a number of areas of learning. Children are involved in early science as they experiment, and look at how to look after living things as they observe caterpillars and butterflies, and toddlers have adopted a monkey. They enjoy trips away from the setting, for example, trips to the

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and outcomes for children

museum, to the local library and the church.

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and outcomes for children

A variety of different textures, techniques and opportunities encourages children's creativity; displays show colourful examples of children's individual creativity and create a bright and welcoming environment. Children enjoy music and dancing, and babies enjoy the feel of shaving foam during sensory play. Children have access to musical instruments and enjoy using pots and pans in the outdoor music area. Access to a wide variety of resources and equipment encourages children's creativity. Daily access to an excellent outdoor play space encourages children's physical health and overall learning and development. They develop an understanding of the benefits of physical exercise through additional activities to support their physical development, for example, regular physical exercise sessions with an appropriately qualified person. Babies develop movement as they move towards toys placed away from them and practise walking with staff support.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a good understanding of healthy lifestyles as they are offered a very healthy diet, with meals cooked each day with fresh ingredients, and access to drinking water at all times. Routines support children's very good health, for example, they understand why they need to wash their hands before they eat their lunch and to use tissues when blowing their nose, creating a healthy environment. A wide variety of activities and opportunities encourage children to develop appropriate skills for the future. 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 1 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 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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