Busy Bees Day Nursery at Formby

Busy Bees at Formby 21 Elson Road, Formby, Liverpool, Merseyside, L37 2EQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/04/2013 29/03/2011

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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

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This provision is good

 There is a good understanding of the stage of development of each child on entry, which ensures that staff are able to extend their learning based on what children can already do.  Staff interact well with children, extending their vocabulary and supporting them to participate in discussions. Children, therefore, develop good language, social and communication skills, which supports their future learning.  Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. There are effective procedures in place to support moves from one room to another, or from nursery to school.  The strong management team have a clear overview of the welfare, learning and development requirements and the long standing, dedicated staff are very well supported. This means that all children reach their full potential in a caring, nurturing environment.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some elements of the daily routines do not fully support children in further developing their very good independence and self-care skills.  Resources, such as real and everyday items in the role play areas, are not used to fully promote children's rich imaginary and pretend play.

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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 checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the practitioners working with the children and the provider's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spent time observing children's play in the five group rooms of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with staff about the setting's procedures and children's learning and development.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of children with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees at Formby was registered in 2003 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a converted detached property in the Formby area of Merseyside and is one of a number of settings operated by Busy Bees Nurseries Limited. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from five playrooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 14 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one holds Early Years Professional Status and one is a qualified teacher. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 128 children attending, who are within the early years age range. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 improve daily routines to fully support children in developing their independence and self-care skills, for example, by letting them put on coats and serve their own food at snack time

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

 provide additional resources, such as real and everyday items in the role play areas, to fully promote children's pretend and imaginary play.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this very well in practice to meet children's individual needs. The planning in each room is based on a secure assessment of what children do and enjoy. The prime and specific areas of learning are covered in a full range of activities and experiences. Staff record observations on individual children and collate the next steps for their key children. This is then fed into the planning. Each child has a learning journey file, which shows how activities link to the areas of learning and gives a general overview of where they are at in their development. Parents are asked to contribute to this and to share what and how their children learn at home by completing a home observation. Information from this is also fed into the assessment and individual planning for children. The manager oversees the tracking of children's progress, which is analysed and monitored regularly. This means that staff can

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who attend

see how their key children are making progress or where they may need to target more help and support.

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who attend

Some of the older children have been in the nursery since they were a baby. Therefore, key person's pass on their learning journeys to the next room as they move up and have discussions about children's individual needs and interests. Some staff have been trained in sign language to best support children, who communicate this way. This means that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs met.

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who attend

Children freely move within their rooms. The baby and younger toddlers' rooms are inviting and provide stimulating challenges for children. For example, young toddlers enjoy playing in cosy spaces. They sit happily in the cosy area. They look at books and play peek-a-boo with the attentive staff. All rooms are currently being refurbished and light, bright well-resourced areas are being fully developed. However, additional resources, such as real and everyday items in the role play areas, are not used to fully promote children's imaginary and pretend play.

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who attend

Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to create exciting play spaces outdoors. For example, children enjoy practising climbing skills, riding bikes and kicking balls. Children demonstrate fascination and sustained curiosity as they dig in the soil and discover worms. Good use is made of outdoor play, so that children have fun when they are learning. For example, they enjoy light hearted competition as they throw bean bags at a target on the ground. Staff skilfully include a point system and support children as they calculate scores. As a result of the fun activity, children are helped to concentrate for long periods of time. Children have ample opportunities to learn about the wider world through a range of activities, such as 'listening walks' and visits into the local community.

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who attend

Children in all rooms enjoy a good balance of adult-initiated and child-led activities. They display good characteristics of effective learning when they are engaged in activities, such as constructing a railway track and buildings and exploring sensory items, for example, play dough. Babies and toddlers enjoy interactive toys. This introduces them to the basics of computer technology, which means that they are gaining skills for the future. Children of all ages enjoy books, which they can freely access. This supports children's early reading skills and helps them to develop a keen interest in books. Good use is made of mathematical language to help children to learn about number in relation to their individual development. For example, staff encourage younger toddlers to count 'one, two' during their play. Older children develop their understanding of mathematical language through physical and imaginative play. For example, they discuss getting the towers the

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who attend

same height as they 'build a bridge for the princess to cross'. This all means that children develop the necessary social, emotional and communication skills to be ready to move on to school.

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

Each child is assigned a key person, who develops effective communication channels with parents. This results in the exchange of clear information, promoting continuity of care and learning for all children. This helps children to develop secure emotional attachments to staff. It also develops children's confidence as they learn to communicate with staff and their peers. The effective key person system is evident as children play, confidently turning to their key person for reassurance and support.

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

Children's good behaviour is encouraged as staff offer regular praise and encouragement to promote their self-esteem. Staff discuss the possible consequences of their actions with children, which helps them to play safely as they learn the difference between right and wrong. Children show a sense of belonging in the setting as they move around freely, selecting the resources, which they wish to play with.

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

Older children are independent in taking care of their personal needs, such as, using the toilets, washing their hands and getting dressed to go out to play. At snack time, children are offered fruit and water and hearty nutritious meals cooked on the premises, such as Irish stew, which promotes a healthy lifestyle. However, some elements of the daily routines do not fully support children in developing their independence and self-care skills as staff pass out plates and serve all food and hand it to children. Younger children are not encouraged to try to put on their own coats and learn to fasten them, which does not promote their independence as well as possible.

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

Toddlers are confident to move freely between different activities, having the confidence to choose who to play with and which resources to use. Children learn to develop healthy habits as they enjoy access to a wide range of physical play equipment, including a climbing frame, balls and ride on toys. They benefit from fresh air on a daily basis, which supports their physical well-being.

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

Transition arrangements for supporting children's move to school are good. Information is shared to ensure that the new setting is aware of children's starting points. Teachers are invited to nursery and children taken on short visits to ease their transition. This enables children's care, learning and development to be continually promoted as they are well prepared for the next stages in their learning. Staff support a smooth transition within the setting by taking the children on short visits prior to their move to the next room. Information is shared between key persons and parents to ensure the individual needs of the child are known and met.

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provision

The management team ensure that the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are implemented well. They have a good overview of the educational programmes. They are confident that the staff understand the safeguarding procedures and know they would approach their supervisor or manager if they have concerns about any child. Clear flow charts are displayed to remind staff about what to do if they are worried about a child's care or welfare. A good signing in and out procedure is in place, so that staff always know how many children are in their care at any one time. This ensures that children remain safe.

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provision

Staff turnover is very low, therefore, a long standing, dedicated staff team is in place and they are well qualified. Clear recruitment and procedures are in place and any new staff have an induction period. From this initial induction, a probation period follows and all staff are vetted before they can work with children. The setting has a strong management team, which ensures continuity of care for the children. The team is strong and stable and works very well with the staff to ensure the smooth running of the setting to benefit all children.

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provision

Training provided for staff is either based on their individual development needs or interests, or more general for the whole staff team, which helps to improve their all-round skills. Staff are expected to discuss and feedback on training during supervision sessions, regarding why they are doing it and how it has improved their practice. Regular team meetings are carried out, which helps them to share practice between themselves. The management team are also building in 'room leader observations' to further promote staff performance. This shows that staff are very well supported to ensure their performance continues to develop to benefit the children's care, learning and welfare.

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provision

Self-evaluation is used regularly to target priorities for improvement. The management team are currently using an Ofsted self-evaluation form and ensure that all staff are involved in making contributions via information received at review or staff meetings. They are currently updating the tracking of staff's training, improving the use of the outdoor area and supporting this with increased outside observation. They are also looking to develop the website further for parents. This shows that they regularly review the service to ensure it continually improves to benefit parents and their children.

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provision

Some staff are competent in using sign language, so that all children are fully included in the setting. The dedicated special educational needs coordinator within the nursery works with parents and external professionals, such as speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. She implements suggestions and activities made by outside professionals, which means that all children with differing needs receive the targeted support they need. She holds regular review meetings with the parents, child's key person and the relevant external professionals, so that close partnership working enables all children to make progress and reach their full potential.

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provision

Parents can view their child's learning journey file at anytime, take part in regular parents' evenings and are fully involved in the progress check at age two years. They receive informal handovers with their child's key person at drop off or collection times. This means that all adults regularly share what they know to provide consistency and continuity in children's learning. Parents receive a comprehensive information pack, which includes the nursery's policies and other useful information. They can access the nursery's website and receive regular newsletters, texts and emails to keep them updated. Parents are, generally, pleased with the provision and the progress their children make. They feel that they get sufficient information from their child's key person or other familiar staff member on a regular basis. The positive things about the nursery that parents like are; they are pleased that their children 'come in happily and are developing well' and that the meals

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provision

are good, 'proper food'. Children also acquire the necessary skills and behaviours to be fully prepared to move into full-time education.

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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 502325 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 906367

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 66 Number of children on roll 128 Name of provider Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 29/03/2011 Telephone number 01704 834834

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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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