Busy Bees@Maidenhead

Positive Steps Day Nursery St Joseph's Church, Cookham Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7EG

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/01/2013 27/04/2011

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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

p.1

This provision is good

 Children greatly enjoy participating in the excellent music sessions that are tailored to present a wide range of experiences and activities that children can respond to.  Staff help children develop confidence, behave well and be appropriately prepared for school.  Partnerships with other professionals are highly effective in providing for children's individual learning needs. This joint working contributes to the good progress made by children.  Children are active and keen learners. The thoughtfully laid out playrooms provide resources and space for their developing skills to be promoted to a good level.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Weaknesses in monitoring staff deployment in the baby room sometimes lessen the effectiveness of the key person system.  Staff occasionally overlook opportunities to fully challenge children's thinking by asking open-ended questions.

p.1

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.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the premises including the outdoor area and jointly observed a session in the baby room with the manager covering the provision.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the pre-school room, the toddler room and the baby rooms and talked with the staff and children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager that is covering the provision and Operational Director.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, the provider's action plan and a range of other documentation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

p.2

Information about the setting

Positive Steps Day Nursery registered in 2003. It is one of six nurseries run by Positive Steps Children's Day Nursery Limited. It operates from five rooms in St Joseph's Centre, situated close to Maidenhead town centre. Children come from the immediate and surrounding areas, and many commute to the area.

p.2

Information about the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register, as well as the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.15pm for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 124 children aged from 12 weeks to five years on roll. The nursery supports children learning English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It receives funding for the provision of free early education to three-and four-year-old children.

p.3

Information about the setting

There is a total of 17 staff, with seven members of staff qualified to level 3 and one member of staff holds Early Years Professional status.

p.3

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

 refine the monitoring of staff deployment so the key person system consistently helps children form secure attachments and promotes their well-being

p.3

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

 strengthen teaching and learning experiences by extending the use of open ended questions to help children's think for themselves and solve problems independently.

p.3

who attend

Staff support children to make good progress in their learning and development considering their starting points. They demonstrate a clear understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and therefore children are offered effective support and teaching. Staff carry out careful observations of children. Observations of their spontaneous play is used to inform planning for the following week. Children's progress is monitored to ensure there are no gaps in their learning. Every three months children's development is summarised to inform parents of their progress at the consultation evening.

p.3

who attend

Children are motivated and eager to learn; they join in activities with enthusiasm and enjoy their time in the setting. They confidently express their own thoughts as they freely choose activities that interest them. Toddlers persist for a long period of time as they experiment with paint and use a range of tools to support their play. Rolling the sponge rollers in the paint is a great favourite. Older children are showing great enthusiasm for learning as they initiate tracing over their name. They show a great deal of pride in their achievements. Staff effectively promote children's skills in language development and literacy. Older children enjoy a wide range of good quality books and show an increasing enjoyment of reading. They enjoy sitting comfortably next to a member of staff reading books of their choosing together. Children delight in talking about their previous trip to celebrate the Olympics, looking at the photograph album, which is freely available to all

p.3

who attend

children. A repetitive name game at circle time in the toddler room helps children to learn each other's names and develop a growing confidence in speaking aloud. Younger children count during circle time and the older children confidently count and making simple calculations. Staff record these sums helping children to see writing for a purpose. However, sometimes, staff used closed questions relating to number recognition or learning by rote, rather than open-ended questioning to help them think for themselves and solve problems independently. thinking. Older children enjoy a game of finding enough 'treasure' buried in the sand tray to link to the numerals cards they have chosen. This helps them to be ready for their next stage of learning and eventually be ready for school.

p.4

who attend

Children excitedly engage in the excellent sessions that effectively develop their learning in expressive arts and design. A musician offers exceptional music sessions that are specifically tailored to each room's children's ages and stage of development. The musician knows the children well and speaks to each individually to help them feel involved. There are effective partnerships with parents who are well-informed about their children's developing skills. Parents receive regular newsletters and e-mails and are invited to frequent parent's evenings. They have the opportunity to come to a 'stay and play' session at the nursery, which supports children's learning at home. Parents are encouraged to make comments in their children's 'learning profiles' and to add to the 'wow' board that relays their observations of their child's learning at home. The staff support children well, who have English as an additional language. They obtain key words

p.4

who attend

from the parents to help the children settle and photographs of children with their word for welcome are displayed on the door into the nursery. This encourages a strong sense of belonging. Documentation relating to the nursery procedures are available in other languages this supports the whole family.

p.4

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

Older babies and children have developed secure emotional attachments to the staff. Children and parents are welcomed as they arrive and children settle quickly by staff helping them to get their breakfast or to be quickly involved in play. The key person system works very well across most of the nursery. Parents have frequent opportunities to talk with their child's key person. In the baby rooms, each key person provides nurturing physical care to young children. Key persons use routines such as nappy changing as an opportunity to interact with them and form a positive relationship. This helps children grow in confidence and to feel safe. However, when senior staff are away from the nursery, the systems to monitor staff deployment and the key person system is less effective. For example, babies are fed in a close comforting position but not consistently with their key person. This lessens the opportunities for secure attachments and continuity

p.4

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

of care. Children's individual needs are well met as the staff work closely with parents at the initial settling-in period and during transitions to new rooms within the nursery. There are effective links with other early years settings the children attend with the sharing of information to ensure a continuity of care. Staff manage the transition period well providing a written summary of the children's achievements to help with the settling-in at new provisions. Parents spoken to at inspection say that teachers find this information very useful.

p.5

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

All the playrooms are well resourced and set out with age-appropriate toys which promote free play for children of all ages. Low-level storage and designated play areas enable children to move freely and make decisions about their own play. Staff in the baby room have adopted a corner of the room and developed it for sensory play. This is a great favourite with mobile babies, who crowd in and have great fun.

p.5

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

Staff encourage children to behave well and develop a good understanding of the community in which they live. They celebrate their festivals and those of their friends. Staff take the children to explore local sites of interest such as the park. They are aware of the toddlers' interest in the buses that pass the nursery windows, so have developed a theme of 'transport'.

p.5

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

Children have many valuable chances to develop their independence. They find their own named pegs and hang up their coats. Staff help children to serve their meals and children enjoy making the sandwiches for their tea. This gives children beneficial opportunities to discuss healthy eating and to try new tastes. Staff explain that eating fish will help them grow strong muscles. Individual dietary needs are met effectively. Staff liaise closely with the nursery chef to ensure children have a varied and nutritious diet. The nursery offers the children excellent opportunities to learn about healthy living. Older children walk to the local swimming pool for the swimming lessons provided solely for them. With appropriate staff support, children learn to undress before their lesson and dress themselves afterwards. This is a very good preparation for school physical education lessons. Every day children have opportunities every day for outside play. They can use the challenging

p.5

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

climbing equipment. Staff endeavour to provide suitable materials to cover all the areas of learning for children to play on a larger more active scale. Staff help the mobile babies to climb the stairs safely under close supervision. This helps their growing independence and their physical skills without making them fearful.

p.5

provision

The management team has high expectations of the quality of care that is offered to children and their families. There is a robust recruitment and induction process in place to check staff suitability and ensure that they have the skills to promote children's learning. The senior staff team undertake through inductions, regular appraisals and team meetings to identify future training. There is an established and effective process to evaluate the overall practice in the nursery taking into account the staff and parent's comments. A development plan is in place for each of the rooms and this is used to set realistic targets for improvement. The management team undertake careful monitoring and analysis through the frequent team and management meetings. They regularly observe the nursery practices and make changes to procedures as necessary. Staff made prompt and effective changes to the operation of the baby room during the inspection.

p.5

provision

This resulted in a comfortable and calm environment for staff and children. All staff have attended local safeguarding training so are able to identify areas of concern and seek advice from senior management. Information and posters on display around the nursery show a strong commitment to providing a safe environment for all children. Staff ratios are maintained to provide a good level of supervision and support for all children, and help ensure they are safe at all times. The inspection took place following a concern about an accident while serving lunch. The inspection found that the staff were fully aware of their responsibilities and took all the necessary steps for appropriate treatment and informing parents. The manager carried out a full review of the procedures for serving food and risk assessments were reviewed to make sure risks are minimised or eliminated.

p.6

provision

Partnerships with other professionals are well established. This helps all involved to meet children's needs. Staff know how to seek additional help from professionals if they identify the need. Parents are well informed about their children's developing skills and day-to-day personal care routines. Nursery staff fully involve parents in any discussion regarding their children in order to identify all children's needs and help the children to make progress in their learning and development.

p.6

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

Setting details

Unique reference number EY243905 Local authority Windsor & Maidenhead Inspection number 900278 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 124 Name of provider Positive Steps Children's Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 27/04/2011 Telephone number 01628 623777

p.7

Setting details

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

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 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,

p.8

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.9

Type of provision

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

p.9