Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery

Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY434889 Inspection date 11/01/2012 Inspector Liz Caluori

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Setting address Goward Hall, Cade Street, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 9BU Telephone number 01435 868 949 Email bluebell.wood@hotmail.co.uk Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery has been registered since 2011. It is one of three nurseries owned and operated by the same private provider. The nursery is located in Heathfield, East Sussex and has sole use of a two storey detached premises with enclosed outdoor play space.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 40 children at any one time, of whom no than 12 may be under two years. There are currently 11 children on roll, of whom six are under two years.

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Description of the setting

There are four staff working with the children, all of whom hold recognised early years qualifications.

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Description of the setting

The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education.

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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

Children are settled, confident and happy in the friendly, inclusive nursery environment. They make good progress as a result of the broad range of interesting and generally well-organised activities on offer. A strong commitment to self-evaluation supports the management team to identify areas for improvement, including the need to extend the systems for assessment. The arrangements in place to promote children's safety are exceptionally well thought out, protecting children while also promoting their independence. Good partnership working with parents, carers and other professionals, ensures that information is shared effectively and helps children to settle.

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further?

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

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further?

 limit the amount of adult direction offered in some arts and crafts activities to offer greater encouragement for children to explore their own ideas  review the arrangements for monitoring the rate at which children are progressing in order to more easily identify any gaps in achievement either for individual children or within the group as a whole. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Excellent arrangements are in place to protect children. Extremely robust recruitment procedures ensure that children are cared for by staff who are suitability qualified and appropriately checked. One member of staff takes lead responsibility for child protection and has attended training to support her in this role. A comprehensive range of policies outline the procedures to be followed should any concerns arise about children's well-being. These include information about the steps to be taken if an allegation is made against a member of staff. Rigorous risk assessments are undertaken on the premises, resources and outings. These very successfully identify potential hazards and show the procedures in place to minimise the risks to children, while still promoting their independence. Written records of these assessments are maintained and are regularly reviewed to ensure they continually reflect the evolving needs of the provision and the

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the early years provision

The management team very effectively promotes a culture of reflection, evaluation and continual development. Action plans are devised and effectively prioritised to identify improvements. Staff undertake sensitive observations which, along with regular discussions with parents and carers, support them to identify children's individual preferences and learning styles. Systems are in place which effectively enable staff to plan activities and experiences which promote individual children's learning. However, these have yet to be extended to specifically indicate the rate at which each child is progressing. Therefore staff do not have useful tools to support them to easily identify and narrow gaps in the achievement level of individual children or across the nursery. This has been identified as an area for ongoing development within the nursery.

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the early years provision

Children are provided with a good selection of resources and these are well maintained and appropriate for their ages and stages of development. They are easily able to select the items that they wish to play with and confidently transport toys from one area to another to extend their chosen games. Group rooms are well organised to create a homely, comfortable environment and the outdoor area is very stimulating and inviting.

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the early years provision

Strong focus is placed on providing an inclusive environment. Regular audits take place to ensure that the resources and experiences on offer reflect the needs of the children attending. This includes consideration of culture, ethnicity, religion and other languages spoken by the children and their families. Children learn to understand and respect diversity through discussions, stories and activities. In addition, events are planned to celebrate a range of festivals and special days, including all of those directly relevant to the children. Appropriate arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and one member of staff has attended training in order to take responsibility for this.

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the early years provision

Parents and carers receive a very friendly greeting as they deliver and collect their children. They are well informed about their children's wellbeing and progress and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are given good encouragement to look at their child's folder and to contribute observations from home. The importance of working in partnership with other professionals is fully understood. Clear and efficient arrangements are in place to share information about children's progress with any other early years setting they attend.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a lot of fun and make good progress in the welcoming and very caring nursery environment. They are settled, separating easily from parents and carers, and form very positive relationships with their trusted adults. Children demonstrate a good understanding of the routines and boundaries in place, for example taking an active role in tidying away toys and responding promptly to gentle reminders to sit nicely on their chair while eating their snacks.

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and outcomes for children

Good focus is placed on promoting children's physical development with a selection of equipment in the garden area and music and movement activities in the group rooms. Babies and toddlers have a good amount of space and support to develop their mobility and good arrangements are in place to promote the importance of good nutrition and adopting healthy lifestyles. Staff involved in preparing snacks and meals have completed food hygiene training and full details are gathered of each child's preferences and dietary restrictions. Children are developing good self- care skills and those in the older group are very independent in their toileting.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in games and activities which are specifically intended to reflect their interests. For most of the day they engage in freely chosen play, which is, overall, very effectively supported by staff to extend their learning and understanding. There is also an appropriate amount of routine with adult lead activities and group times during which slightly more focussed subjects such as the seasons, the weather or animals are introduced. There are some occasions when creative activities are planned to produce a specific end-product and this does not encourage children to explore their own ideas. However, this is generally only the case when preparing wall displays or work to link with other activities or topics. Children are free to draw or paint independently as part of their freely chosen play. Children also express themselves creatively through singing and very imaginative role play games.

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and outcomes for children

Children respond well to the high level of individual attention they receive. The communication skills of those in the older group are very effectively promoted as they engage in lively and interesting conversations with the staff. Younger children are supported to develop their vocabulary by singing, practicing animal noises and looking at books and identifying the different images. All children make similarly impressive progress in their problem solving, reasoning and numeracy, for example looking at colours, shapes and size, exploring quantities and playing with construction materials.

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and outcomes for children

The strong emphasis on respecting children as individual and promoting their self- This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 esteem gives them the confidence to make choices and decisions and to interact positively with others. They are also supported to develop a sense of social responsibility by taking part in activities to raise money for national charity events. These skills, along with their good levels of achievement, help to prepare them for the challenges of 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 2 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 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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