Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bury St Edmunds

Busy Bees at West Suffolk Hospital West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust, Macmillan Way, Off Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 2GJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/07/2013 09/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are active learners, particularly when accessing the nursery's vibrant and well- resourced outdoor areas. They engage in a wide range of learning experiences which are well planned to promote their good progress.  Staff are very warm and attentive in their approach. As a result, babies and children form highly supportive emotional attachments to their key person and feel safe, settled and secure.  The nursery is passionate about providing children with a highly nutritious and precisely balanced menu of meals and snacks. As a result, children's health is very well promoted.  The management team drives improvement very well. Monitoring and evaluation is effective ensuring children continue to benefit from high quality provision to promote their welfare, learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to improve the layout of furniture in the 'butterflies room' to create more space for children to engage in popular music and movement activities.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in five playrooms and the garden areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and engaged in discussions with the staff and children at appropriate times.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager in the butterflies room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, the provider's evaluation and audit forms, and some written policy documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and checked evidence of staff suitability.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees at West Suffolk Hospital was registered in 2010. It is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery is situated in purpose-built premises within the grounds of West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It is one of a large chain of nurseries that is privately owned and managed by Busy Bees Nurseries Limited. The nursery serves the local and surrounding areas and is accessible to all children. It operates from six playrooms and all children have access to an enclosed garden area for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, 14 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. One member of staff holds Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery also employs a financial administrator, a head chef and two assistant chefs. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 7pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 120 children attending, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 enhance the educational programme for expressive arts and design by maximising the space available for children in the 'butterflies room' to move around exuberantly and dance to music.

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who attend

Throughout the nursery, children are skilfully supported by staff who have a strong understanding of how they learn and develop. They know the children well because they undertake regular observations and use these effectively to assess each child's individual achievements, interests and any gaps in their development. The educational programmes are based firmly on children's individual needs and offer them consistently good levels of challenge. This approach is particularly effective in meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities because they receive tailored support from their key person. As a result, all children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities, and develop the skills they need in readiness for the next stage in their learning. Staff show a genuine interest in what children say and do, encouraging them to speak about the things they are learning and extending their thinking. For example, children

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who attend

engage in rich conversations about their planned camping holiday because staff ask carefully framed open-ended questions to enhance their language. Similarly, younger children are supported to articulate new words as they join in with the familiar songs and rhymes led by the enthusiastic staff. Staff are starting to consider more carefully the needs of children who have English as an additional language. For example, they ask parents to write down a selection of words in their child's home language before using these as labels throughout the nursery. In addition to this, books are sourced in various different languages to create further opportunities for the older children to see their home languages in print. Children enjoy practising their early writing skills because they are provided with a wide range of interesting writing tools and equipment. For example, younger children make positive attempts to write their name in a diary, while older

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who attend

children scribe confidently on an interactive whiteboard. As a result of these activities, children develop strong skills in communication, language and literacy which prepares them well for when they move on to school.

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who attend

Both the staff and children are very proud of their recently improved garden areas. These are very well resourced and set out attractively for children to inspire their interest in exploring and finding out how things work. In particular, toddlers spend time investigating as they fill jugs with water and watch intently as they pour them down the pieces of guttering pipe. Staff give them plenty of time to explore in this way, stepping in skilfully to encourage them to count as they pour. There is a welcoming, comfortable outdoor space for babies. Here they enjoy making marks with their fingers in shallow trays of sand and scooping up soil in their hands. A good range of outdoor equipment is provided to promote children's physical development. For example, older children demonstrate good strength and coordination as they pull themselves up on the small climbing wall, before going down the slide. Children enjoy the physical challenge of lifting crates, positioning

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who attend

them next to each other and balancing as they walk across them. Most of the playrooms provide additional space for children to move around expressively and freely while inside, including during fun 'wake and shake' activities. However, such opportunities are not maximised in the 'butterflies room'. This is because the layout of the furniture often encroaches into the space children tend to use for these activities, restricting their ability to dance and express themselves more freely. Children's understanding of the world around them is supported through a range of interesting first-hand experiences. For example, they delight in observing the hatching of some chicks in the nursery, and notice how much they change and grow over time.

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who attend

Staff share comprehensive information with parents about their child's needs and the activities that they take part in. There are daily discussions with parents regarding their child's progress and regular opportunities for them to contribute to their child's assessment record. This promotes a consistent approach to supporting children's learning and development. Staff are successful in engaging parents in supporting their children's learning, particularly ongoing opportunities for children to borrow books from the lending library to share with their parents at home.

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

The management proudly takes new parents and children on a full tour of the nursery, making sure they feel welcome and supported from the beginning. From here, a wide range of information is gathered and documented in relation to each child's preferences, care routines and learning needs. This means that each key person effectively plans and adapts the provision to ensure children's needs are met and they settle easily. For example, staff organise specialised training to enable them to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Babies and children are very happy and secure because they form a particularly strong bond with their key person. They are fully reassured that there is someone familiar close by to offer them attentive and caring support whenever they need it. For example, toddlers automatically seek out their key person for a cuddle when they are feeling tired. When it is time for children to move into

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

the next room, they make a number of visits to familiarise themselves with the new surroundings. This ensures that they feel ready for this change and settle quickly. Staff also prepare older children well for their transition into school. In particular, teachers from all relevant schools are invited into the nursery so children meet them and start to form new attachments.

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

Children's behaviour is good. This is because staff take time to teach them clear, consistent boundaries. For example, older children happily take turns in the 'tree house' because staff remind them that only two children should enter at any one time. Children are praised for their efforts so that they gain good levels of confidence and self-esteem. Staff give children many opportunities to develop their independence, such as hanging up their coats, sweeping up the sand and helping to set the tables at snack time. They learn to manage risks safely as they are discouraged from putting sand in their mouths and reminded to use their 'walking feet' while inside. The purposeful use of road props and traffic signs encourages children to consider their safety further as they explore road safety scenarios.

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

Children's health and well-being is very well promoted. Babies and children relish the opportunity to get out into the fresh air and exercise on a daily basis. The nursery provides sun cream and monitors the ultraviolet index to ensure children are protected during the hottest parts of the day. They also encourage parents to provide hats for their children to wear, which most children wear while outdoors in the sun. Excellent attention is given to providing children with healthy and balanced meals and snacks each day. These are freshly prepared onsite using locally sourced ingredients, and embrace a range of flavours to widen children's experiences. The nursery goes further to promote children's health as they print out a selection of healthy recipes for parents to take home to cook for their children.

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provision

The management team ensures that all staff have a good understanding of the nursery's comprehensive policies and procedures for safeguarding children. This means that they are confident in reporting any concerns about a child's welfare and children are well protected from harm. Other procedures, including thorough risk assessments of the nursery environment and equipment, ensure children's safety is further promoted. The inspection took place following a notification by the provider. This related to an incident where a younger child followed another child's parent as they left the nursery, and this was unnoticed by staff for a very short period of time. The inspection found that the management team took effective steps to ensure children cannot leave the premises unsupervised by installing self-closing safety gates at both entrances to the 'bluebell room'. Parents were also reminded of the nursery's stringent policy for maintaining the

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provision

security of the premises, ensuring they do not leave doors open or allow anyone else into the building. Staff are also deployed effectively within each of the playrooms to ensure children receive good levels of direct support and are well supervised.

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provision

The monitoring of the nursery provision is very effective. There is close teamwork throughout the nursery and all staff are motivated and keen to secure continuous improvement to the provision for children. The management team carry out a wide range of unannounced audits and regular observations of the staff's practice. Challenging targets to enhance the quality of teaching are identified from these, underpinning the nursery's clear vision for improvement. There are regular appraisals and supervision meetings which go further to identify the strengths, passions and areas for development for individual staff. As a result, children benefit from well-qualified staff who continue to have good skills, knowledge and understanding to meet their needs effectively. There have been many improvements since the last inspection, particularly the arrangements for observing and assessing children's learning and development. The manager now collates this

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provision

information periodically to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational programmes. This means that children continue to receive interesting learning experiences through which they make good progress.

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provision

The partnership with parents is highly valued and good efforts are made to ensure that parents are kept well informed of special events and learning themes. This includes an array of information displayed on notice boards, in newsletters, and on the nursery's website. As a result, parents feel confident that their children are making good progress. Parents have purposeful opportunities to share their views and make suggestions. The recent reinstatement of the 'parent partnership group' has increased their involvement in evaluating the provision. For example, when they request more communication from the nursery, the management team embraces this by establishing a text messaging service and more frequent email updates. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator fosters partnerships with all relevant outside professionals, including local authority outreach officers and speech and language therapists. As a result, they benefit from

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provision

expertise that enables them to provide timely support and effective specialist intervention to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 EY407654 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 924999

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 96 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 09/02/2011 Telephone number 01284 829980

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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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