Birkbees Day Care LTD

Birkbees Day Care 65a Halifax Old Road, HUDDERSFIELD, HD1 6EE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/06/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are happy and they approach their play with enthusiasm because practitioners take the lead from children when planning activities. In addition, the learning environment is welcoming and stimulating to support all children's progression.  Key persons have good relationships with all children. They prepare children well for school because children have good opportunities to discuss their fears, anxieties and what they are most looking forward to about school.  Practitioners work well with other professionals and parents to ensure they all work together to support children's progression. They have good links with the local children's centre and they make use of all services in the area to support children and families.  A strong management team and effective leadership contribute to improving the provision for children and effectively supports practitioners' professional development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Practitioners are sometimes inconsistent in gathering information from parents about children's care needs when settling new children. Therefore, they do not have a clear point of reference to discuss any changes in children's needs.  The organisation of dressing up resources for younger children in some areas lacks excitement. Therefore, ways to promote children's vivid imagination is not always maximised.

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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 toured the premises and observed children of all ages playing indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, registered person and other practitioners at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. She looked at children's learning records, planning documents, quality improvement plans and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussions and information provided on parental questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

Birkbees Day Care was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Birkby area of Huddersfield. The nursery is managed by Birkbees Group Limited and it is one of four nurseries managed by the group. The nursery serves the local and wider area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a converted building and children are cared for in six rooms, dependent on their ages. There are three enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 30 members of childcare staff. Of these, 25 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, five at level 2 and one at level 6.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm and children attend for a variety of sessions. 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. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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

 strengthen partnership working by promoting a consistent approach when gathering information from parents during initial assessments about their starting points to further support the transition from home

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

 enrich the role play area for younger children by organising dressing up resources so that they are interesting and exciting to provide a stimulus to encourage young children to use their imagination.

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who attend

Practitioners effectively promote children's progression because they have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are actively involved in children's play and they skilfully ask open- ended questions when interacting with them. This encourages children to think for themselves and it supports them in thinking about ways they can solve problems. This means children are active learners, who approach their play with enthusiasm and motivation. Practitioners effectively foster children's enthusiasm to learn because they take their lead when planning for their learning. For example, when older children express their disappointment in the weather, as they are wearing their summer dresses, skilful practitioners use this conversation to engage them in a range of fun activities. Practitioners successfully engage children in thinking about what they can do to solve the

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who attend

problem. As a result, they use their vivid imagination to make up a song, draw and design a 'cloud monster', which they then create using boxes and other materials. They explain how the monster will chase the clouds away, so that the sun comes back out. They include wings on the monster, so that it can fly to the sky and some special rings to swallow the clouds in 'one gulp'. This effective teaching maintains children's interest and motivation because their ideas shape the activities for the day. In addition, this activity effectively encourages older children to be creative and be imaginative, which supports their development in expressive arts and design. Younger children access a good range of activities to promote their imagination and creativity, such as, painting, exploring different textures, media and role play. However, there is scope to further develop their imagination as they engage in role play and dressing up. Some dressing up areas for younger children

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who attend

lack excitement and inspiration. This is because resources are in boxes and not as easily accessible as they could be to fully promote a stimulus for imagination.

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who attend

Practitioners regularly observe children and they use observations to successfully track and monitor their progress. Therefore, they know children well and have a good understanding of their abilities, likes and needs. They use a 'child interest form' and an 'end of week report' to monitor the effectiveness of their planning and to ensure children's interests are central to planning future activities. This provides children with a real sense of belonging within the nursery because planning takes into account what they enjoy. As a result of effective observations and planning, practitioners provide a good range of activities to support all children's progression. This includes successfully supporting children with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Therefore, staff meet all children's individual needs, so that they make good progress in their learning, given their starting points. When planning for children's

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who attend

transition to school, children have good opportunities to talk about their fears, anxieties and what they are most looking forward to. They engage in role-play activities, such as dressing up in school uniforms and they look at books about what to expect in school. Practitioners display photographs of the local schools, so that children can talk about the school they are going to. This, alongside supporting children's good progress across all areas of learning, effectively prepares them for school.

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who attend

Practitioners skilfully support children's early communication and language skills. They encourage babies and younger children to repeat simple words through good interactions and fun activities, such as rhymes and songs. As a result, young children say words, laugh and babble and carry out the actions with enthusiasm when singing 'the wheels on the bus'. Older children are confident speakers and they engage easily in conversations with their peers and practitioners. In addition, practitioners listen to children and provide the time for them to talk about their own experiences without being rushed. Furthermore, when supporting children with English as an additional language, practitioners learn key words, so they can effectively communicate and understand what children are saying. In addition, through resources, such as an 'electronic photograph dictionary', parents record short messages, so that children can hear familiar voices as they start to learn new words

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who attend

and extend their English vocabulary. All children enjoy books and they like to visit the local library. Young children enjoy drawing and making marks in the sand and shaving foam. Older children enjoy writing their name, they make lists and are confident in finding their name when they 'self-register' each morning. These activities effectively promote children's early literacy skills and their readiness for school. Practitioners skilfully promote children's mathematical development. For example, through rhymes and songs, younger children learn about number. Children use a good range of mathematical language in their play, such as, big, tall and small when building their towers. Practitioners provide good opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. For example, babies squeeze, prod and manipulate different objects when exploring the 'treasure baskets'. Older children use a wide variety of tools and equipment with skill and control. For example,

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who attend

they use spades and rakes when digging in the garden. Children have good opportunities to learn about the world in which they live. All children go on outings in the local community, for example, younger children go to the park and they enjoy feeding the ducks. Older children enjoy visits to the local library and they visit places, such as mosques and churches, so that they learn about people who live in their community. In addition, through a good selection of resources, role play props, posters, books and activities that celebrate different cultural events and festivals, children are developing positive impressions towards all people in society. Signs, posters, books and labels around the setting provide a good sense of belonging for children and families who speak English as an additional language. This is because they provide a good representation of the wide variety of languages spoken at nursery. Babies' access toys that they need to press

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who attend

buttons and lift flaps to make them work. Older children are competent in using simple technology, such as the computer. These activities effectively promote children's progression in understanding the world.

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who attend

Practitioners fully understand the importance of involving parents in their child's learning and they have worked hard to try different ways to engage them. They share with parents good information about the Early Years Foundation Stage, so that they know how it is delivered in the nursery. Through open days and stay and play sessions they encourage parents to be actively involved in their child's learning at the nursery. They use daily dairies for babies and younger children to ensure parents know about their child's day, such as sleep and feed times. Practitioners hold parents' evenings every six months, so that they can share and discuss children's individual progress and parents are able to access their child's progress records at any time. Practitioners use a 'links at home' newsletter to provide information about what they can do at home to extend children's learning. In addition, through 'wow moments' cards, parents share information about what

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who attend

children are achieving at home. This contributes to planning continuity in children's learning. Practitioners work well with parents if there are emerging concerns about a child's progress or if children have an identified special educational needs and/or disabilities. This means they share information and work together to agree plans, so learning is targeted and tailored to each child's specific needs.

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

When children start at the nursery practitioners gather information from parents about children's individual needs, likes, routines and progress. They use a 'a new child questionnaire' to gather information about their care needs and a 'parent's progress form' about their development and progress. Overall, this contributes to meeting children's needs and promotes continuity in their care. For example, practitioners ensure they build into the day individual routines, such as children's sleeping and feeding patterns. However, due to some inconsistency, there is scope to further strengthen the transition from home. Some practitioners use the 'new child questionnaire', to record the information parents provide for future reference. While more recently some have verbally sought the information from parents. Therefore, some practitioners do not have a clear point of reference to discuss any changes in children's needs or routines. All key persons

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

have good relationships with children and their bonds and attachments with them are strong. These positive relationships and the meeting of children's needs, means that they are happy, feel safe and are settled within the nursery. Successful key person arrangements also contribute to effectively supporting children's transitions as they move around the nursery. For example, when children move rooms, key persons ensure they have a number of settling-in visits and they share any relevant information with new carers.

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

The learning environment for children is safe, clean, welcoming and stimulating. Practitioners display children's work around the nursery and signs reflect the languages of all families using the service. This provides a true sense of belonging for children and their parents. Children's behaviour is good. Practitioners are positive role models and they provide consistent routines and boundaries. Therefore, children have a good understanding of what is expected of them, such as how it is kind to share and take turns. As a result, they have positive, harmonious and cooperative relationships with their peers. For example, children work cooperatively together when designing and creating the 'cloud monster' taking on board each others ideas and suggestions. Practitioners effectively praise children's achievements and this promotes their confidence and high self-esteem. For example, older children are eager to show practitioners how well they have written

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

their name on their pictures. This successfully promotes children's personal, social and emotional development and supports their transitions to other settings.

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

Practitioners provide a clean and safe learning environment for children. They manage this well because they supervise children's play and complete daily safety checks and conduct regular risk assessments. This means good safety precautions are in place to minimise hazards and accidents. Children have a good understanding of ways in which they can keep themselves safe. For example, practitioners ensure babies have the space and freedom to explore their environment, whilst being under their close supervision. Practitioners talk to older children about road safety on outings and all children practice what to do if they need to evacuate the premises. Practitioners effectively promote children's health and well-being. They implement a wide range of policies and procedures, such as, managing illness, giving medication, recording accidents, including documenting injuries that children have when they arrive. There are clear risk assessments that include

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

keeping children safe and healthy when playing in the sun. This includes applying sun protection and playing outdoors for short periods of time, when the sun is not at its hottest. Through regular cleaning routines, including a five star food hygiene rating, practitioners successfully promote children's good health. Children also benefit from eating a healthy and nutritious diet. The nursery menus incorporate all food groups, including plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. In addition, the menus take account of all children's dietary needs and allergies. Through outdoor play, walks and outings, children have ample opportunities to access fresh air and to be active. This essentially promotes their physical development and encourages them to lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, when playing outdoors, young children climb, ride bikes, kick and throw balls and balance on the apparatus. All children use effective hygiene routines, so

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

that they develop good self-care skills and an understanding of being healthy. They wash their hands throughout the day and older children talk about germs making them ill.

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provision

Practitioners have a good understanding of their responsibilities in promoting and safeguarding children's welfare. All practitioners access safeguarding training, including advanced training for designated safeguarding officers. This means all practitioners have a good understanding of the potential signs of abuse and neglect and their responsibilities in protecting children from harm. This understanding is further supported through the detailed nursery safeguarding policy. This contributes to ensuring all practitioners understand the procedures for reporting concerns to the necessary agencies. The nursery maintains a wide range of detailed documentation, policies and procedures, including detailed risk assessments around sun safety and security of the premises. These are effectively implemented by practitioners and results in keeping children safe. In addition, practitioners fully understand why they cannot use their mobile telephones in the setting

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provision

and they know to record all accidents and share the information with parents. This contributes to the nursery complying with requirements. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures, which include evidence of suitably checks on practitioners and detailed induction programmes, contribute to safeguarding children. Practitioners are effectively deployed around the nursery and this contributes to maintaining adult to child ratios, supporting children needs and keeping them safe.

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provision

Leadership and management is strong and all practitioners demonstrate a good commitment, drive and ambition to promoting improvement. Through regular meetings, self-evaluation and detailed quality improvement plans, they strive towards promoting high standards of care and education for all children. The nursery has detailed action plans that clearly outline their goals and aspirations for all age groups, so the impact of change influences all children's learning. For example, plans include further enhancing resources in the newly opened room for young children, who attend the nursery for funded sessions. Through questionnaires and discussions, parents and children are actively involved in the nursery improvement plans. For example, following children's feedback, menus incorporate their ideas and the healthy choices they make. In addition, lighting to improve security when collecting children was implemented following suggestions from parents.

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provision

The programme of professional development and performance management is effective. Strategies to support promoting a highly skilled workforce include, peer observations, appraisals, modelling good practice and inspirational and interactive training sessions at staff meetings. For example, during staff meetings, practitioners explore the characteristics of learning, looking at the provision from a child's perspective. This contributes to promoting children's learning because practitioners have high expectation of themselves, as well as children.

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provision

Practitioners have positive relationships with parents and because of this good communication they meet children's needs. For example, the use of daily dairies for young children promotes continuity in their care. Although, consistency in how they use the 'new child questionnaire' is not yet fully embedded in practice discussions with parents confirm they are happy with the care and education their children receive. They say practitioners are friendly, they share good information about their child's day and progress and they feel their children are safe and well-cared for. Parents comment on how practitioners are supportive, meet their child's needs and fully understand the needs of all the family. Practitioners work well with agencies involved in children's learning and care. They have strong links with the local children's centre and other professionals, such as health visitors. This means they are fully aware of the services available in the area to support children

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provision

and their families. Practitioners have regular discussions with other professionals involved in children's learning. For example, social workers and speech and language therapists. This means all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or English as an additional language are effectively supported in their learning.

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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 EY462488 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 922905 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 147 Number of children on roll 173 Name of provider Birkbees Day Care LTD Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01484453354

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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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