Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bicester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number 134308 Inspection date 25/01/2008 Inspector Rosemary Davies

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Setting address 1 Barberry Place, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 3HA

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E-mail

Registered person Leapfrog Day Nurseries (Trading) Ltd Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

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E-mail

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be freely reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided the source and date of publication are stated.

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage.

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The provider must give a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must give a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Day Care and Childminding (inspection) (England) Regulations 2005 No 2300 Regulations 5 and 6).

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Busy Bees Day Nursery, Bicester, formally known as Leapfrog Day Nursery, registered in 2000. It is one of many nurseries run by Busy Bees Childcare Ltd, who acquired the nursery in September 2007. The nursery is housed in a purpose designed building over two levels in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Children are accommodated according to their age and have ready access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery opens currently all year round, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, from 07.00 to 19.00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 83 children from 10 months to under five years on roll. Of these, 25 receive funding for nursery education. The nursery has supported children with learning difficulties and physical disabilities, as well as those who speak English as an additional language in the past, although none currently attend. Children attend for a variety of sessions. They come from the town itself and surrounding villages.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery employs 23 staff, of whom 12 have appropriate early years qualifications at Level 3 or above. Regular support is received from the local authority.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's good health is maintained well throughout the nursery. Staff have undertaken recent training and now understand and implement the nursery's health policy effectively. Consequently, all children use a very clean nursery environment, are protected well from the dangers of cross-infection and older children now learn good personal hygiene routines. These children learn how to wash their hands thoroughly, knowing when and why they do so. This is because staff give them very clear explanations, reminders and appropriate support, including clear photographs of how to wash and dry their hands. Younger children have their hands wiped before meals with individual cloths. Staff follow good nappy changing procedures, using disposable gloves and aprons. These younger children have individual baskets for their personal items, which are clearly marked with their name and photograph, so avoiding the possibility of any confusion. Throughout the nursery, children receive

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Helping children to be healthy

appropriate care if they become unwell or sustain an accident, as all required procedures are followed and sufficient staff have up to date first aid qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children tuck into healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. These are produced in the nursery's kitchen, where good standards are maintained for the storage and preparation of food. Children enjoy a varied and balanced diet, eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh parsley is used when making parsley sauce to accompany fish, for example. Meals and snacks take good account of children's individual dietary needs and are served appropriately for children's ages. In the pre-school room, children enjoy taking responsibility for helping to prepare tables, carefully putting out tablecloths and place mats. Meal times are now pleasant, social occasions because they are well organised and supervised by staff. However, snack time in the pre-school room is taken very early, so it does not necessarily meet children's needs, as they cannot decide for themselves when they are hungry and wish to eat. Children throughout the nursery drink plenty of fluids and all are

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Helping children to be healthy

encouraged to drink water. Older children help themselves, pouring water carefully.

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Helping children to be healthy

All children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise, going outside in both the morning and afternoon sessions. Older children make satisfactory progress in developing their physical skills. They develop their sense of space well, learning how to move around without bumping into their friends, owing to specific teaching from staff. They learn different ways of moving their bodies, such as jumping and hopping. They use a range of suitable equipment to develop climbing, balancing and ball skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use a suitable, child friendly nursery environment. Since the change in ownership of the nursery, a major refurbishment of the premises has taken place. The unit for the younger children is split into smaller, cosier rooms, which means that noise levels are lower and children spend time in different rooms during the nursery day. In the pre-school area, however, there are no cosy nooks for children and the lay out of the room does not help children to be independent in their learning. Nevertheless, staff make full use of the large area to offer children a wide range of suitable activities. Rooms are well resourced overall, with sand trays now being full of fresh sand throughout the nursery, which is replenished each month. In the pre-school room, children enjoy using the pretend play area, which is now suitably resourced. Whilst all children benefit from using the outside area for physical

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

play, it is not used effectively to support learning in other areas of their development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children throughout the nursery play in safety because staff understand and follow the nursery's safety policy. The nursery has an extremely effective security system and staff are vigilant at busy times of day, so that no one is admitted unchecked. Extremely good fire prevention precautions are in place and emergency evacuation procedures are practised regularly. Older children begin to learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff remind them not to place knives in their mouths when eating and explain why they should not tip their chairs. All staff understand their responsibility for safeguarding children's welfare. A suitable child protection policy is in place, which details clear procedures to follow, if needed, for child protection. All are made aware of this, including temporary staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children throughout the nursery clearly enjoy their activities and experiences. All now play happily for long periods. Staff make effective use of guidance documents, such as the Birth to three matters framework, to plan a good range of daily activities for the younger children. Children learn through exploratory play, using all their senses. They enjoy making decisions about what they will do and when. They begin to come together happily as a group too, to hear a story or go outside. However, throughout the nursery, most outdoor play is centred on children's physical development rather than learning in the broader sense. Relationships across the nursery are now good, with children getting on well together and staff evidently enjoying their company.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Children make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals of the Foundation Stage. This is because staff have a secure understanding of the requirements of this stage of the children's education and now provide a wide range of appropriate activities and experiences for them. Children now play in a calm, purposeful atmosphere and are able to fully concentrate on their learning. They often become absorbed in their play, either individually or with their friends, playing happily together and taking turns well, such as when using the computer. This is because children enjoy the experiences offered and now know what staff expectations are for their behaviour. Consequently, children's social and emotional development is supported appropriately.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children respond well to the staff. They listen carefully; follow instructions and both ask and answer questions. They gather willingly for group activities, quickly becoming engrossed in clearly read stories. They show their developing understanding of sounds, as they join in eagerly with refrains, such as 'splish, splosh, splash'. Not all group activities make good use of children's time; 'register time' tends to be repetitive, for example. The room is not yet set up to fully support children's independence, as children require help with aprons and hanging up paintings. Consequently, staff spend time supporting children unnecessarily rather than engaging in other activities with them. Nevertheless, some staff support is good, such as when giving clear explanations or asking pertinent questions to extend children's knowledge and thinking.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Planning covers all areas of children's learning effectively. Children enjoy many creative activities, proudly pointing out their work displayed attractively around the playroom. Technology resources are used well to support children's learning, such as well-chosen mathematical games. Staff take time to observe children's play carefully, having had training in observation techniques. They note what children can do and assess their understanding and progress, although parents' knowledge of their children's learning is not always taken into account. Staff decide what children need to learn next, incorporating this into future plans, so that children's learning is progressive.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The nursery welcomes all children, the modern building accommodating any with differing needs. There are effective arrangements for children with special educational needs, although none currently attend. Children throughout the nursery receive lots of individual attention, so that their welfare needs are met. Staff work closely with parents and carers of the younger children, helping them settle in and feel secure through the use of an effective key carer system. The partnership with parents and carers of children receiving nursery education is satisfactory. Parents and carers receive good information about the nursery and the educational programmes. However, staff are not sufficiently pro-active in seeking parents' views about their children's learning or in encouraging them to support children's learning at home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is now good throughout the nursery. All staff adopt a consistent, positive approach, implementing the nursery's policy on behaviour, well. Consequently, children in the pre-school room understand just what is expected of them, receiving daily reminders about the aims of the room, such as, 'We share our toys'. Staff praise children appropriately, using a range of good strategies to promote children's self-esteem. Children's spiritual, moral, cultural and social development is fostered.

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Organisation

The new senior management team of the nursery has worked effectively to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection. A new, experienced manager has been appointed. There is now a clear vision for the nursery's future. The management team has implemented robust procedures to ensure all staff are cleared as suitable to work with children. A programme of refurbishment is underway, which has included structural alteration of the nursery's layout. This has had a beneficial effect on the care offered to the younger children.

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Organisation

Effective appointment, induction and appraisal systems are in place, so that staff training needs are identified and addressed. Staff have had additional training with regard to the nursery's policies on health and behaviour and now implement both of these effectively. Consequently, children's health is better protected and their behaviour has improved significantly. Staff are deployed effectively across the nursery and their individual skills utilised. All required documentation is in place. The nursery meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

The leadership and management of nursery education are good. The new staff team in the pre-school room, seeks, takes and acts on the advice of outside professionals from the local authority. This has resulted in a complete review of the way the pre- school room is organised, although this is yet to be fully implemented. Nevertheless, children already benefit from the changes made, enjoying a wide range of interesting activities in an atmosphere where all are respected. Staff cover both the indoor and outdoor areas effectively. They fully understand their positions as role-models to the children, speaking to them appropriately and gently reminding them of the expectations for good behaviour. The planning of the educational programme is monitored and evaluated, although the partnership with parents is not fully developed or monitored. Substantial progress has been made to improving the programme of learning offered to the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the quality of care was judged as inadequate. Six actions were set to address the issues raised. These related to children's health, their safety, behaviour, organisation of staff and the partnership with parents. The nursery is now under new ownership and a new manager has been appointed. The new senior management team, with support from the Local Authority, has drawn up and is implementing a suitable Action Plan which addresses all the issues raised. Consequently, there has been significant improvement across all the aspects of care that were previously judged as inadequate, and this has impacted very positively on the outcomes for children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the quality of nursery education was judged as inadequate. Two actions were set to address the issues raised, relating to the management, monitoring and evaluation of the nursery education and the partnership with parents. The new senior management team has drawn up an Action Plan which addresses all issues raised effectively. Some planned changes have yet to be implemented, nevertheless, those implemented so far have resulted in improved provision for the children. Consequently, children now make satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage of their education.

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Complaints about the childcare provision

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints about the childcare provision

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are satisfactory.

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WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

 further develop use of the outside area to support children's learning in all areas of their development (also applies to Nursery Education)

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WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

The quality and standards of nursery education

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WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

 continue to implement the new monitoring system to evaluate the effectiveness of nursery education  continue to take and act on advice from Local Authority professionals, placing high priority on encouraging children as independent learners  further develop the partnership with parents and carers, making sure they are kept regularly informed of their children's progress in learning and fully encouraged to support it at home.

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WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SECURE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT?

procedures set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted’s role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2473) which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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