Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chippenham

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chippenham Bath Road, Cepen Park South, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 0BJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/05/2013 20/08/2009

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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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are settled and content at the nursery. They enjoy varied activities and staff plan securely for their progress.  Children play happily within their base rooms and benefit from the suitable range of resources and activities available, which generally supports their learning.  Children have access to a newly refurbished outside area, which allows them to explore and play with ease, due to the free flow access.  Children develop sound social skills, they behave well and are learning to share and take turns.  The staff form positive relationships with parents and exchange suitable information with them daily. This promotes appropriate consistent care and learning experiences for children.

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It is not yet good because

 There some weaknesses in the programme for communication and language in the baby room as some staff are not effectively deployed and do not always interact appropriately with the children in this room.  At times staff miss opportunities to help older children to solve problems for themselves and the noise levels in the pre-school at times impact on children's ability to concentrate.  The environment does not fully reflect the backgrounds of all the children attending to enhance further their awareness of themselves and others.  Arrangements for monitoring staff practice are currently in their infancy.  Staff do not consistently maintain the good hygiene of babies, which poses a risk of infection and reduces children's awareness of healthy practices.

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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 inspectors observed activities in the setting and in the nursery garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection, during and after activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors looked at documentation, including progress records and planning documents and discussed these with staff.

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Inspection activities

 One of the inspectors and the acting manager conducted a joint observation on an activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors held a meeting with the management team and gave feedback at the end of the visit.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chippenham opened in 2000. It is part of Busy Bees Day Nurseries Ltd, a national childcare chain. The nursery serves the local urban community together with other towns and villages in the locality. It operates from a purpose-designed unit on the western side of Chippenham, Wiltshire. Children are accommodated in one of three main areas, roughly according to age, with ready access to outside play areas. The nursery provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 104 children aged from five months to under five years on roll. The nursery opens each weekday from 7.30am until 6pm, providing both full and part-time places. It closes for bank holidays and over the Christmas period. The nursery employs 17 permanent staff who work directly with the children, of whom 13 hold early years qualifications to level 3, 1 staff member has a

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Information about the setting

qualification at level 4 and two staff hold a qualification at level 2 and the other member of staff is working towards an appropriate qualification.

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must:

 develop the programme for communication and language for babies by deploying staff appropriately,in order that they are able to tune into the messages children are conveying, to copy babies' sounds to encourage turn taking conversations, to recognise and respond to children's body language and gestures that they use to make requests.

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

 review hygiene practices at meal and snack times to ensure staff promote children's understanding of the importance of healthy practices by, for example, changing spoons and washing dummies when these drop onto the floor

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

 strengthen arrangements to monitor and supervise staff practice, to ensure all staff are aware of and implement the nursery's policies and procedures

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

 encourage older children to concentrate more by limiting noise, and further build their problem solving skills by encouraging them to suggest ways to solve the problem

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

 strengthen children's awareness of themselves and others by providing images and resources that represent the children's backgrounds.

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who attend

Staff obtain a secure understanding of children's starting points upon entry to the nursery. Staff spend time with parents discussing children's development and 'All about me' information is obtained. This gives staff a sound awareness of children's development and interests, which enables them to plan for children's progress securely.

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who attend

The nursery has planning documents in place and progress records are regularly completed by staff. These are used securely to identify children's next stages in learning. Parents are suitability involved in their children's progress records and have regular access to these. Parents are encouraged to contribute to the records, by undertaking observations at home and sharing these with the staff. This allows the staff to gain a wider picture of children's progress and promotes consistency between the nursery and home. Staff complete reports for children in their care, and understand the importance of providing clear summaries of children's progress to support future learning. Two-year-old progress checks are completed and shared with parents. These checks include parents' comments, evaluate children's progress and identify future learning aims well.

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who attend

Children with additional needs are appropriately supported in the nursery. Staff work closely with outside agencies and implement individual education plans to help children make better progress. Children's progress is carefully monitored and they are developing sufficiently well in relation to their starting points. Children for whom English is an additional language are also making satisfactory progress. Staff work in partnership with parents to make sure children are progressing well in their own home language and monitor their language development in English. Children are able to see signs, labels and pictures that represent other cultures and beliefs. However, there are limited images of those cultures that reflect the backgrounds of the children attending to help further build their awareness of themselves and others.

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who attend

Children are generally confident, happy and engaged in a wide range of activities. Older children, demonstrate a positive attitude towards their learning and are acquiring suitable skills that will prepare them for school. Staff in the toddler and pre-school rooms interact well with the children; however this is not as consistent in the baby room as staff do not always communicate to children purposefully to engage them. For example, they do not consistently support or respond to babies' sounds and babbling and not all staff are skilful at engaging with all children in the room. This means at times some children are left to their own devices as staff have their backs to them and do not always include them in all activities.

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who attend

Despite this, children in other areas of the nursery enjoy purposeful interaction from staff, which encourages their language skills. For example, when drawing pictures children talk about a recent trip to the seaside and how they found and collected shells from the sea. Children therefore, in these rooms, become confident speakers and use a widening range of vocabulary to express themselves. When using a programmable 'bee bop' toy, children talk about where on the map they want the toy to go. Children say they want it to go the park, for example, and staff ask the children lots of questions, such as 'What do you think 'bee bop' will do at the park?' and children are keen to give their ideas. Children talk about swinging on the swings and going round and round on the roundabout. Staff then encourage children to use mathematical language such as 'high', 'low', 'fast' and 'slow'. Children then count the number of squares the toy needs to move, to get to its destination

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who attend

and press the corresponding number on the toy. This all helps children to learn to count for a reason. However, at times, the noise levels in the room are very high and this means that during some group activities it is difficult to hear what the children are saying. It also means children become distracted from the task in hand and the noise affects their ability to concentrate.

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who attend

Children enjoy exploring textures and develop their creativeness as they play in the sand, make marks with chalks outside and mix ingredients together to make salt dough. They explore the colours and what happens when they mix them together, talking about the different colours they make. However, staff miss some opportunities to encourage children to work out things for themselves. For example, when the mixture is too runny staff tell the children to add more flour, rather than asking them what they think they should do for themselves. This somewhat limits children's developing ability to try out different ways to solve problems for themsleves.

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who attend

Children have plenty of opportunities to play outside in the fresh air where they enjoy cleaning the windows with large brushes and water, and constructing with large blocks. Staff in the toddlers, sit with groups of children singing and reading stories together, while others enjoy exploring how a hoop works and play action games such as 'chase' around the garden. Children also climb and balance on wooden equipment, which helps them develop their physical skills.

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

Children's experiences and learning opportunities vary greatly depending on which staff are working with them and the rooms they are based in. Some staff are skilled at forming relationships with the children and encouraging their involvement in activities, while other staff lack some of these skills. This means that some groups of children are not as enthused and encouraged to join in. Despite this, most children have developed close relationships with their key person and these staff work with their key children to support their learning. Children are encouraged to be considerate to the needs of others and to share resources. Older children can be heard reminding each other of the need to share and to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff manage children's behaviour well and any minor disputes are dealt with suitably. The premises are clean and well furnished with child friendly furniture and suitable toys and resources, both indoors and out.

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

Children have regular opportunities to talk about how to keep themselves safe. In the pre- school room, children take part in assessing the risks in the playroom and staff have created posters that include words, pictures and examples of what the children have said. For example, a happy face shows a picture of a child walking, a sad face a child running. Children know not to run indoors as they may bump into their friends. On the day of the inspection, staff ratios were met but the inconsistencies in staff deployment, especially in the baby room, means that some younger children are put at risk as they are not suitably supervised in their play. For example, those children who are less confident walkers do not get the support they need from staff to help them develop their walking skills safely. As a result, on occasions, they pull equipment onto themselves.

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

Children's health is suitability supported overall and most children learn about the importance of healthy eating. However, there are inconsistencies in practice, which means not all children's good hygiene is fully promoted. For example, in the baby room, children are re-fed with spoons that have been dropped on the floor with food on and other children suck on dummies that have been on the floor. This has the potential to pose a risk of infection to the children. Staff sit with children at mealtimes and most interact well with the children. Staff in the toddler and pre-school rooms eat with the children, talking about what they are eating and the benefits of certain foods on their bodies. Older children acquire appropriate self-care skills and take themselves to the toilet and wash their hands independently. Children develop a positive attitude towards fresh air and exercise as they are able to go outside to play when they wish. They are often outdoors

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

playing with the various equipment, which benefits those children who learn better outside.

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provision

The nursery has gone through a period of great change and they now have a new management team and new staff. As a team, they have undertaken a great deal of additional training and this is evident in some areas of their practice. However these improvements are not consistent and some staff are unaware whether they are going through the induction process or if this has been completed. This means that the monitoring and coaching methods used are not yet fully secure. Despite this, the staff receive regular appraisals and training opportunities to encourage them to develop their professional expertise.All required policies and procedures including safeguarding, complaints and behaviour management are in place. The nursery team and staff demonstrate a suitable understanding of the learning and development requirements overall. They monitor children's progress and plan an appropriate range of activities that

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provision

help children make sound progress in their learning. However, there are some inconsistencies in staff practice, which impact on the younger children's experiences.

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provision

The staff have a secure understanding of how to safeguard children. They demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding procedures, including the possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm, and how to record and report concerns. They are also confident in the procedure to follow if they have concerns about a colleague's practice. This helps to ensure that children are protected while in the nursery. All staff are suitably trained and have the skills and expertise required to maintain children's safety overall. The premises are secure, visitors and parents can only gain access by staff that will let them in which promotes children's safety.

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provision

The nursery has a special educational needs coordinator and she ensures all children with identified additional needs receive the required additional support. She liaises well with other professionals to ensure the nursery has the most up-to-date information regarding each of these children. This provides continuity and consistency in the children's care. The nursery has introduced different ways of including parents and carers in the day-to-day life at the nursery. Parents receive regular newsletters and have opportunities to come into the nursery on weekly open mornings and toddler events; this helps the children to become familiar with the nursery and staff, and allows parents of children to talk to and build relationships with their child's key person.

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provision

The nursery understands the need to evaluate the success of their practice. The management team demonstrate that they are continuously reflecting on their practice and use auditing and observation of practice to enhance the overall practice. The nursery has addressed recommendations made at the last inspection. This means staff have built closer relationships with the schools children are due to attend and make sure that the skills they help children to learn are in line with those they will gain at school. In addition, babies have more opportunities to go outside and now receive plenty of fresh air. This demonstrates the nursery has the capacity to maintain improvements. All staff attend regular staff meetings, and room meetings are regularly undertaken to allow all rooms to reflect on their practice and identify areas for improvement. For example, the pre-school room have recently introduced folders in the different areas of the room that contain

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provision

photographs and details of the activities children have done. This means children can now go and look at them, talk about and reflect on their past experiences.

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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 199372 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 912975 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 106 Number of children on roll 104 Name of provider Busy Bees Day Nurseries (Trading) Limited Date of previous inspection 20/08/2009 Telephone number 01249 463000

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Setting details

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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