Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harpenden Leyton Road

Busy Bees at Leyton Road 23 Leyton Road, HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire, AL5 2HZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/04/2013 28/02/2011

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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

 Effective management systems ensure an accurate evaluation of practice takes place. This means that areas to develop further are well targeted to promote positive outcomes for children.  Children establish close bonds with their key person. As a result, they are happy and secure in their play and are motivated and confident learners.  Children are actively engaged in a broad range of activities and play experiences which are developmentally appropriate and which help them to make good progress in their learning.  Regular praise and encouragement from staff ensure children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities to fully promote children's independence in their daily routines, in particular at snack time, are not fully maximised.  Ways of engaging all parents in their children's learning are not developed to the very optimum.

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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 children's activities in all rooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, assistant manager and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, the self-evaluation and a range of other documentation, including a selection of policies and children's records.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees at Leyton Road was registered in 1997 and is part of Busy Bees Nurseries Limited nursery chain. It is on the Early Years Register and operates from a two storey converted building in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. There is a fully enclosed outside area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff and of these, the majority hold early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round from 7.15am to 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 70 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend opportunities for children's independence to be fully promoted through their daily routine, in particular at snack time

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

 maximise ways to engage all parents in their children's learning through providing further opportunities for them to share information about their children's achievements at home.

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who attend

Staff have a secure understanding of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage and they use their skills and knowledge to effectively support children's learning. Each child has their own 'learning journal', which is a developmental record of their progress and achievements and is completed by the child's key person. Staff closely monitor their key children through effective observation and assessment systems. This information is then used to plan suitably challenging and developmentally appropriate activities and play experiences for individual children. Consequently, the quality of teaching is good and children are making good progress towards the early learning goals.

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who attend

Parents are kept informed about their children's attainments. For example, they receive information about their children's achievements through daily discussions with their key person. More formal opportunities, such as parents evenings, also provide parents with the time to discuss their child's development. Parents are actively encouraged to look at their child's learning journal at any time and can take them home to show the rest of the family. However, methods for encouraging parents to actively contribute to these by, for example, encouraging them to share what their child has been doing at home, are not yet fully embedded.

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who attend

Children enjoy their surroundings and show a keen interest in what they do. They are becoming confident communicators and are beginning to engage well in conversations. For example, each child has their own 'chatterbox' which is a small box they have decorated and which contains some of their favourite things, such as a popular book or a special toy from home. At circle time the boxes are effectively used by staff to encourage children's language development as they are encouraged to communicate their thoughts and ideas. This also helps to raise children's self-esteem, confidence and social skills as they enjoy talking about their treasured items with their peers and answering questions.

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who attend

Staff have high expectations for the children in their care, and the good balance of adult- led and child-initiated play experiences means that children can express themselves and they are confident in their play. Babies use their senses as they explore textured materials, and the defined coloured areas in the baby room, such as bold, geometric black and white wall displays, hold babies interests and promotes their visual development. Lilac areas provide a restful, calming environment to help babies relax and feel secure. Toddlers display natural inquisitiveness as they quickly become engrossed in their play as they use wooden blocks to re-create shapes and patterns. They develop good hand to eye coordination skills as they build towers. Older children's mathematical development is successfully promoted, such as when they use rulers to measure each other to find out who is the tallest. They happily work together sharing their thoughts and ideas and are

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who attend

developing the skills required to prepare them for their future learning, such as when they start to attend nursery or school.

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who attend

Children are curious, motivated and inquisitive in their play with the indoor space planned so that it can be used flexibly. Children also benefit from regular opportunities to play outside. Overall, children's independence skills are promoted. For example, children are encouraged to make their own decisions as they can freely access the environment and make choices in their play. However, staff overlook some opportunities to promote and extend children's independence fully, such as at snack time.

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

The well-embedded key person system promotes and supports children's sense of well- being as staff form secure attachments with their key children. For example, effective 'settle sessions' and the completion of a 'getting to know your child/baby' booklet ensure staff quickly establish trusting relationships with parents. This then helps them to get to know their key children so they can meet their individual needs well. Consequently, children feel secure and are happy during their time in the nursery. Staff know the children well which promotes children's confidence and encourages them to have a positive approach to new experiences. They also benefit from well-organised and familiar routines, that help them to feel secure in the nursery environment. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who have English as an additional language. For example, staff are proactive in gathering key words from

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

parents for children in their home language so they can use phrases and simple songs and rhymes in the child's own language within the nursery. This develops and promotes children's sense of belonging and identity. Staff prepare children well for transitions, such as moving rooms within the nursery or when leaving the nursery and starting school. For example, as children get older and move rooms, staff work together to ensure children and their parents quickly become familiar with their new key person and different surroundings.

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

Children's awareness of developing a healthy lifestyle is promoted well through the provision of healthy meals and snacks and through regular indoor and outdoor physical play opportunities. For example, plenty of fresh air and exercise keep children healthy and staff teach children the positive benefits of engaging in regular exercise. They also discuss the importance of healthy eating and the impact this has on their bodies, such as talking about why it is important to drink plenty of water. Children learn about the importance of personal care routines to keep healthy. For example, they are familiar with the routine of hand washing before eating and after visiting the toilet. They discuss why it is important to cover their mouth when they cough and know that food that has fallen on the ground must not be eaten as it is 'dirty'.

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

Children behave well. Staff speak kindly to the children, who respond positively to the clear boundaries that are set for them. Very young children hear gentle reminders to say 'please' and 'thank you' and are learning to share and take turns. Older children are learning to play well together and to manage their own behaviour, because staff share consistent expectations with them. Staff focus on positive behaviour, developing and promoting children's self-esteem through regular praise and encouragement.

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

Children are gaining a good awareness of keeping themselves safe. For example, children in the pre-school room have a good understanding of the safety rules in relation to going up and down the stairs and are able to confidently explain them. Younger children are supported in their play by staff who keep them safe. They are beginning to learn about safety as staff discuss potential hazards, such as talking about why it is important to hold on tight when trying to climb. Staff successfully plan topics to further support children's knowledge and understanding of keeping safe. For example, for a recent topic on looking at the roles of people who help us, children enjoyed a visit from a police officer with a police van and a visit to the local fire station.

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provision

The management team demonstrate a strong commitment to providing good quality childcare. They support their staff team well and work hard to ensure all staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to meet the requirements of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Thorough recruitment and vetting processes and comprehensive induction systems ensure staff are suitable and clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. Senior management meetings, staff team meetings and individual room meetings help to ensure effective communication and regular information sharing amongst the whole staff team. Staff performance is closely monitored through regular supervisions and annual appraisals, and staff have many opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge with in-house and external training positively encouraged.

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provision

All staff are committed to the continuous evaluation and improvement of their practice, with effective systems in place to closely monitor and assess the quality of the provision. For example, feedback is actively sought, such as seeking the views of parents and children. Also, the educational programme is closely monitored to help ensure staff have an accurate understanding of all children's skills, abilities and progress across the seven areas of learning. This helps to ensure any gaps are identified and children make good progress in their learning. Staff are keen to provide the best quality care and learning for children and systems for monitoring practice are well-established. For example, the nursery's strengths and areas for development are effectively identified through the use of individual room action plans. These accurately reflect the areas staff wish to develop further to ensure continuous improvement. A self-evaluation process is in place, which is

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provision

used to systematically identify the nurseries key strengths and areas they wish to develop and enhance further.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are effective and staff have a secure knowledge of how to keep children safe from harm. For example, all staff attend regular child protection training which ensures they understand their individual responsibilities to protect children. They are proactive in implementing effective strategies to promote and safeguard children's health. For example, good hygiene procedures are applied to minimise the risk of cross infection and children with special dietary requirements, such as food allergies, have their individual needs met well. Staff fully understand their responsibilities to provide safe play environments and the maintenance of the premises and equipment is good. Staffing arrangements are organised to ensure children's safety is promoted. For example, effective staff deployment ensure required staff to child ratios are met and the majority of the staff team are qualified practitioners. Children are closely

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provision

supervised and the premises are secure, with a buzzer system in place, which ensures children are protected as no unauthorised persons can gain access.

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provision

Positive partnerships between staff and parents ensure children's care and learning needs are supported well. Staff are forthcoming in exchanging information with parents and feedback from parents is positive. Many ways are used to share and exchange information with parents, including the use of a website, displays, newsletters, communication diaries, day sheets and parents evenings. A parent partnership group meets regularly to discuss important issues and changes in the nursery. Partnership working with other professionals and agencies is well established and used to support children. For example, effective partnership working with the area inclusion officer ensures children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. There are close links with the local children's centre and the local authority early years team. Teachers from local schools are invited to visit the nursery prior to children leaving to move on to school. This

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provision

has been found to be very beneficial in ensuring children make secure transitions.

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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 123607 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 910149

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 28/02/2011 Telephone number 01582 762220

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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

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’.

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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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