Mama Bear's Day Nursery

Mama Bear's Day Nursery 261 Crews Hole Road, BRISTOL, BS5 8BE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/09/2013 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

 The committed management team are highly motivated and provide effective support to staff through a well-established programme for professional development.  Staff have accurate knowledge of safeguarding procedures and have effective partnerships with key agencies to meet children's needs.  Staff establish positive relationships with parents to enable a successful two-way flow of information.  The nursery reflects diversity well throughout the provision.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff's engagement with babies when changing their nappies does not consistently support their developing communication skills fully.  Young children and babies are not fully involved in their learning, as staff do not always give them choices.

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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 compulsory part 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 was accompanied by a trainee inspector.  The inspector made observations of children and staff in each room and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed two joint observations; one with the nursery manager in the two-year-olds room and one with the deputy manager in the pre-school room.  The inspector spoke to parents, children and staff throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including self-evaluation tools, written feedback from parents, learning diaries, policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Mama Bear's Day Nursery is one of 17 nurseries owned by the same providers and registered in 2013. It operates from a two-storey building in St. George, Bristol. Babies are accommodated on the first floor and can access three playrooms and a sleep room. Children over two years are accommodated on the ground floor with shared toilet facilities. Children have access to two enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm, or until 7pm on request, for 51 weeks of the year, closing between Christmas and New Year, and all bank holidays.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. Currently, there are 74 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as children who are learning English as an additional language. The owners employ a nursery manager who holds an early years qualification at level 3. She is supported by a qualified teacher and 14 members of staff who hold early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The owners also employ four apprentices who are working towards recognised qualifications. Staff are supported by a regional manager and head office staff.

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

 develop the nappy changing environment and staff's interaction with the youngest children to promote more opportunities to talk with babies and respond to the sounds, movements and expressions they make

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

 encourage young children and babies to have consistent opportunities to make decisions for themselves.

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who attend

Staff are enthusiastic and support the children well. They have good knowledge of children's individual needs and plan interesting activities to stimulate their learning. Therefore, children are happy and keen to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff organise bright and stimulating learning environments to entice children to explore independently. There are purposeful opportunities for children to celebrate diversity. For example, children are inspired to learn about Jewish festivals and traditions. Older children thoroughly enjoy making a Sukkah (booth) and decorating it with leaves they have found or drawn for themselves. Children learning English as an additional language are well supported by knowledgeable staff. Staff effectively engage with parents to assess children's starting points and learn key words in the child's home language. Labelling, translation books and visual timelines are evident and well used, which values and

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who attend

Young children and babies thoroughly enjoy the many sensory experiences offered for them to explore. For example, children engage happily in mixing sand and water together. The sound of the water fascinates the children as they splash repeatedly, copying movements as they learn from staff and other children. Staff support children well to understand how to play safely. For example, they remind them not to push the water/sand tray as there are less-mobile babies using it to steady themselves as they show curiosity in investigating their surroundings. Babies become deeply involved as they explore the couscous, potato powder and orange powder paint mixture using their whole body to happily investigate. They use tools and containers purposefully to transport the mixture. For example, they use a spoon to sprinkle the mixture onto a doll. Children learn self-care skills as they bathe the doll. Staff respond well to children's ideas, such as

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who attend

copying them as they turn metal bowls upside down to tap with their spoon. Staff offer children a mirror so they can look at themselves to see how the mixture has had an impact on their own images. Some opportunities, when staff are with the children on a one-to-one basis, are not fully utilised to progress children's communication skills. For example, on occasion staff do not respond to children's gestures, movements and sounds, such as when they change their nappies.

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who attend

Staff in the Bouncy Bears room thoroughly support children's ideas. They acknowledge children's guesses very well, giving children the confidence to have a go. For example, after singing about the days of the week and months of the year, children guess the month is Sunday. Staff praise children helping them to see that Sunday begins with the same sound as September. Staff use the principles of letters and sounds effectively so that children gain the skills for their future learning. Children are fully involved in their learning. They are invited to choose friends to be ducks in a favourite song. This supports children effectively to make friendships. Staff help children to count how many ducks there are, represented by pointing to each child in turn, and how many more they need so that they learn early calculation skills. Staff support children's language development well. For example, when children comment that the duck 'went away' staff build on this stating 'yes,

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who attend

the duck is swimming away' so that children become more familiar with sentence structure and extending vocabulary.

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who attend

Parents are actively involved in children's learning from the start. Initially, parents complete an 'all about me' form so that the key person has a good understanding of children's starting points and interests. Consequently, staff have a good knowledge of their individual key children, which is supported by detailed and ongoing observations of children's engagement in activities. This reflects the broad and balanced range of experiences children have across the areas of learning. Staff focus on developing children's interests to motivate them to learn, such as camping. Assessment arrangements are robust, identifying accurate next steps in learning, which staff use effectively to influence future planning. Therefore, children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff keep parents well informed of their children's development as they regularly share a summary of their progress with the key person.

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who attend

This includes detailed information about the progress check for two-year-old children to identify any gaps in learning and to make appropriate referrals if required.

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

Through effective monitoring of the learning environments children have independent access to an abundant range of age appropriate toys and resources, which meet their individual needs and promote effective challenge. Children love their books and their interpretations are well documented, especially in the art gallery where staff display children's work, celebrating their achievements very well.

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

Generally, staff encourage children's independence well, such as older children serving their own food at lunchtime and making healthy choices. Staff are good role models showing children how to cut their sausages rather than doing it for them so that they learn new skills. However, staff do not always support babies and young children to be involved in their learning, such as to choose songs from the song board for themselves. Children thrive when staff give them responsibility for small jobs, such as laying the table at lunchtime.

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

Children behave well and they have good understanding of expectations and boundaries. They are constantly involved in interesting activities so there is little time for them to be bored or disinterested. Staff encourage the children to have a positive attitude, helping them to understand the 'golden rules' to promote good behaviours. Staff effectively focus children's attention before they explain activities, such as inviting them to switch their 'listening ears' on.

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

Staff develop positive and supportive relationships with the children. In particular, babies seek reassurance and cuddles from familiar staff when unfamiliar adults are in the room and when they explore new experiences. Staff know their children's routines very well and review these regularly with parents so that their individual needs are met. Parents value the support they receive, such as guidance on potty training, so that there is a consistent approach. Children have a good sense of belonging. For example, children in the bouncy bears room (two-year-olds) participate enthusiastically in the 'hello song'. Staff give children every opportunity to respond and, therefore, they gain high levels of confidence. The key person supports children moving between rooms well through visits, which are flexible to meet their individual requirements. There are many opportunities for children to play and learn together, such as at the beginning of the day and during outdoor play so

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

children are familiar with the new environment. There are effective partnerships with local schools to support children as they move on. Staff diligently display photographs of the children's new school and read them stories so they feel secure about routines. Children become aware of hygienic practices to keep themselves healthy. For example, older children are familiar with routines, such as washing their hands before they eat. The nursery provides healthy and nutritious snacks and meals. Older children help themselves to fruit throughout the day when they are hungry, as they begin to identify their own needs. Staff are fully aware of any special dietary requirements, and meals are adapted so that all are included in a sociable lunchtime.

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

There are many opportunities for children to be outside and active. For example, older children make decisions for themselves as to whether to play outside whatever the weather. In particular, they enjoy exploring the 'mud kitchen' using tools purposefully as they make strawberry cakes and chocolate smoothies. Staff support children well, asking open-ended questions to support children to think about what they are doing. For example, children explain 'I added this (soil) and water and leaves and I squashed it up. I put more mud in to make a smoothie'. Children purposefully learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, as they develop their camping role-play, children build a campfire and use tubing as a hose to put it out, pretending to be fire man. Children regularly participate in fire drills to help them understand how to evacuate the building safely. Staff keep detailed accounts of the fire drills to influence their ongoing risk

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provision

Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment, which is thoroughly risk assessed by vigilant staff. All staff have good knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are rigorous recruitment arrangements to enable suitable staff, who are appropriately qualified and vetted, to work directly with children. Comprehensive induction arrangements ensure that staff have good understanding of detailed policies and procedures. Staff have good knowledge of their responsibility to report any concerns regarding the welfare of children in their care. All staff attend regular training to enable them to have appropriate updates and have the best knowledge of current safeguarding procedures. Staff effectively liaise with other key agencies to provide continuity in children's care, learning and development.

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provision

Staff have good knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Good personalised planning and assessment arrangements enable children to make the best possible progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. The senior management team complete regular observations of practice and are currently developing effective use of peer observations to improve the generally high standards across the nursery. The senior management team provide effective support to progress staff's professional development. Following a comprehensive induction period there are regular supervisions to monitor staff's effectiveness and ongoing suitability. These identify any areas that could benefit from coaching or training opportunities. For example, the senior management team have noted that, although

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provision

hygiene practices are generally good, staff require more support to ensure consistent practice throughout the nursery. Therefore, all staff will be attending 'infection control' training.

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provision

Parents are fully involved in their children's care, learning and development from the start. There is a regular two-way flow of information both verbally and in writing to consolidate the partnership. Parents value the trusting relationships their children have with all staff. There are appropriate systems in place to enable staff to share information with other early years settings the children may attend.

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provision

The senior management team use a broad range of self-evaluation tools and audits to monitor the effectiveness of the nursery well. Consequently, the team have established well-defined action plans to drive improvement successfully, such as the development of the outdoor area. Staff respect the views of parents and work cohesively to improve the setting. For example, the menu has recently been adapted to provide a more varied vegetarian option to meet children's dietary needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY459721 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 905936 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 68 Number of children on roll 74 Name of provider Mama Bear's Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01179414484

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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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