Busy Bees Day Nursery at Rothamsted Lodge

Busy Bees at Rothamsted Lodge Rothamsted Lodge, Hatching Green, HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/04/2013 17/12/2010

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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

 All children form secure bonds and attachments with nursery staff. They are happy, settled and build good relationships because the well-established key person system is effectively promoted. As a result, children's well-being is developed.  Staff demonstrate a good awareness for the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that children's development is supported through planned and spontaneous play.  Children are well protected because staff demonstrate a strong knowledge and understanding of the child protection procedures to be followed. Consequently, safeguarding and welfare requirements are met.  Effective systems for performance management, including regular staff appraisals and self-evaluation, supports staff in improving their knowledge, understanding and practice.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance children's communication in the two-year-olds' room by maximising all opportunities to extend their language.  Children's high levels of independence at meal times are not always effectively promoted because they do not have opportunities to pour their own drinks and serve their own food.

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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 throughout the nursery and in the outside areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documentation, including planning, policies and individual learning journeys for different aged children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, parents, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees at Rothamsted Lodge opened in 1993. It operates from two floors in a large building and is situated in Hatching Green, Harpenden, Hertfordshire. The nursery serves the local and wider community and is open each weekday from 7.15am to 6.30pm, all year round, excluding Bank Holidays. The nursery has four base rooms, which includes two on the ground floor for children under two years old, and two rooms on the first floor for children over two years. The nursery also has a kitchen, office and nappy changing facilities on the ground floor, with further toilet and nappy changing facilities on the first floor. Children have access to three separated secure areas for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. A maximum of 70 children may attend the nursery at any one time and there are currently 107 children enrolled, ranging from three months to under five years. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery provides care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 15 members of staff. Of these, 14 hold an appropriate early years qualifications to Level 2 or above. The manager has an appropriate childcare degree and one member of staff has qualified teacher status.

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

 maximise opportunities for children in the two-year-olds' room to develop their communication skills by, for example, asking more open ended questions

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

 develop further children's independence, with particular reference to allowing children to pour their own drinks and serve their own food.

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who attend

Children across the nursery take part in a range of activities which are planned according to their interests. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and use additional guidance, such as, 'Development Matters in the Early years Foundation Stage', to support this further. As a result, children are having fun and learning through play. Staff carry out regular planned and spontaneous observations to highlight children's strengths and areas for development. Babies, up to two years old and three- to five-year-olds have their vocabulary well extended because staff encourage their language and naturally challenge them through their play. However, opportunities for communication and language in the two-to-three room is not consistently maximised because staff do not always ask open ended questions to support children's language. As a result, all children are developing their language skills

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who attend

although there is scope to improve opportunities for two year olds.

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who attend

Staff plan a range of activities and experiences, which interest and engage the children. For example, in the baby room children fully engage with staff as they sing songs and read stories together. They show interest in the resources around them and staff skilfully follow their interests to further extend their learning and provide effective challenge. For example, as one baby shows curiosity in a hoop stacking resource, the staff member immediately talks about the hoop's colours and which is bigger. Consequently, children begin to learn and develop from a young age. Older children in the pre-school room spend specific group times with the nursery teacher, who challenges them through organised activities and supports their next steps effectively. Staff promote enthusiasm and motivate children to enjoy a range of activities. For example, a group of pre-school children are currently planning their own version of a story about a tiger who came to tea. They are

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who attend

creating invites and are planning to organise a tea party of their own. Additionally, children are offered activities to do at home with parents and this supports their readiness for moving on to school. Children in the toddler room enjoy activities which develop their prime areas of learning, including physical skills. This includes water play which is extended to include children's interests, such as, washing the nursery dolls and musical resources where children learn about colours and sounds. Two-year-old children are encouraged to create train tracks together as they begin to work out where the pieces fit together; as a result their problem solving skills are developing.

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who attend

Regular monitoring and evaluation ensures that children are working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their ages. This means that children are making good progress overall, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities, and children for whom English is an additional language. Children's starting points on entry, and transitions between the rooms, are discussed and arranged with parents to ensure that children settle easily and feel secure. Staff use a 'Busy Bee's' system called 'Five steps to settling-in' which supports children in the early stages as they start at the nursery or move between rooms. Regular discussions and the sharing of children's learning journals enable parents to be engaged in their children's learning and they are encouraged to share what they know about their children with staff. Children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills as they take part in regular outside

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who attend

play, with free-flow opportunities encouraged where possible. The outside areas are separated to meet the needs of the different age groups. For example, in the three- to five-year-old area there are large tyres and climbing frames, where children can independently develop their climbing and balancing skills. Furthermore, they have access to an outside classroom where they can read a story or paint pictures. Younger babies and toddlers have resources available to them outside which are appropriate for their stages of development. For example, they have fun in the sand pit and play peekaboo in the play house as well as learning to negotiate around others as they use ride on toys.

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

Children's feelings of security are well promoted and they are building effective bonds with staff. For example, babies and toddlers settle with ease and show a genuine attachment to key staff working with them. The well-established key person system is organised to ensure that it is effective in providing children with consistency. Staff regularly share relevant information with parents, enabling them to know how their children are learning and developing. All children are happy and enjoy what they are doing. Their imaginations are promoted as, for example, they create their own play in the home corner or have fun with the wide range of outside equipment.

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

The nursery is well resourced with bright and stimulating toys, relevant to the ages and stages of children attending. Staff use these effectively to support and promote children's personal, social, emotional development, through planned activities. Staff encourage children to make choices about their play and this promotes their independence. However, at meal times more able children do not always have the same levels of independence because staff do most things for them. As a result, older children do not pour their own drinks or serve their own food. Children learn about safety and risks to others as staff use gentle reminders which support their understanding. For example, while in the outside area children are reminded of the importance of not climbing on resources, in case they fall. Staff deal with children's behaviour well. They are reminded consistently, throughout the nursery, of the importance of using their 'gentle hands' to ensure that their friends are

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

not hurt. This means that staff provide clear guidance and support children's understanding of right and wrong. As a result, children's feelings of security are promoted.

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

Children have good opportunities to develop their physical development and they learn about the importance of physical exercise and healthy diets. Additionally, young babies and children have appropriate waterproof clothing to wear which enables them to get fresh air, on a regular basis in appropriate weather. The nursery chef provides a range of nutritious and healthy meals which support children's dietary and religious requirements. Furthermore, children are encouraged to develop and manage their own hygiene and personal needs with staff support. For example, children are encouraged to use the toilets independently.

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

Children are well supported in their transitions from home to nursery and as they move between the nursery rooms. Staff work closely with parents to ensure transitions are smooth and staff share information on settling-in visits with the child's new key person as they move between rooms. As a result, children settle with ease and parents are kept up to date with information. Additionally, staff work with other settings which children may be attending to ensure that the child's learning and development is consistently promoted.

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provision

The new manager works closely with nursery staff to promote a consistent approach, across the setting, to ensure that the learning and development requirements are met. She has implemented a range of systems to monitor and evaluate the observations, planning and assessments which staff complete, to ensure that these are robust. One-to- one meetings and appraisals are held on a regular basis to ensure that the professional development of all staff is encouraged and supported. Rigorous recruitment and induction processes are followed to ensure that staff are suitably qualified with the required experience. All Disclosure and Barring Service Checks are completed to ensure that staff have the required clearances to work directly with children.

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provision

The nursery staff work closely with a range of professionals which promotes the well- being of children with additional needs or required support. Additionally, liaising with other professionals, such as the inclusion development officer, enables staff to provide a more consistent approach to children's all round development. This enables staff to be mindful of children's learning and development requirements, throughout the setting. Consequently, gaps are closed and interventions determined. Children are safeguarded with some staff taking on additional roles, such as, health and safety officer and designated safeguarding officer. The setting's policies and procedures are reviewed on a regular basis and staff attend regular safeguarding training to ensure that their knowledge and understanding of procedures is up-to-date. Consequently, children are protected.

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provision

Effective monitoring and evaluation systems mean that staff and management work together to continually improve. Parents and children are involved in the nursery self- evaluation process and staff respond to parent views positively. For example, parents now receive more informative information from their child's key person, which is a direct response from their feedback. The nursery staff team listen to the views of parents which are communicated through the 'parent partnership group'. This means that the manager and staff are continually evaluating their nursery and are able to identify areas for improvement quickly, making changes as required. Staff are developing relationships with other providers delivering the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. An example of this is the growing relationships staff have with other local nurseries. As a result, children's development is promoted consistently.

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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 123606 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 909312

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 107 Name of provider Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 17/12/2010 Telephone number 01582 462533

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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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