Busy Bees Day Nursery at Northampton Wootton Fields

Busy Bees Day Nursery Wootton Hope Drive, Wootton Fields, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN4 6DY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/04/2013 27/07/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Children are busy, active learners and make good progress in their learning and development given their starting points. They make friends and participate in a good range of appropriate indoor and outdoor activities.  All children are fully included in the life of the nursery. They are respected as individuals, treated with kindness and their emotional security is given high priority. This successfully increases their sense of well-being.  Management and staff develop successful partnerships with parents, other professionals and providers. This results in an integrated approach to children's care, learning and development.  Staff successfully support children with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities. They ensure that appropriate interventions are secured and children receive the support they need.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Occasionally staff working with the younger children do not always allow them time to talk and think about the questions asked in order to formulate an answer. As a result, opportunities for young children to think creatively and flexibly are not maximised.  Staff do not always provide older children with opportunities to develop their self-care skills, such as serving their own food and pouring their own drinks. Consequently, children's independence is not fully optimised.

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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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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the nursery rooms and outdoor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the nursery curriculum adviser, the manager, staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, tracking documents, planning systems, a selection of policies and procedures and children's records.  The inspector discussed self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees Day Nursery is part of a chain of provisions run by Busy Bees Childcare Limited. The nursery was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Wootton Fields area of Northampton. The nursery serves the local area and beyond and is accessible to all children. It operates from a purpose-built premises and there are enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 35 members of childcare staff, including relief staff. Of these, 22 members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. 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 126 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two- three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 provide more time for younger children to respond to the questions asked of them by; allowing them time to develop their thought processes so they can think about what they want to say

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

 enhance opportunities for older children to develop their self-care skills by, for example, serving their own food and pouring their own drinks.

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who attend

Children enjoy a range of experiences and challenges appropriate to their development. Consequently, they are developing the skills needed for the next steps in their learning, including school where appropriate. For example, older children listen to instructions as they follow the fruit smoothie recipe. They successfully use the knives to chop bananas, count the required number of raspberries into their bowls and carefully measure the correct amount of milk. Children enthusiastically respond and say 'this is a yummy recipe'. Staff observe and assess children as they play and successfully use this information to plan further challenging activities based on their interests and next steps. They monitor and track the children's progress over time in all areas of their learning and development and effectively complete the Early Years Foundation Stage progress check at aged two.

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who attend

Parents are valued as active contributors to their child's learning and development. 'Early assessment' information is gathered on entry to provide staff with a good quality baseline from which to measure children's progress. Consequently, children settle quickly and are keen to explore the range of resources and activities provided. Good communication procedures mean that there is a continuous exchange of information. For example, parents have regular opportunities to view their child's progress record and are actively encouraged to complete ongoing observations of their child's achievements at home. Parents are invited to regular consultation evenings. They receive newsletters, can access the nursery website and a text messaging service is used to help keep parents and carers informed of important events. For example, forthcoming social events, such as, fun days and fetes.

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who attend

Staff understand that young children encounter their environment through relating and communicating with others and engaging physically in their experiences. They sensitively join in the children's play, fitting in with their ideas. For example, while playing with the bricks children are encouraged to count as they stack and to differentiate between the big and small towers. However, occasionally staff working with the younger children do not always consider appropriate response times to enable them to think about the question asked in order to formulate an answer. As a result, there are fewer opportunities for young children to think creatively.

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who attend

Babies and young children explore and experiment with a range of media through sensory exploration. For example, babies explore the wooden and skinny objects, enthusiastically press the buttons on the piano to activate different sounds, shake the sound boxes and explore activity cubes. Children listen to stories and enjoy singing songs, such as, 'Baa, baa pink sheep have you any spots?' and 'Head, shoulder knees and toes'. They dance and listen to music. Young children are shown how to use the paint brushes, rollers and stampers correctly. Consequently, their interest is sustained as they carefully paint and print marks onto paper. Older children give meaning to the marks they make, write their names and talk about the letters that represent the sounds they hear at the beginning or their names. This successfully develops children's early literacy skills.

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who attend

The development of the children's language skills is actively encouraged throughout the nursery. Staff effectively 'tune in' and respond to the messages young babies are attempting to convey. They encourage young children to say 'brrrm' as they push the car along the floor and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'slash' and 'ice burg' during the context of the children's play. Older children communicate with growing confidence. They successfully use language to share their feelings, experiences and thoughts. For example, they collect items from home in their 'chatter box' and staff encourage them to talk about their chosen items during group time. Visual aids, gestures, consistent routines and regular discussion with parents effectively support children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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who attend

Good use is made of the outdoor area as a learning environment. For example, children enjoy the sensory and physical experience of making marks on the pavement and role- play in the builder's yard. Staff encourage the children to listen to the sounds of the outdoor environment, such as the sound of the wind and to learn about the natural world. For example, children plant herbs to learn about growth and play in and feel the texture of the cold snow. All children are actively encouraged to develop their control, balance and coordination skills. Young children manoeuvre the wheeled toys and climb on the actively cubes. Older children are effectively challenged as they learn to carefully balance and move across the overturned crates and plastic tubes. They delight in playing parachute games together.

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

All children are warmly welcomed and fully included in the life of the provision. They are respected as individuals, treated with kindness and their emotional security is given high priority. The staff use calming and reassuring voices when speaking with the children and the key person and 'buddy' system helps the children make stronger emotional attachments to a member of staff. Consequently, children form secure attachments and display a sense of security. For example, babies are provided with warm, consistent care, children seek reassurance if required and older children confidently move around the identified play areas selecting the resources they want to play with.

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

New children settle well because staff take time to find out about each child's background, their preferences and usual routines. This helps to ensure continuous and consistent care for the children and effectively aids transitions from the children's home into the nursery. Transitions between rooms are managed well. Parents are informed in advance and reports are completed for each child before they move into other rooms. Children are gradually introduced to their new room and to their new key person. As a result, children make new friends and develop the confidence to explore and try different experiences. Older children make successful transitions to other childcare provisions because staff establish links with future teachers. For example, teachers are invited to the nursery and staff complete transition documents, which provides information about the children's learning and development achievements during their time with them.

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

Children are well cared for in a safe and welcoming environment. This effectively supports their all-round development and emotional well-being. Children's work and photographs are displayed throughout the nursery, which successfully supports their sense of belonging. In addition, pictorial displays depict positive images of others. Through engagement and support staff help young children learn appropriate boundaries. As a result, children learn to share, take turns, to be kind and to include others in their play. Children gain a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn how to use tools, such as the scissors safely. They practice road safely and are reminded to hold onto the hand rail when climbing up and down the stairs. Children are encouraged to take responsibility. They put on their coats for outdoor play, help tidy away the resources and put their aprons on for messy play.

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

Children have good opportunities to learn how to lead a healthy life style. They are active and understand the benefits of physical activity. For example, babies are encouraged to develop skills, such as learning to sit, walk and crawl and older children enjoy daily 'wake and shake' sessions. All children access the outdoors for fresh air and exercise and babies and toddlers are provided with a comfortable area to rest and sleep. Children's healthy growth and development is promoted because they are provided with a good range of healthy and balanced meals and snacks. Robust procedures ensure that the cook and all staff members are clear about children's special dietary requirements, preferences and allergies. This ensures their needs are met and respected. Babies feeding routines are respected and toddlers are encouraged to use appropriate cutlery to feed themselves. However, older children are not always encouraged to independently pour their own

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

drinks and to select and to serve their own food at snack time. As a result, children's self- care skills are not always fully maximised. Staff implement effective hygiene routines to enable children to adopt healthy habits, such as, washing their hands before eating their snack and after using the toilet. This helps to prevent the spread of infection.

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provision

Management and staff work hard to provide a good range of experiences which reflect the needs and interests of the children. Systems are in place to monitor the overall quality of the provision, including the educational programmes to ensure children make good progress towards the early learning goals. For example, childcare curriculum advisors monitor and support the manager and nursery staff in their planning. The manager regularly observes staff practice and ensures the activities reflect the children's needs. In addition, staff are provided with literacy and mathematics prompt cards to support their teaching and tracking documents are used to monitor the children's progress and different learning trends across the nursery. Staff appraisals and regular supervision are used to identify training needs.

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provision

Self-evaluation, including asking parents and children for their comments about the care and learning provided, is used to highlight successful practice and areas for improvement. For example, management intends to continue to develop the outdoor area and to develop channels of communication with parents who speak English as an additional language. The recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met; self-evaluation and observational assessment procedures have now been developed. This demonstrates a commitment to the continual development of the whole provision.

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provision

The safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. Management and staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in promoting the safety and welfare of the children. A broad range of written policies and procedures, including a safeguarding policy, support the safe and effective management of the provision. Management and staff are fully aware of the indicator signs of abuse. Clear procedures are in place if an allegation is made about a member of staff and if staff have any concerns about a child in their care. Regular risk assessments and daily checks are established to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to avoid dangerous situations occurred. As a result, children are able to move around safely and independently. Good physical security prevents intruders from entering the premises and the identity of visitors is checked before admitting them to the nursery. An appropriate record is kept and the times of arrival and departure are

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provision

recorded. Recruitment, vetting and induction processes for all adults who work with the children, or come into contact with them are secure. For example, management obtains enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. This ensures that all staff are checked before they have unsupervised access to children. Staff hold appropriate levels of qualifications and work well together as a team.

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provision

Staff develop good partnerships with parents. This ensures that children's care is consistent and that their development is effectively promoted. For example, 'Stay and play' sessions provide opportunities for parents' to play alongside their children and a gain a greater knowledge of how they learn as they play. Parents comment very positively about the quality of the service offered. They state that 'staff are friendly and attentive' and that the children make good progress in their learning and development. Parent volunteers are encouraged to be part of the 'parent partnership' group. Partnerships with others providers, such as the local school and children's centre are effectively established. For example, reception teachers are invited to the nursery to meet and begin to develop relationships with the children. In addition, school children visit the nursery to share stories with the children and visiting staff from the local children's centre encourage

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provision

younger children to participate in relaxation sessions. Staff are alert to the early signs of needs of the children that could lead to later difficulties. They have secure procedures are in place to seek expert advice from other professionals, such as the area special needs coordinator. This ensures that appropriate interventions are secured and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they need. For example, focussed targets are set to help children progress in their learning and development and one on one teaching support is provided.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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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 220155 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 911410

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 104 Number of children on roll 126 Name of provider Busy Bees Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 27/07/2010 Telephone number 01604 702929

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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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