Bees Knees Day Nursery and Pre-School

The Bees Knees 97 Connaught Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 2UE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/05/2013 02/12/2009

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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

 The bright and stimulating nursery environment is well resourced and provides plenty of opportunities for children to move and play freely as they engage in a range of interesting experiences and activities.  Children develop close relationships with their key person, helping them to feel settled and secure. All staff know their children well and plan effectively for each individual child based on their interests and developmental needs.  The nursery is well organised and efficiently managed. The staff are very committed and work well as a team to ensure they continue to improve standards to benefit children's care and early education.  The nursery develops very good partnerships with parents; they work closely together to support children's learning and care effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are limited opportunities for children to see words and labels in the outdoor area to enable them to further develop their literacy skills.

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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 staff and children participating in activities in the inside and outside areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager outside in the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and children on the day to gather their views on the nursery.  The inspector held discussions with individual staff working in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including children's assessments, children's details and other relevant information.

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Information about the setting

The Bees Knees Nursery re-registered in 2010 to become one of a number of nurseries owned by the Complete Childcare Ltd organisation. It is situated in West Reading, Berkshire. The nursery operates from four rooms within a converted three storey premises, which has no lift. The nursery has a secure garden. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are 73 children on roll and the nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years old. Children can attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children with English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open five days a week from 7am to 7pm all year. The nursery employs 11 staff who work with the children. There is one member of staff qualified to level four, six members of staff qualified at level three and three members of staff qualified at level two in childcare and education. One member of staff is currently undertaking training for a range of childcare qualifications. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 develop children's literacy skills further by providing greater opportunities for children to see and use words in their play in the outdoor environment.

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who attend

Children make good progress in this secure, stimulating and inclusive nursery environment. All the staff know the children and support their individual needs, interests and preferences really well. Children have built secure and trusting relationships with staff who are dedicated to making sure their time at the nursery is a positive experience. Children have fun at the nursery. They spend their time purposefully playing exceptionally well both independently and with others. The quality of teaching is good. Children eagerly participate in an extensive range of exciting and stimulating adult and child initiated activities and experiences which cover all areas of learning. This ensures all children make good progress in their early learning and development.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills are developing well. Staff continually talk to the children as they engage with them while they play. Group times are used effectively to enable the children to share and talk about what they have been doing over the week- end. Children enthusiastically talk about their new shoes and visits they made to the park and shops. Staff effectively encourage babies' and toddlers' early communication in a variety of ways, including singing to them and responding positively to their babbling and chatter. Children independently look at and explore books. They enjoy story time with staff and join in with the story. Print is used indoors in a variety of ways to show children that words have meaning. For example, labels are used throughout the nursery. However, there are few opportunities for children to see and use words in the outdoor area. Consequently, their understanding of how these can be used in different contexts is not

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who attend

fully enhanced. Everyday events are used well by staff to encourage children's early mathematical skills. They help children count, recognise shapes and talk about the different sizes of cars they are playing with.

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who attend

Children have good opportunities to learn about plants and living creatures in the natural world around them. For example, they help to plant and care for plants in the nursery garden. All children enjoy exploring messy and creative play activities. They readily look and feel for the animals hidden in the shaving foam and explore and make items with play dough. Babies and toddlers thoroughly enjoy exploring treasure baskets filled with a variety of materials and natural resources. Older children use a range of art and craft materials and tools to create pictures with paint .Children are developing their imagination well. They enjoy role playing and wearing a range of costumes such as the builders outfit.

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who attend

Children participate in a range of outings in the local community which help to promote all areas of learning. A favourite outing is visiting the local supermarket where they help to choose and buy the ingredients for the cooking activity. Staff actively promote and support equal opportunities and diversity with the children. Staff meet children's individual needs very well and all children are included in activities as they play. Children who attend with English as an additional language are supported very well. For example, children can access books which contain words in their home language and different language boards are displayed in all areas of the nursery. Children learn about the lives of others and different countries in a variety of ways. These include parents coming into the nursery to read stories in Polish and cooking African food for the children to taste.

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who attend

Strong links are in place between nursery and home. Staff are aware of children's starting points through information shared by parents. This helps them to plan a range of play activities and experiences tailored to each child's needs. Parents are encouraged to look at their children's learning journey file and to discuss their child's progress with their key person. Staff invite parents to give details of their children's learning at home and give ideas that will help their children to make progress. This helps to support children's learning at home. Staff also share completed progress checks they make on children when they are two years old. Children's progress in all areas of learning is helping them develop their skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school or their next stages in their learning. Good relationships and systems are in place with several local schools to enable children's move to school to be a smooth and positive experience. This includes

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who attend

teachers coming into the nursery to meet the children and photograph books of the different schools so children can begin to recognise the different areas of the school.

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

Children are happy and settled in this friendly and well-organised nursery. Children form secure and trusting attachments with their key person who meet their individual needs well. Children demonstrate how comfortable and confident they feel in the nursery. For example, they readily approach visitors asking them their name and looking at their photograph on their identification badge. Staff are calm, caring and offer plenty of support and reassurance to the children who are new to the nursery. The nursery environment is a delightful place for a child to be. All rooms are inviting and provide visual stimulation from displays of children's work and photographs, which provide a good sense of belonging for the children. The wide range of toys and resources are of a high standard, safe and colourful. They are all readily accessible to enable children to make independent choices and provide curiosity and first-hand experiences for the children.

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

Children are well behaved, interested and motivated. Staff are positive role models and set very good examples to children to encourage them to be helpful, kind and polite. Children's' self- esteem and confidence is developing well as staff offer regular praise and encouragement as they play and achieve. As a result, children have a willingness to participate, learn and develop good habits for the future. They learn about turn-taking and sharing. They understand rules of expected behaviour and older children readily volunteer to help with identified roles for the day. For example, to put the CD on at tidy up time, help set the table for lunchtime and to collect the washing. This helps children to develop an understanding of responsibility and self-esteem.

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

All children develop a range of skills which help to promote their understanding of personal hygiene and self-care. For example, children are aware of why and when they should wash their hands and older children put their coats on before they go outside. Staff follow babies' home routines, which mean that they sleep and eat according to their individual needs. The nursery provides freshly cooked nutritious meals which children thoroughly enjoy. Mealtimes are sociable occasions where all children are encouraged to help serve their own food and they readily talk to each other and staff about their day so far. Children develop a good understanding of adopting a healthy lifestyle. For example, they access the outside environment to play and enthusiastically use a range of equipment which helps promote their physical skills and coordination.

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

Children play and learn in a safe environment as a result of staff completing a range of safety checks each day. Staff deploy themselves very well to ensure that children are supervised and kept safe in both the indoor and outdoor environments. Children learn about the importance of keeping themselves safe. For example, they regularly participate in the nursery emergency evacuation and staff engage children in ongoing discussion about being safe in the nursery. They also talk about road safety and consider potential hazards, which they may encounter on outings.

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provision

The nursery meets all of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage very well. Staff provide a very welcoming nursery where all children are valued and respected. The manager and the enthusiastic staff team work very well together. They support each other, ensuring that they all fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Thorough procedures are in place for staff recruitment, induction and vetting. These are followed to ensure all staff working with the children are suitable to do so. Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding procedures. They are clear about their individual roles and the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child in their care. This helps to promote children's ongoing safety and welfare. All staff are all fully aware of the nursery's comprehensive policies and procedures. They meet regularly as a team to discuss aspects of the nursery, share ideas

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provision

and views. This helps to promote consistency in their approach and the ongoing improvement of the nursery.

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provision

The nursery has made good progress since the last inspection. Secure systems are in place for the ongoing self-evaluation of the nursery. These take into account the views of staff, parents and children, ensuring everyone's thoughts and ideas are valued and considered. This also leads to a clear awareness of the strengths of the nursery and the identification of areas for development. The 'child experience' e-mail system enables staff to share good practice, ideas and information with the other nurseries in the organisation. There is a strong culture of continuous professional development amongst the staff, who welcome ongoing training opportunities. The nursery manager is a highly effective role model for her motivated staff team. She completes the regular supervision and annual appraisals on staff. This is achieved with the support of the nursery leadership team who regularly visit and are fully involved with the organisation and future development of the

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provision

Staff understand their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. They carry out detailed effective planning and observations on all children in their care. This means that they provide children with challenging, interesting, exciting activities that enable them to learn and develop as they play. Each child's key person knows them well and has an accurate understanding of children's skills, abilities and progress. Good partnerships with other professionals and settings the children attend ensure staff can meet the needs and requirements of all the children. This also ensures the continuity of each child's care and learning. Very good relationships with parents are in place. Information is readily available to parents through the detailed notice boards around the nursery and the entrance area. Parents' views obtained on the day of inspection were very positive. They state how happy their children are in the nursery and

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provision

the approachable and caring staff. They appreciate the flexible hours and the information they receive on their child's day and development.

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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 EY260405 Local authority Reading Inspection number 914385 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 43 Number of children on roll 73 Name of provider Kingsclere Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 02/12/2009 Telephone number 01189 590364

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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

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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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