Busy Bees Day Nursery at Walthamstow

Just Learning Nursery 20 Sutton Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 5QA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/04/2013 18/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Key persons have strong attachments with their key children and this helps children to settle and feel secure.  Staff proactively foster children's safety and well-being.  Children enjoy their time in the outdoor environment helping to develop their understanding of physical development and being healthy.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are very happy with the care their children receive.

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It is not yet good because

 Insufficient attention is given to the educational programme for mathematics, and as a result children make less progress in this area of their learning.  There are times when children are not fully supported in their play and staff do not consistently use open-ended questions to develop children's thoughts, ideas and language skills.  Activities do not always provide sufficient challenge to support children's learning.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 observed activities in all play rooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manger deputy manager and the coordinator from the owning company.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, and planning documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff members working with children and the nursery's self-evaluation form.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Just Learning Nursery first opened in 2001 and has recently become part of the Busy Bees group of nurseries. The nursery is located in a purpose built building in the Walthamstow area, within the London borough of Waltham Forest. The children use twelve base rooms, all with access into a large secure outdoor play space.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7am to 7pm all year round. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and currently has 120 children on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early years education for three-and four-year-olds.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 28 members of staff. 24 of whom hold, or are working towards, a relevant National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 3 or above.

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must:

 develop the educational programme for mathematics, for example using practical activities to help children to learn to count, do simple calculations and to problem- solve

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

 extend the support and challenge staff provide children as they go about their play, for example, encouraging staff to use open-ended questions to encourage children's language and thinking .

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who attend

Children are happy and confident. They are able to make choices about what they want to do and play with, indoors or outside throughout the day. A suitable range of resources and planned activities help to support children's development sufficiently across most areas of learning. In the baby and toddlers' rooms children spend their time exploring resources that are set out at their level. They explore the sounds the musical instruments make and snuggle up in the cosy cushions to listen to a story. They approach the door when other children arrive and hand them their favourite toy. Toy mobile telephones are very popular, and a small group of children set off to explore the interconnecting playrooms, telephones in hand. Toddlers mostly stay close to their key person. They venture off to the doorway to see what is going on outside then come back to find their key person for reassurance. They show developing confidence in the play room choosing books and puppets that

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who attend

interest them. They sit on the mat building towers with their peers. The staff offer some support enquiring about the colours of the bricks and encouraging children to stack them on top of one another. The pre-school children sit concentrating as they use clay to make models or just to practise their rolling and cutting skills. They use scissors skilfully cutting out pictures from magazines talking about their favourite super heroes. Some staff are skilled at using books and stories to help children to express their feelings by using intonation in their voices and encouraging them to predict what happens next in the story. Many children show confidence in their developing communication and language skills. Staff are generally responsive to children's verbal and non-verbal communications and some use Makaton sign language to support this.

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who attend

Most children spend their day out in the large garden. They show their agility riding bicycles with ease, or climbing the large climbing frame. They build in the sand and sit and watch the other children from the ball pond. A small group of children climb on a car tyre to get a better view of what is happening in the play room. Then they attempt to roll it around the garden working together to push it. The full potential of the outdoor area is not currently embraced but there are plans to improve it.

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who attend

Planning and assessment records of children's learning are detailed. The children's starting points, their current interests and details of their learning at home are known by the staff. Staff use this information to plan the next steps on children's individual learning journey. 'Together time' and 'active learning time' is the time when specific learning objectives are developed. This gives the staff the chance to work with children either in small groups or one to one on focused learning for individual children. Most of the staff team have suitable knowledge of the early learning goals and an appropriate understanding of how children learn through play. However, they lack confidence in offering appropriate levels of support and challenge during child-initiated activities and to embrace incidental learning opportunities. They do not routinely use open-ended questions to encourage children to think things through and foster discussions. They do not encourage counting, number

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who attend

recognition and problem-solving to promote children's mathematical awareness. Also there are times when chores take staff away from the children and they are left to occupy themselves. During these times the availability of play resources and use of available staff is not always fully considered to ensure that children can engage in worthwhile activities.

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who attend

Children with special educational needs receive suitable levels of support. Key persons work closely with the special educational needs coordinator, parents and outside agencies to develop individual plans to support children's care and learning. As a result children make satisfactory progress from their starting points.

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

Children play and learn in a comfortable, welcoming environment in which they feel safe. All staff know the children well and make sure they feel valued and included. Children are settled and relaxed. The established key persons system and the efficient deployment of staff at most times during the day mean that children are developing strong attachments, receive good care support and are encouraged to become independent. Babies settle because they are familiar with their key person who sees to all their care needs. Strong attachments are obvious as the babies seek reassurance from their key person snuggling into their necks when they are unsure about visitors. Staff ably pick up on the babies' non- verbal cues about when they are hungry or tired and meet their individual needs well. Parents are kept well informed of their child's time at the nursery through day diaries that provide a good outline of what their child has done at nursery that day. Overall, children

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

manage their personal needs well, for example they are developing independence when visiting the toilet, and by washing their hands and blowing their own noses. They gain independence and social skills that will help them in their future learning and development. All children including the babies benefit from regular fresh air and exercise each day. The outside play space is used effectively to promote children's understanding of the benefits of physical exercise and being healthy. Children show they are comfortable and relaxed in the setting; they move around freely and make decisions about whether they want to play inside or outside. Staff make sure that the environment is safe through robust risk assessments. Access to the building is effectively monitored with a buzzer entry system and the entrance is clearly visible from the office therefore management can see who is at the door. These safety steps help to promote children's safety and well-being.

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

Children's behaviour is generally good, with the occasional squabble over toys when children get excited and want to hang on to their toys or equipment. The staff are consistent in the way they manage children's behaviour and the methods used are appropriate. Therefore, children understand what is acceptable and what is not and sort things out for themselves good-naturedly. Children's all round good health is promoted well. Water stations inside and out encourages children to help themselves to drinks when they are thirsty. Babies and toddlers are offered drinks regularly. Meals and snacks are healthy and nutritious. They are cooked freshly each day by the resident chef incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Children's varying dietary needs are managed with the help of colour coded plates which alert the staff to specific requirements, religious, medical or parental preferences. Good systems are in place to

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

record any accidents that may occur and when staff give any medication. This helps to support children's well-being.

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provision

The manager and her staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of their responsibility in meeting the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements. The nursery has recently been bought by another provider and this has meant that all systems are under review. Policies and procedures are being changed or adapted to meet the ethos of the new owners. The staff team have met the challenge of the changes willingly; however, it is taking time to get the changes embedded into practice. Therefore, some of the weaknesses in the educational programmes identified at inspection have gone unnoticed. The manager has very recently undertaken the process of self-evaluation working closely with the staff and encouraging parents to become involved. This evaluation provides a realistic picture of how well the nursery is currently opertating, the areas identified for improvement and the steps that the nursery will take to

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provision

bring about change. To add to the nursery's times of change a number of staff that held key roles have taken maternity leave which has given some staff an opportunity to take on more responsibilities which they are really enjoying. However, they are still gaining confidence in their new roles and some areas of weakness have not been acted on promptly as a result.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are effective. Most staff have attended introductory safeguarding training and have clear understanding of safeguarding issues. This includes recording and reporting systems to promote children's well-being and safety. Robust recruitment measures are followed and professional development of staff is encouraged. A training programme is in place to ensure that all staff have suitable qualifications and training for their specific roles.

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provision

Parents are extremely happy with the care and education the nursery provides. They talk about how well their child's key person knows their child, how happy they are with the progress their children are making. They comment that they always feel welcome and sometimes sit in the parents' area for a longer chat. They state that they always feel informed about what their child can do. The recently introduced two year profile has been successfully implemented. This alongside regular informal chats, open evenings and reviews of the children's profile books means that parents and staff are all very well informed about what makes children individuals and unique. Partnerships with others involved in children's care help to ensure consistency of care and support for children's learning. Partnerships with schools that children will move on are in place, to help to prepare the children for the move, giving them reassurance and awareness of what to

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provision

expect when the time comes to leave the nursery.

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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 action. 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 155097 Local authority Waltham Forest Inspection number 910005

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 140 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Just Learning Ltd Date of previous inspection 18/01/2011 Telephone number 020 8527 9711

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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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,

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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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