Busy Bees at Stokenchurch

Positive Steps Stokenchurch Positive Steps Day Nursery, Lower Church Street, Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3TG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/07/2013 18/10/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children enjoy a wide range of interesting activities, which engage them in learning across all areas through first hand experiences. All children enjoy playing outdoors each day. They are making good progress in their understanding of the world.  Children use a wide range of good quality play resources. They are safe and secure, happy and contented overall. The baby room provides an enriched learning environment for these children.  Children with special educational needs and or disabilities are well supported and staff monitor their progress closely to help them progress.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not always make good use of information from children's observation to plan for each child's next step and to adapt learning experience.  Not all staff are sufficiently skilled to engage with children confidently and manage large group activities effectively.  Staff do not always monitor children's accidents efficiently, in keeping with the nursery's procedure.

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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 children's activities indoors and outside and spoke to children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector tracked children in the playgroup, looked at assessment records and activity plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed qualifications and recruitment and suitability procedures with the manager.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed, documentation, discussed evaluation and improvement plans with the manager and the registered individual.

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Information about the setting

Positive Steps Stokenchurch registered in 2004. It is one of eight nurseries run by the Positive Steps Group. Private individuals own the nursery. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from four rooms in a refurbished building and is situated in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire. The nursery opens each weekday from 7.45am to 6.15pm all year round. The breakfast club operates from 7.45am to 8.30am when children are escorted to Stokenchurch primary school. Currently, there are 142 children in the early years age range on roll. Children share access to a secure outdoor play area. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The nursery employs 17 staff who work

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Information about the setting

directly with the children. Of these, nine hold childcare qualifications at level 3, two hold qualifications to level 2 and a further four staff are on training courses.

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must:

 ensure that staff make full use of information from observations of children to adapt the learning experience for each child, reflecting those observations.

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

 develop further staff's ability, knowledge and skills to plan activities; for example, to routinely include clear learning intentions to enable staff to make more effective use of planned and unplanned learning opportunities to support children's learning

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

 improve the opportunities for children to experience all aspects of the educational programme for mathematics, particularly in relation to shape, space and measure

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

 further develop staff's ability to manage children's large activities and children's minor accidents more effectively.

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who attend

Staff plan suitable activities that promote all areas of learning appropriately each day. They interact positively with the children and most children engage well with staff and others. However, staff in some areas of the nursery do not routinely make good use of information from children's observations to plan for individual children's next steps. For example, staff fully support the youngest children to experience learning across all areas in ways that are specific, fun and challenging. Whereas in the preschool room, staff carry out regular observations for children and note where there are gaps in children's learning. However, they do not routinely use this information to inform planning to adapt the learning experiences and reflect those observations. As a result, children in the pre-school room do not always get all the support they need to close the gaps that staff identify in a timely manner. This does not fully support and sustain children's learning in readiness of

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who attend

Staff are not always seeking to support children's learning with clear learning intentions. Therefore, while children enjoy their play indoors and outside, staff do not make good enough use of planned and unplanned activities to consolidate and extend children's learning across all areas. Nevertheless, children are making good progress in their understanding of the world. They explore the outdoor environment, for example, as they plant and care for soft fruits, such as strawberries. In addition, children use tools and equipment as they explore and learn about mini beasts. They learn about diversity and use a range of good quality resources, which raises their awareness of similarities and difference as a core part of their learning experience. Outdoor activities encourage all children to explore and increase their mobility and independence.

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who attend

Children experience many learning experiences that are generally in keeping with their stage of development. However, the lack of clear learning intentions at the planning stage means that the educational programmes do not always include sufficient depth to extend children's learning of all aspects of these areas. For example, there are many opportunities for children to engage with numbers and older children show confidence when they communicate information relating to mathematics. Although they give information and can make some calculations confidently, children have fewer opportunities to develop the same depth of knowledge regarding shape, space and measure. This reduces their understanding of mathematics. Nevertheless, children engage in activities that are fun and interesting. For example, parents with different professional expertise take time to share their knowledge with the children. This raises children's awareness of different jobs that

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who attend

people do such as fire fighters, midwives and vets. These new experiences challenge children's understanding of these peoples' different roles in society and fully supports their developing understanding of the world around them.

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who attend

Children enjoy books and stories independently in groups, although staff do not always manage large group activities efficiently to make sure that these are beneficial to all of the children who are participating. As result, there are times when some children lose interest and others become mischievous. Some children show they are developing literacy skills well; they become familiar with their written name and some write recognisable letters.

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

Each child is allocated member of staff as their key carer from the start. Key carers engage with staff and parents to find out essential information about individual children. This makes children's starting points clear and provides essential information during the settling-in period. Children observe positive interaction between staff and their parents during this time and this helps them to begin to develop trusting relationships with nursery staff. This also helps children to feel secure and assures parents of staff's kindness towards the children. Parents provide good information about children's personal care needs, health conditions, home language and cultural observances, which helps staff to promote children's well-being effectively.

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

The nursery welcomes children and families from all backgrounds. Staff are confident about equality and they are clear they do not treat any child or family more or less favourably. There are prominent displays reflecting positive images of many aspects of diversity. They set the expectation for a warm welcome for all. Staff find out about children's primary language and use resources, such as the language pen, to learn and pronounce familiar words for children in their primary language. Staff closely monitor the arrangements for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are proactive in working with these children, their parents and other professionals involved in the children's education and care. This ensures that they make and sustain good arrangements to keep these children moving forward at a good pace from their starting points. All children use resources that reflect cultural diversity and disabilities as a core

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

part of the daily provision. This helps them to develop an inclusive attitude to others. Staff demonstrate positive attitudes to equality generally and challenge children's thinking through some of the activities they provide. However, irregular planning for individual children's next step does not help them to sustain learning at a good or better pace and does not promote equality well for every child.

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

The nursery is very well equipped and there are ample good quality play resources for children to use, both indoors and outside. Deployment of staff is not always successful to make sure that staff always manage large group activities successfully. At times during these activities, some children become mischievous when they lose focus and interest in activities. However generally, children behave well and show consideration for others. Overall, staff supervise children appropriately and let them know when their behaviour is unwanted and how it affects others. They help children to understand the expectations for good behaviour. Children respond positively to the staff's guidance and show them respect and good manners. These are positive attitudes, which will serve them well when they go to school.

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

Children are developing their understanding of healthy lifestyles through their daily practices. In addition to daily physical exercise, they wash their hands regularly throughout the day. Children drink water or milk and eat snacks, including fresh fruits each day. The nursery provides all children with a varied diet that includes food from all food groups. Staff in the nursery take good care of children's personal hygiene needs. Through discussion and practising skills, children are increasing their understanding of personal safety. For example, they are learning that their independence in self-care helps to keep them safe. They are learning how to use tools, such as gardening tools, scissors and large equipment safely.

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provision

Overall, the leadership team makes suitable arrangements for meeting the learning and development requirements and the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, systems to secure all aspects of learning and development are not fully developed in this nursery. Although staff have a secure knowledge of the areas of learning, the quality of teaching is variable. The planning and delivery of activities are not sufficiently focused to sustain good or better learning outcomes for all children. Hence, some children make satisfactory progress in learning and development from their starting points. The leadership team provides sufficient qualified staff who work directly with the children. However, not all staff demonstrate the efficient management of some large group activities and minor accidents. For example, although staff respond to children when they have minor accidents they do

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provision

not always make sure that they have done all that is necessary to assess and record the incident, in keeping with the nursery's procedure.

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provision

The nursery's recruitment and vetting procedures are sound; they are based on safer recruitment practices. This includes vetting through the Disclosure and Barring Services procedures, and full inductions for all staff. Only staff who are cleared through the vetting procedures are left alone with children. Staff have sound knowledge of safeguarding and welfare matters overall and in particular to the policies and procedure relating to child protection. They know what to do if concerns arise about children's well-being. The nursery's child protection policy is displayed prominently in the nursery and provides ongoing guidance for staff. Staff in the nursery know the designated child protection officers in the nursery and are confident to report any concerns to them.

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provision

The leadership team maintains a stable core team of staff and this ensures some continuity for children. They are taking some steps to drive improvement in the nursery. For example, the leadership team realise that there are inefficiencies in tracking and monitoring children's progress and they have taken some steps to improve the system to drive this area of practice. The nursery is in the early stages of implementing monitoring systems and mentor staff who are training. Although these systems are relatively new, they demonstrate the leadership teams' determination to drive and sustain improvement for the benefit of all the children.

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provision

The nursery makes good links with parents and other partners involved in children's learning, development and welfare. There are established systems in place for sharing information and involving parents and children to share their ideas and support children's learning at home. Parents speak positively of the nursery. Overall, they praise the staff for the range of learning experience that they provide for children. The nursery is responsive to information from parents. For example, a sample menu helps parents to experience the quality of children's food. Staff in the nursery have some experience working with parents to complete the assessment for children at age two years.

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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 EY292355 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 924074 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 140 Name of provider Positive Steps Children's Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 18/10/2010 Telephone number 01494 484 737

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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

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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