Mama Bear's Day Nursery

Mama Bear's Day Nursery Mama Bear's Day Nursery, 17 Oakfield Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2AW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/07/2013 23/09/2010

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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 have lovely opportunities to explore the world around them through regular access to the enclosed outside spaces whatever the weather.  Children are happy, confident and comfortable in their surroundings.  Safeguarding requirements are met effectively and as a result, children's welfare is promoted well.  There are effective partnerships with parents in place to support children's progress in the nursery and at home.

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It is not yet good because

 The implementation of the behaviour policy is not fully effective. This means that not all staff managed some children's behaviour effectively, to prevent the regular occurrence of some incidents.  Staff do not consistently support children's curiosity, spontaneity, exploration and investigation skills.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspection was carried out by one inspector.  The inspector observed activities in all playrooms and the garden areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with manager, the owner, several staff, children and some parents.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, safeguarding procedures, risk assessments, staff records.

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Information about the setting

Mama Bear's Nursery opened in 2006 and is one of 18 nurseries owned by a family group. The nursery is on the Early Years Register and both compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from a detached four-storey Victorian property in the Clifton area of the city close to the main Clifton shopping centre and Bristol University buildings. Children are cared for in rooms throughout the nursery according to their age. They have access to an enclosed garden to the front and sides of the premises. There is a recently developed garden to the rear for children to explore the natural environment, which includes a fully enclosed wildlife pond with clear Perspex panels. Children also have supervised access to a large room in the basement, which is used for soft play. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 7pm, all year round, except for bank holidays. Sessions are offered from 7.30am to 12.30pm and from 12.30pm to 6pm.

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Information about the setting

Children have access to all areas of the building except for the laundry area, storage rooms, the kitchen and the staff facilities. There are currently 101 children on roll. All are in the early yeas age group. The nursery is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery offers support to those children who have English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. A total of 30 staff members work directly with the children. The manager and deputy hold supernumerary positions. There are four staff with degree level qualifications and 18 staff who hold childcare qualifications to level 2 and 3. The setting also employs a cook, kitchen assistant, domestic assistant and administrative assistant. The nursery has completed The Bristol Standard in Early Years Care Quality Assurance Scheme.

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must:

 ensure the behaviour management policy is reflected in practice and implemented by staff so that children understand how to behave towards other children.

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

 review staff practice to develop their skills in supporting children's curiosity, spontaneity, exploration and investigation skills further.

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who attend

Children are comfortable in their surroundings and most enjoy their play. They quickly settle into play as they leave their parents. Most children are making adequate progress in all areas of learning and development. Staff are confident in their knowledge of their key children. Through observation and assessment the staff are able to plan activities around children's interests. For example, such as talking about where the children have been on holiday and then painting pictures of the beach and creating collages.

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who attend

Staff promote children's early language skills through talking to babies constantly about what they are exploring, and repeating noises and sounds they make as they play. All children enjoy looking at books alone and together with staff, however, at times the noise from the hall can distract children who are trying to listen to stories. Most staff interact with the children well and offer praise and encouragement as they play and achieve. However, some staff do not put the behaviour management policy into practice. For example, when children are unkind to others, they are reminded to use kind hands, but are not supervised closely to ensure they do not carry on hurting other children. As a result, some children hurt other children and are not always seen doing this.

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who attend

When children are outside in the garden areas they are able to explore and investigate the natural world around them. They enjoy playing in the new sand pit, exploring the sand and using the spades so they can dig and build sandcastles. The children begin to spontaneously move the sand around the garden, such as taking it to the water tray and allowing it to spill over the sides. However, staff tell the children to keep the sand in the sand pit. In addition, staff also tell children to keep the shredded paper in the tray, when children throw the shredded paper out of the tray watching it blow around and fall on the floor. This means that children are not able to experiment what happens when sand comes into contact with water in the water tray and shredded paper comes into contact with the wet floor. Some staff also stop children from developing their spontaneous play, such as when children start to empty a tub of corks and natural materials over the floor

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who attend

and place them in the water and hide them in the shredded paper. Staff tell them to pick the corks off the floor and not empty them all over the floor. This means that the children have to finish their spontaneous play and exploration and put the corks away. Therefore children are not always encouraged to develop their curiosity and investigative skills.

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

Children are happy, comfortable and demonstrate they feel safe and secure in their surroundings. The youngest children are secure forming attachments with their key person. They are offered reassurance and comfort when required. The settling-in process ensures that babies are able to settle quickly into the setting. Their routines are followed closely, which means that they are able to sleep, eat and play according to their individual needs. Children are helped through their transitions in the nursery, through regular visits to the next age group, which ensures they settle quickly when they finally move.

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

Children are learning about healthy lifestyles and understand about personal hygiene routines. Staff remind children to wash their hands before eating and after being outside. The preschool children are able to access toilet facilities independently and they confidently talk about why they need to use soap when hand washing. For example, children speak about using soap gets rid of the germs. The preschool children are encouraged to help set tables and get their own plates, cups and cutlery ready for lunch, they are also able to serve themselves and pour their own drinks. The toddlers are helped to serve themselves with food and drinks by staff at lunchtime.

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

Children are learning about the importance of fresh air and exercise. They are taken outside regularly and when children are able to freely either access the inside or outside area staff ensure they supervise the gates to ensure children are not accessing the outside gates. Children are able to access the outside play spaces whatever the weather and when dressed in waterproofs enjoy being out in the rain. They enjoy playing outside splashing in puddles, experiencing the rain falling on their heads and talking about the noise the thunder makes. Children talk about what happens to the flour they have been playing with when it gets wet and what it feels and looks like for example, one child says it looks like ice cream.

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provision

The provider has a suitable understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. The staff completed detailed observations and assessments on their children and are able to clearly identify next steps, interests and where children require extra support. Staff completed progress checks for children aged between two -and-three-years and share these with parents.

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provision

The provider is aware of their responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements. Staff are aware of the procedures to follow in the event of having any concerns about children in their care or if allegations are made against staff. Staff induction and appraisals are carried out regularly, which ensures that all staff are fully aware of the contents of the nursery's policies and procedures. However, although staff are able to demonstrate they understand the policies that the providers have put in place, they do not always implement these effectively. For example, staff discuss clearly the strategies they should put in place for behaviour management, but fail to put these into practice when the situation arises. This means that some children hurt other children and staff do not effectively managed this behaviour.

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provision

There are strong partnerships with parents in place. Parents are given regular information about their child's progress. Regular parents evenings, questionnaires and requests for suggestions on the new garden all mean that parents feel involved in their child's care. Detailed notice boards around the setting keep parents fully informed about recent events. Parents comment about how happy they are with the nursery, and the information they receive. They also speak highly about the staff and care provided. The nursery have strong links with other professionals and regularly share information about the children in their care.

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provision

The staff and management have completed a detailed evaluation of practice, which involved all the staff and parents. Some evaluation has been effective and areas for improvement have been clearly identified. However, the management have not fully recognised that staff are not consistently implementing some policies. The nursery staff recognise that evaluation is an ongoing process and the management team are highly motivated to improve practice and make changes when necessary.

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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 EY338699 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 902423 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 101 Name of provider Mama Bear's Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 23/09/2010 Telephone number 08003288151

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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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