Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chafford Hundred Station Side

Just Learning Nursery Howard Road, Chafford Hundred, GRAYS, Essex, RM16 6YJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/03/2013 21/02/2011

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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

 Children are happy and settled as there are warm and caring relationships between all staff and children. Secure and trusting relationships with their key person ensure children's behaviour is good.  Both indoor and outdoor learning environments are interesting and provide stimulating activities and resources that help children to build on their interests.  Staff make effective use of observations and assessments to track children's progress and plan experiences in line with their next steps of learning. Consequently children make good progress in relation to their starting points.  Staff have a firm understanding of children's knowledge and skills in terms of the early years curriculum and successfully plan activities that extend them further.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have fewer opportunities to see positive images of diversity and use a wide range of cultural resources in their daily play.  There is scope to develop further the opportunities for parents to play a more active role in the setting's self-evaluation, to embrace ideas about how they can be even more involved in their children's learning.

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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 activities in the indoor and outdoor learning environments; this included a joint observation with the manager and the tracking of two children's activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the nursery manager, spokesman for the provider, key persons and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of the children's 'learning journey' books, development reports and planning documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff, risk assessment, policies and procedures and other documentation in relation to health and safety checks.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Just Learning Nursery first registered in 1998 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from several rooms in purpose-built premises located underneath a health and fitness centre in Chafford Hundred, Essex. The nursery serves the local area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 26 members of staff who with the children, with the addition of a cook and an administrator. There are 22 members of staff who hold appropriate early years qualifications and four members of staff who are currently on training programmes. The nursery employs a kitchen assistant and also a bank of staff to cover absences.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open five days a week all year round. Session times vary and are between 7am and 6.30pm. There are currently 141 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery currently supports a small number of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend children's understanding and knowledge of the world by providing more opportunities to see positive images of diversity and use a wider range of cultural resources in children's daily play

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

 increase the opportunities that encourage parents to become more involved with the setting's self-evaluation processes by encouraging their thoughts about how they can become even more involved in their children's learning.

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who attend

Staff have a good knowledge of how young children learn and a variety of interesting activities are well planned to cover all seven areas of learning. Children make good progress because staff support them well. Information is gathered about each child through initial observations. Discussions with parents also help staff establish children's starting points. This enables staff to plan activities that support children in building on what they already know and can do. In some rooms this has been developed to guide individualised planning. Focused activity sheets are also effectively used to plan learning experiences and indicate how the activity will be organised and the different learning needs of the children will be met.

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who attend

Children have good opportunities to develop their language skills. Staff talk constantly to the babies and toddlers who are remarkably alert and interested in their play. Purposeful activities are provided each day. For example, treasure baskets with household objects and natural sensory materials keep the youngest children absorbed in their play. Older children are confident communicators. Careful questioning by the staff elicits interesting and imaginative answers from the children. All children can easily access their 'learning journey' books in their individually named drawers; they are very proud of these and enjoy commenting on photographs of themselves, their families and their favourite activities. This boosts children's self-confidence and sense of identity. All children enjoy singing rhymes and listening to stories which further promotes their language development. However, there is scope to improve how different languages and cultures are reflected in

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who attend

the resources and activities on offer everyday in the nursery, to further enhance children's understanding of the wider world.

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who attend

Children who have special educational needs are supported effectively in the setting. Parents are particularly impressed by the progress their child had made in 'speech and language' since coming to the nursery. When a child was asked by the inspector why he was so proud of his learning journey, he said, "Because it's all about me." Staff successfully signpost parents to where they can access relevant professionals to discuss any concerns they have about speech and language development.

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who attend

Children are successfully gaining the skills they need for future learning. They are becoming competent early writers. They demonstrate good pencil control and form recognisable letters when tracing words or writing meaningfully in their role play. A wide range of books, both fiction and non-fiction, and other artefacts and props, such as puppets, are used well to introduce children to stories and rhymes. Children are effectively supported to use numbers and recognise numerals in a wide variety of activities. They explore and discuss shapes, measure and capacity in the everyday environment.

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who attend

Parents are kept well informed about their children's achievements as there are regular opportunities for consultations with the key persons. Parents have easy access to their children's 'learning journey' books and receive regular development reports, which give them information about their children's progress and how the staff intend to meet their child's learning priorities. Parents contribute information and photographs about children's interests in the 'learning journey' books. However, parents are keen to become even more involved in their children's learning.

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

Induction visits by all new children ensure that key persons become knowledgeable about the individual children in their care. Children and babies develop a very secure sense of belonging as a result. Staff are alert to the feelings of children and their active support helps children to feel at ease and increases their confidence. Good support is also provided to children moving on to school. Teachers from local schools visit the nursery so that children can begin to build attachments and feel secure that they will know someone at the new school. Consequently, children starting full-time education are supported well. There is also a smooth transition when children move into other rooms in the nursery.

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

Children arrive at the nursery full of enthusiasm and demonstrate good levels of concentration and perseverance in their play. This is because there is a stimulating and well-resourced environment, both indoors and outside, to support children's all-round development and emotional well-being. Activities are organised so that children learn about the importance of exercise, fresh air and looking after their bodies. Children are learning independence and how to care for themselves effectively. For example, children independently use the bathroom and follow good hygiene routines. Care and consideration has been given to the layout of each room to support both mobile and non-mobile children effectively. Sleeping arrangements are comfortable and hygienic for those children wishing to rest, and meet their needs. The food provided is fresh, healthy, balanced, nutritious and cooked on the premises, which supports children's good health. Effective routines for

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

maintaining good hygiene are implemented consistently. Children pour their own drinks and help to tidy away their cups when they have finished. Sensitive and hygienic nappy changing procedures for the youngest children prevent the risk of cross-contamination, and also preserve the children's privacy. There is also a 'no shoe' policy in the baby and toddler rooms to ensure the floor remains clean where they need to crawl.

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

Children are aware of their own safety as they play both indoors and outside. They learn how to behave responsibly and appreciate the importance of their personal safety. They regularly practise evacuation procedures so that they can exit the nursery in an emergency. Staff encourage the children to share, and show respect for one another. They promote children's good behaviour and confidence by praising them and recognising their achievements. They value children's mark making and artwork by carefully presenting the work in the children's 'learning journey' books and displays.

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provision

The manager and staff team are effectively monitored and supported by dedicated managers at the parent company, Busy Bees Ltd. Regular training events are attended and important information is cascaded at team meetings. As a result, all staff demonstrate a secure understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A thorough range of policies and procedures have been recently updated and guide staff practice to successfully promote children's health and welfare. Observations of children's learning, development and progress over time, highlight possible gaps in learning. Recommendations made at the last inspection have been positively addressed to improve the quality of care and educational programmes. Self- evaluation has also been recently improved to include new development plans and take account of staff views. The staff also recently identified that there is scope to further

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provision

extend parents input into self-evaluation of the nursery by including their thoughts about how they can be even more involved in their children's learning.

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provision

The management of the nursery is strongly committed to ensuring the safety of children. Regulatory records required to be kept, are easily accessible. The premises and equipment, both inside and outside, are assessed every day for dangers so that children are kept safe. Accidents are clearly recorded and low in number in relation to the number of children attending. Staff understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child in their care. They have all completed relevant safeguarding and child protection training. Staff are updated when any policies are reviewed. There are robust procedures with regards to staff recruitment and vetting, which includes checking the suitability of staff and trainees. There are clear systems in place to ensure that ratios are maintained at all times, which promotes children's safety and ensures they receive good levels of attention. There are also suitable staff appraisal and supervision

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provision

arrangements to determine their ongoing suitability. The manager and staff are enthusiastic, motivated and committed to the nursery. Although three long serving staff have left recently, most of the staff at the nursery are long serving, which promotes consistency of care for children. The manager successfully monitors all of the children's achievement records so as to identify any individual child falling behind their peers.

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provision

Parents are well informed about the setting through a range of written and verbal communications with staff. Every parent receives a booklet that explains how staff use the 'Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage' to support their child's development. Parents are also encouraged to be involved through coming to special meetings, such as parents evenings. Parents make very positive comments about the nursery. One mother said she valued the support and understanding she received when her child was settling in to the nursery. The setting is also very pro-active in developing relationships with the schools children attend. This ensures that there is a seamless transition when children move on to the next setting.

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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 403955 Local authority Thurrock Inspection number 907107

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 92 Number of children on roll 141 Name of provider Just Learning Ltd Date of previous inspection 21/02/2011 Telephone number 01375 480600

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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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