Busy Bees Day Nursery at Hertford Hartham Park

Busy Bees at Hartham Park Pinders Lodge Copper Beech Nursery, Hartham, Port Hill, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG14 1QS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/10/2012 07/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The careful planning of the educational programmes within the continuous provision and a clear tracking system ensure that children experience all seven areas of learning. Children's starting points and interests are identified at an early stage to enable the planning to focus on the child's next steps in relation to their interests.  The key person system works well. Children and parents know who their key person is and converse with them daily. Trusting relationships are built between the families and the key person.  Parents are actively involved in their child's learning both at the setting and at home and are provided with lots of opportunities to contribute to the assessment records.  The partnership with parents is strong. Parents are kept fully informed in a variety of ways and the parents liaison board provides a forum for seeking parents views.  There are excellent systems in place to evaluate and reflect upon practice and set

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This provision is good

action targets for improvement, which involve children, parents, staff and other professionals.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children do not develop maximum independence with regard to their own personal care needs.  Children do not sufficiently extend their learning in the mark making area of the pre- school room due to the limited provision of resources.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff and observed activities in the main playrooms and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager of the nursery and the childcare and curriculum advisor for Busy Bees.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, other evidence relating to the self-evaluation of the nursery and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection and information from the self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees at Hartham Park registered in 1993 and is part of a large nursery chain. It operates from the ground and first floor of a large, converted house situated in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The nursery serves the local area. The nursery is accessible to all children and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and provides care for a maximum of 44 children. There are currently 56 children on roll within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early years education. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 provide more opportunities for children to develop their independence further, such as serving themselves at mealtimes and managing their own personal care needs.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 improve the resources and materials in the mark making area for the older children.

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who attend

Staff have a sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and are supported well in the planning of activities and experiences that cover all seven areas of learning. There are good systems in place for observing, assessing and monitoring each child's progress which focus upon children's interests and identifying any gaps in learning. These next steps are then fed into future planning. Therefore, practitioners' secure knowledge of children's individual targets helps to ensure that every opportunity is used to support and extend children's learning across all areas.

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who attend

Staff sustain quality interaction and know the children well. Children's communication and language development is promoted well because staff listen to children and use techniques such as modelling language patterns and lots of repetition. Additional resources such as visual aids and signing help to support young children in communicating and expressing their needs and preferences. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who have English as an additional language are able to express themselves and interact with others. They are supported by practitioners who use a list of key words in various home languages which are displayed in the room. In the pre- school room, 'chatterboxes' have been introduced. Children bring in items that are special to them, put them into their box and these are used as discussion prompts in small groups. Children's early literacy skills are developing as children write letters

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who attend

independently and some attempt to write their name on their picture. However, in the pre- school room, the limited range of tools and materials does not encourage children to fully utilise the mark making area.

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who attend

Children have daily opportunities to access the outdoor area in all weathers. This is currently being renovated to include an adventure balance trail, a digging area and a herb garden, together with space for children to ride their bikes and scooters. Children are adept at using the computer. They use the mouse to 'paint' and know that they need to touch the screen to continue with the game. Young children enjoy building 'a house' as they fit wooden blocks together and make the noise of the drill. Practitioners extend this role-play by asking questions such as 'Is it straight?' and 'Do you need any screws?' Young children understand the purpose of what they are doing and use the relevant vocabulary introduced, for example, 'I got my build and my hammer'. The nursery has implemented several initiatives to complement and enhance children's learning and which the children take great delight in. These include 'Cook with me', where children select the utensils for

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who attend

themselves and follow a recipe along with the cook. A music programme enables children to use different instruments and they are able to take activity packs and instruments to use at home. Children can choose to put on a 'wake and shake' t-shirt and join in daily fun exercises and games.

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who attend

Everyday routines are used as opportunities for children to develop their understanding of number. For example, as they count out the correct number of cups for lunch and estimate how many more they will need. Children are encouraged to count the number of legs on the spider and play 'What's the time Mr Wolf' outside. They use mathematical language such as 'bigger', 'smaller' and 'giant' and are familiar with the names of shapes. Children enjoy using a range of media and techniques to make pictures and are encouraged to use describing words as they explore different textures and materials.

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who attend

Systems to assess children's starting points on entry and transitions across the provision are exceptionally secure. These are implemented in a variety of ways, including working closely with parents from the beginning to establish where children are in their learning. Parents attend parents' evenings, receive assessment summaries twice a year and are invited to view and contribute their own observations from home to the learning journeys. Practitioners explain and give suggestions to parents on how they can support their child's learning at home.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The successful implementation of the key person system and the effective deployment of practitioners ensures that all children form close emotional attachments. Detailed information is gathered to ensure that the key person gets a true picture of the child in their care and can meet their needs well. All children show a strong sense of belonging within the nursery and display high levels of confidence. For example, the babies watched with curiosity but were not upset or anxious by the presence of the maintenance contractors who had to walk through to the garden. Some children cry when their parents come to collect them because they do not want to leave the water play. This demonstrates that children build warm trusting relationships with practitioners and feel comfortable and settled within the environment.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Babies are able to explore and investigate the resources and environment around them as they select various equipment, such as board books, musical instruments and shape sorters, from the baskets on the floor. For example, young children discover that if they push the balls they will roll away and then they can crawl after them. Children are helped to express their feelings through the use of puppets and 'family books' featuring photographs of the special people in the children's lives.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The pre-school children enjoy taking on special responsibilities, such as laying the table for lunch and pouring their own drinks. However, practitioners sometimes miss opportunities to encourage children's independence. For example, they do not always encourage self- care skills such as wiping their own nose, putting on their own apron or serving themselves at mealtimes.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Effective procedures are in place for children when they transfer rooms within the nursery and detailed information is passed on from the previous key person to the new key person. The nursery builds partnerships with local receiving schools, inviting the Reception teacher to visit the children before they make the transition to school. The nursery has also introduced 'preparing for school' month for these children, where they can wear their school uniform, practise getting undressed for physical education lessons and help to make their own packed lunch. This supports both the children and families in making smooth transitions.

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provision

The management strive to continually improve the quality of care and education for children. Excellent systems for reflective practice, self-evaluation and company audits are used to identify and inform priorities and set challenging targets for improvement to the quality of the setting. This evaluation fully incorporates the views of children, parents, staff and other professionals.

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provision

There are robust systems in place for recruitment, vetting and induction of staff. Careful monitoring of staff performance through appraisals and observing practice ensures that individual practitioners' strengths are valued and targets are set that identify areas for improvement. There are rigorous systems to observe, assess and monitor each child's progress and practitioners use this to tailor the educational programmes for each child. Management have also introduced a tracking system to ensure that all children are being given opportunities in each area of learning and to identify any gaps in their learning.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children within the provision are good. All practitioners have a secure knowledge and understanding of the procedure to follow if they have concerns. All staff play a part in assessing and minimising any potential risks to children and this is detailed on the thorough risk assessments put into place. The nursery has good links with the local community and has set up a number of different classes such as baby signing and yoga for any local parents and children to attend. The health visitor also visits regularly, providing an opportunity for parents to discuss any concerns they may have with her and the child's key person.

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provision

Relationships with parents are very good and there is a strong settling in procedure with detailed information gained regarding children's likes, interests and routines as well as their starting points. Parents' views about the provision are actively sought through discussion, surveys and the parents liaison board. Parents are also fully involved in their child's learning, completing home observation sheets, weekend books and engaging in suggested activities with the children at home.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 123976 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 817852

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 56 Name of provider Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 07/10/2009 Telephone number 01992 503610

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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

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Type of provision

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.

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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