Busy Bees Day Nursery at Colchester Severalls Business Park

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Colchester Phoenix Square, Wyncolls Road, Severalls Industrial Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9AS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/04/2013 03/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children move confidently around the nursery, freely accessing an exciting and stimulating range of resources. The superbly resourced and presented environment enables children to initiate their own learning, show curiosity and make decisions.  Children enthusiastically participate in a wide and exciting range of planned and freely chosen play experiences. Practitioners proficiently follow children's interests, tailoring the range of activities to meet each child's learning style and capability.  Children are extremely content, happy and settled in their nursery environment. Parents play an active role in guiding the way their children's nursery life begins. Parents and children visit the nursery on a number of occasions during the settling-in period and parents provide key persons with clear and comprehensive information about their children and their home lives.  Children are superbly safeguarded as practitioners demonstrate robust knowledge of

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This provision is outstanding

the nursery's safeguarding policies and how to protect children. Managers and practitioners attend relevant safeguarding training and the nursery's written safeguarding policy is regularly reviewed and updated.  Managers conduct regular and highly effective monitoring of all aspects of the nursery to ensure that every child's needs are being superbly met and that children are benefitting from precise assessment of their 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 all of the rooms, the garden and the open plan play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with practitioners, children, and managers at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records including children's details, practitioner's details, proof of practitioner's suitability and qualifications, written policies, risk assessments, written information about children's learning and development and a selection of other relevant documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and grandparents spoken to at the time of the inspection and from written comments from parents.

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Information about the setting

The Busy Bees Nursery Colchester was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose built premises in the Colchester area of Essex, and is managed by Busy Bees. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a number of rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 20 members of childcare staff. Of these, 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above.

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Information about the setting

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 118 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for 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:

 extend opportunities for children to go for walks in the local area, to enable them to explore the geography of the area, the natural habitat and to learn about the people around them.

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who attend

Practitioners are exceptionally knowledgeable about the seven areas of learning and how children learn. They use their expert knowledge to plan a wide range of fun, stimulating and challenging activities across all ages. Practitioners are confident and proficiently follow children's interests, often spontaneously facilitating ideas which the children have generated. For example, an informal discussion about monsters, leads to a discussion about a favourite and well-known children's book. Practitioners find the book and read it to the group of children who have shown an interest. The discussion soon leads onto the group of children finding resources from around the nursery, to bring the story to life. Key persons demonstrate excellent understanding of the children in their groups and talk confidently about their different learning styles. They proficiently tailor activities to meet each child's learning style and to capture their interests. A highly effective system for

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who attend

observing and assessing children's progress enables key persons, managers and parents to see clearly how children are achieving in each area of learning. An effective tracker, highlights any areas where children are not excelling in their learning. For example, the nursery recently identified that children's knowledge of mathematics was less developed than other areas. Practitioners were provided with additional training on mathematics, new resources and equipment were introduced and practitioners were encouraged to use mathematical language in everyday activities. A follow up tracker exercise shows that children have now improved their understanding and use of mathematics. Parents are encouraged to become actively involved in their children's learning. They are provided with opportunities to view their children's development records in a formal way during open evenings. They are also provided with opportunities to discuss their children's

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who attend

progress more informally at the beginning or end of the day. Children take pride in their development records or 'learning journeys' and can freely access them from low-level shelving in each of the rooms. They regularly look through them and confidently talk about the activities they participate in, which are evidenced through photographs. The parents of babies and younger children are provided with a clear daily diary, which is used to detail the children's day, including the range of learning experiences they have participated in. Children throughout the nursery are making exceptional progress, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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who attend

Practitioners enthusiastically follow younger children's interests, for example, as they spontaneously sing songs and rhymes when they recognise that children are being very vocal. They help children not yet mobile to move proficiently around the room by holding their hands and walking with them. Furniture is appropriately presented in the baby room to allow children who are beginning to walk, to cruise in a safe environment. Practitioners use effective use of language to promote younger children's learning. For example, when exploring a range of cardboard boxes and plastic tubes, they talk about balancing the boxes on top of each other, look through the cardboard tubes at each other and make noises through them. Babies excitedly participate and have fun exploring the resources.

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who attend

Children are extremely motivated and excited. They consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning as practitioners enthuse and excite their interests. Practitioners intervene in children's learning in a timely manner, recognising that sometimes children need space to explore and to guide their own knowledge. Children communicate extremely effectively. Practitioners demonstrate excellent understanding of how to promote children's communication and language skills by asking appropriate questions and allowing them time to respond. They introduce activities which will encourage children to think critically and to predict outcomes. For example, a well- organised floating and sinking experiment, enables children to experience learning across most areas. Children are encouraged to find objects from around the nursery to use in the experiment. They discuss what materials the items are made from and whether they feel

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who attend

heavy or light. They count how many objects they have collected and then take it in turn to predict whether their chosen object will float or sink. Once they have explored this, they draw their object on a large flip chart and label it in clear writing, with many of the children needing little or no help to spell or write the words. Children who show a keen interest in literacy have opportunities to develop their handwriting skills in their 'topic books'. They take great pride in their work, showing their finished work to adults in the nursery and sharing their achievements with their friends. Children who speak English as an additional language are provided with superb opportunities to see words from their language presented in each of the rooms. The words are relevant translations, such as 'toilet', 'food', 'please' and 'thank you', which practitioners use to help children to feel settled and active members of the room. The

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who attend

wider world is depicted in an excellent range of books and resources, enabling children to learn about other people, their cultures and their religions. Children have some opportunities to explore the local community, when they go for walks. However, these are not planned or organised on a regular basis. Therefore there are some missed opportunities for children to explore the geography of the area, the natural habitat and to learn about the local people around them.

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who attend

Children are exceptionally well-prepared for school and their next steps in learning. A range of school uniforms are used in the role play area to familiarise children with the uniform of their chosen school. Children throughout the nursery are encouraged to become independent and confident. Some older children take home books with pictures, which are used to prompt children's thinking and language skills and prepare them for their first reading schemes.

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

Children develop extremely close and caring relationships with their key persons and other practitioners. They are settled and content in the nursery environment and enjoy the warm interaction they receive from the adults caring for them. Parents play an active role in helping their children to settle at nursery by completing clear and comprehensive written information about their interests, home life and family members. An extremely well-organised key person system ensures that children form secure emotional attachments to their special person. A buddy key person system operates when the main key person is absent. This ensures that children always have a special person to use as a secure base from which to explore and investigate their learning.

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

Children are excited and motivated by their nursery experiences. They develop a very secure understanding about keeping safe as they follow practitioners clear advice. For example, they know that they need to walk indoors and save their outdoor feet for the garden. Children are provided with excellent opportunities to express themselves and to talk about their feelings and moods. Colourful visual images displayed around the nursery portray children who are feeling happy, sad, cross, angry and a range of other emotions. Practitioners use these to instigate discussions about how children are feeling or to talk about how their actions might make another person feel. Four 'persona dolls' have recently become active members of the nursery family. These are life-like soft material dolls who come to visit the nursery. They each come from a different ethnic background and practitioners are provided with a history about them and their families and an agenda

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

of events which they will encounter throughout the year. The introduction of these dolls provides superb opportunities for practitioners to generate discussions on a wide range of subjects. They also celebrate different cultural events, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali, thus prompting a superb opportunity for children to relate more effectively to a wide range of festivals and celebrations. Children behave very well and demonstrate care and consideration towards their peers. A range of reward stickers help children to take pride in their achievements, for example, using the potty or toilet.

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

The environment in which children play and learn is extremely well-organised, attractive and stimulating. Children are cared for in base rooms, which are mostly determined by age. However, the nursery actively encourages children to develop a secure sense of belonging and independence. This is created by enabling children to make excellent choices over their learning and to move from their base rooms to the large shared area and to the garden. Children effectively learn how to manage risks as practitioners ask appropriate questions to encourage them to think critically about their actions and decisions.

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

Children enjoy a healthy and well-balanced diet during their nursery day. They are provided with a range of nutritious meals and snacks from breakfast through to high tea. Practitioners are extremely knowledgeable about children's dietary needs and ensure that all information about children's allergies or special diets are effectively followed. Children understand how their bodies work. For example, they know that the heart pumps blood around the body and that exercise is good for them. They participate in a 'wake and shake' exercise routine each morning, which helps to stimulate the brain and prepare children for learning. Each room leads out to the large garden, enabling children to make decisions about whether they play indoors or outdoors.

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

The key person effectively prepares children for their next stages of learning. For example, children are superbly supported when they move from one room to another. Clear information passed from the previous key person to the children's new key person, ensures that children's needs are effectively met.

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provision

The nursery is effectively led and managed by two managers who share the role. The managers are superbly supported by a team of regional directors who work for the Busy Bees company. Management and practitioners are inspirational, working as a strong and effective team of early educators. Their knowledge of the children in their care and the way in which each child learns is exceptional. Rigorous monitoring of the nursery's teaching and learning results in capable children who are able to achieve to the very best of their ability. Managers conduct an extremely effective two hourly check on ratios. They visit each room in the nursery, monitoring the amount of children, practitioners and engagement of the children. This provides them with excellent opportunities to feedback on their findings to individual practitioners. It also enables them to make changes to the deployment of practitioners if necessary in order to ensure that all children are well-

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provision

The nursery demonstrates a firm commitment to continuous improvement, with each base room devising an ongoing action plan to identify and address improvements. Practitioners are actively encouraged to use reflective practice to review and evaluate their practices. For example, they recently considered the cosy areas in each of the rooms by sitting in them and answering a series of questions. Most practitioners felt that their areas could be further improved and have worked with management to create more comfortable areas with small, colourful blankets and child sized sofas. Practitioners are highly motivated and enthusiastic about further developing their childcare knowledge and expertise. Each practitioner has a personal development plan in place, which enables them to identify training needs. High quality and regular supervision of practitioners provides management with an excellent opportunity to appraise practice and to support each person's personal

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provision

The nursery's robust safeguarding procedures ensure that all practitioners are fully aware of their responsibilities with regards to protecting children. Rigorous safeguarding procedures are in place and are regularly reviewed and updated. An effective induction programme ensures that all new practitioners are made fully aware of the nursery's policies. All practitioners secure their knowledge of safeguarding issues through appropriate training and in-house events. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. Children play and learn in an extremely safe and well-organised environment as practitioners conduct effective daily risk assessments. All toys and resources are cleaned on a weekly basis.

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provision

The partnership between the nursery and parents is extremely effective. Clear daily written and verbal communication enables parents to play a full and active role in their children's nursery life. Parents are encouraged to input ideas and suggestions for improvements to the nursery through a range of forums, such as 'parent liaison' meetings. They are also asked to provide written feedback on the effectiveness of the room in which their child is being cared for. The voice of parents is very strong within the nursery and suggestions they make are acted on and recorded for their information. For example, a display board in the entrance hall, labelled 'you said, we did', informs parents of the action taken by the nursery to address any concerns or suggestions. Links with other early years settings, which children attend are excellent. Extremely effective communication between the nursery and other settings ensures that all children's learning is complemented and

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provision

that all providers are fully informed about children's progress. The nursery works closely with parents and other professionals, such as speech therapists and the area special educational needs coordinator. This ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, are well- supported. The nursery works effectively with local primary schools to aide children's transition to 'big school'. They encourage reception class teachers to come into the nursery to meet the children and to talk to them about their new adventure.

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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 EY289579 Local authority Essex Inspection number 909109

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 106 Number of children on roll 118 Name of provider Busy Bees Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 03/03/2009 Telephone number 01206 844 133

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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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