Busy Bees Day Nursery at Stowmarket

Just Learning Nursery The Buntings, Cedars Park, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5GZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/09/2013 05/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 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, confident and settle very well, they build strong bonds with the staff and robust settling-in procedures ensure they feel safe and secure.  The management team are highly committed and motivated as they strive for excellence. They provide support and training for the staff, who are all involved with supporting improvement.  Children's interaction, language and communication skills are fully supported as the staff talk with children about their play and the activities they undertake.  Staff are good role models. They are deployed well, use consistently applied strategies and provide clear guidance for children about what is acceptable behaviour.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Resources to support children in developing their understanding about similarities and differences between themselves and others, including other communities and traditions are not always freely available.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all the rooms and the outside play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at arrange of records, policies and procedures and children's learning journey progress records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager, staff and children at appropriate intervals during the inspection.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of several parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Just Learning Nursery registered in 2002 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and is one of 72 nurseries run by Just Learning, which is now part of the busy bees group. It operates from a purpose built building situated in a residential area on the outskirts of Stowmarket, Suffolk. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 115 children attending, who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children, who have English as an additional language. Care is also offered to children aged over five years, both before and after school and during school holidays. Staff escort these children to and from a local primary school.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 26 members of staff, including a cook. Of these, 23 hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least Level 2 qualification.

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

 increase resources to support children in developing their understanding about similarities and differences between themselves and others, including other communities and traditions.

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who attend

Children happily and readily engage in an interesting range of learning experiences delivered through play both inside and outside. Staff have high expectations of the children and make regular observations to ensure they are planning for their individual needs. As a result, all children are making good progress. Parents are involved and they contribute to their child's learning in the setting. For example, staff undertake daily discussions with the parents when they arrive and collect their children. They use this and their regular observations to find out where the children are in their learning and development. They have a parents' evening, where parents can add their own comments and look at their children's learning journey progress records. Staff plan and support children in their learning and plan for the next steps in their development, so they make progress.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They get involved with the children's play and interact well, talking to them about what they are doing and finding out what interests them. This is then used to inform the planning of their next steps. Children's learning journey records are updated every two weeks and reflect a clear picture of where children are in their learning. Staff use guidance documents to gauge where children are in their learning. A tracker form is used to monitor observations undertaken on children to ensure that they receive a broad and balance curriculum, which includes all seven areas of learning.

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who attend

Children use large chalks on the ground and draw outside. The black and white area, with soft cushions allows babies to explore as they crawl around their surroundings. The sand and water in trays on the floor encourages them to explore different textures with their hands and fingers. The range of low, open shelves and trays encourages babies to make choices and promotes their independence. The layout of the room allows babies to pull themselves up and use the furniture to walk round to develop their muscles in readiness for walking. Staff also hold babies hands, supporting them to walk around to develop their strength. The babies and toddlers have fun as they explore books, bricks and paint using rollers and are engaged well when staff sing songs and rhymes.

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who attend

Older children have their own outside play area and this ensures that younger, less mobile children remain safe when older ones are outside running and riding on bikes. Older children use pencils, crayons and books to develop their drawing and writing skills. They enjoy a 'wake and shake' activity of movement to music to support their physical development well. The nursery has a set programme of events to help prepare children for school. For example, children take part in physical education lessons, where put on their games kit and have canteen style lunches as they would in school. Children learn a range of skills in readiness for their eventual move into school. As staff teach them phonics and parents can borrow books to help children get used to looking at books ready for reading. The nursery have developed good links with the local primary school as they take and collect children, who attend for an out of school club.

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

Staff take time to get to know the children and their families and robust settling-in procedures ensure children feel safe and secure and parents feel confident to leave them. Children have several trial visits, to help them become familiar with their key person and to develop their confidence. Parents are asked to complete an 'All about me' form to ensure all relevant information to support children's needs is obtained. This then helps staff to plan interesting and stimulating activities for the children from the start. Transitions between home and nursery, as well as when children move up to a new room, are good. Staff complete and pass on the 'voice of the key person' form to the new staff when children transfer, so that a clear picture of the child's interests and learning needs is in place ready for staff to continue with the planning of activities. The key person system ensures that children have their individual needs met at all times. The nursery operates a

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

'buddy system', so that there is staff ready to cover and take over the care and learning needs of children if their key person is away.

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

The nursery employs a cook, who prepares snacks and meals for children, menus are balanced and include a wide variety of foods to encourage them to eat healthily. For example, they have roast pork with broccoli, peas and mashed potato for lunch, which children eat well. Alternative food is provided to meet any allergy or dietary requirements. The nursery operates a 'red plate' system where food for children with allergies is placed on a red plate. This is kept separate from the rest of the food and staff stay close to the child to ensure no cross-contamination, which could result in an allergic reaction. Staff sit with children making mealtimes a sociable occasion. Children's independent skills are promoted as they feed themselves from an early age. Older children pour their own drinks, which are made freely available.

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

The nursery promotes inclusion and values all the children and their families. Staff obtain key words from parents for children with English as an additional language, which are displayed as a reminder to staff to use, so that children can feel included. However, there are few posters, pictures and resources readily available to children to reflect the local and wider community and to help children learn about similarities and difference. Children, who need additional help are accurately identified and individual plans are put in place to support them and staff work closely with their parents and any other professionals involved.

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

Children have space to run freely, explore and have daily fresh air and exercise. They learn about good health and hygiene through daily routines, such as toileting and hand washing. Children learn to keep themselves safe as staff encourage them to walk inside and to tidy away resources. Staff provide good role models for children as they get down to their level and give them age-appropriate explanations to encourage children to take turns and to share the toys and equipment. Children are developing strong friendships, they seek out their peers and play well together.

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provision

This inspection was undertaken after a notification to Ofsted was received from the provider following a significant event. A child was left unsupervised in the nursery at the end of the day. Staff immediately called the manager, who returned to the nursery immediately and contacted the child's parents to inform them of the incident. The manager reported the incident to Ofsted and to the local authority first thing the next morning. At the inspection, the manager showed the inspector all the documentation of the event and what action had been taken to ensure that it did not happen again. Ratios were correct at the time of the incident and the manager had undertaken a thorough investigation to find out how this had happened. As a result, how children are recorded when they arrive at the nursery has changed, along with a transfer of responsibility form, so that staff, who take over at the end of the day have a full picture of each child in their

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provision

care to ensure that they are fully supervised at all times. All staff have undergone further training and a meeting was held to go over the nursery's policies and procedures to ensure that staff are fully aware of their responsibilities. The inspector's observation of how children are supervised throughout the inspection in all areas of the nursery showed that all staff are vigilant and there is excellent communication between the staff at any changeover times to ensure that this does not happen again.

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provision

Staff have developed a 'children's council' where they hold discussions with the group and ask for their views, ideas and input on what they like and want in the nursery. The views from children are written up and displayed in the pre-school room to reflect that their views are taken seriously, valued and used to inform areas for improvement. All staff are involved with looking at areas for development within the nursery and evaluate their own rooms, looking at the environment. They are responsible for their own action plans, which are displayed, so that staff know the area of development they are working on. These are regularly reviewed and updated when areas are achieved, so that a new area can be looked for further improvement. Training is encouraged and staff are supported well through regular supervision and staff meetings.

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provision

Staff work well together as a team and ensure that there is good communication between staff on children's individual needs. Practice is based on a secure knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements and all staff support children to make good progress. They understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children from abuse and neglect and robust policies and procedures support their practice. The provider ensures that all staff attend safeguarding training to ensure that they know what to do if they should have any concerns about the welfare of a child. Security is a high priority and the premises are safe and very secure. The main door is locked and parents are vigilant about closing it after themselves and not letting others through with them.

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provision

Parents speak highly of the care and education their children receive at the nursery. They find the staff approachable and say that their children are settled and have made good progress in their development. Parents are kept informed about their child's learning each day on collection. The nursery has made some links with other early years settings to ensure that children have consistency of care. They liaise with the local schools and invite the teachers to come to visit the children before they start to help children to make smooth transitions.

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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 EY137300 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 935585

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 112 Number of children on roll 115 Name of provider Just Learning Ltd Date of previous inspection 05/01/2011 Telephone number 01449 770806

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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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