The Nest Nursery and Preschool

Busy Bees Day Nursery 21 - 23 Portland Street, LINCOLN, Lincolnshire, LN5 7JZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/09/2013 11/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Practitioners plan a wide range of activities for children based on their understanding of each child's individual needs and interests and their knowledge of how young children learn. Children make good progress in their learning and development as a result.  Children have access to a well-planned and resourced outside area. This enhances children's development as they benefit from opportunities to explore their natural environment.  Children feel safe and secure when they are at nursery as the practitioners provide a welcoming environment for them where they have familiar routines.  Children's confidence and self-esteem are well fostered by the practitioners who prioritise their welfare. Children and practitioners form secure attachments which fosters each child's emotional security.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Practitioners do not fully maximise opportunities to involve all parents in their children's learning and development and how they can support their children at home in order to further enhance children's progress.  The systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of the nursery are not yet robust enough to ensure all areas for improvement are fully considered. Systems of self- evaluation are not regular, and therefore, sometimes areas that require improvement are missed.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities on the three floors and the outside learning environment.  The inspector held meetings with the manager/owner of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children and the provider's self-evaluation form.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees Day Nursery opened in 1994 and is privately owned. It operates from two adapted end of terrace houses near to the centre of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The nursery serves the immediate locality and also the surrounding towns and villages. The nursery opens five days a week from 7.30am until 6pm all year round except on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for on three floors and have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The staff use teaching methods attributed to the High/Scope active learning approach to the early years curriculum.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 56 children in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 10 staff working directly with the children, all of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. Two of the staff have qualifications at level 6. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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

 improve the systems of monitoring and evaluation of the quality of the provision further to support all areas for improvement are identified and targets for development are implemented

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

 build on the already good practice with regard to sharing information about children's learning with parents, by being more sharply focused on how parents can further support their child's learning at home.

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who attend

The practitioners know the children they care for well. They have a good understanding of how young children learn and provide them with an enabling environment where they are free to explore. Resources are freely accessible to children which allows them to make choices about what they would like to play with and to become independent learners. Many of the resources are made from natural materials or are everyday items and this is beneficial to the children as they explore many textures and shapes. Practitioners plan activities which support children's learning and development and are based on their needs and interests. This ensures children are enjoying their time at nursery and are making progress in their learning and development. Practitioners observe children and records these observations in their individual books along with many photographs. This enables practitioners to track children's progress and achievements.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points and age and stage of development. This ensures that they have the necessary skills in preparation for later learning, such as when they start school. Practitioners constantly praise children and this fosters their self-esteem and is conducive to learning. Children display the characteristics of effective learning and practitioners ensure they plan activities for them that cover all of the areas of learning. Children are grouped in 'family groups'. The babies under two years make up one family group and then children aged two to four years are separated into two groups. This allows siblings and extended family members to be together as well as children who have formed close bonds with other children. This grouping also allows children of different ages to mix much more freely and learn from each other. Parents and practitioners have seen clear benefits

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who attend

of this new way of grouping for children's development. Photographs of the children and their families along with artwork the children have created are on display around the nursery. This further fosters children's sense of belonging and makes them feel valued.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to be independent at nursery. They sit and discuss with the practitioners what they would like to do each day. A child has brought a cabbage and a squash in from their home allotment. The children enjoy exploring the vegetables by cutting them up and peeling back the leaves. They are engrossed in this activity for a long time and as a result they are actively learning. One child gasps in awe as the seeds inside the squash are revealed. Another notices the changes in colour of the cabbage leaves as she peels them away. There are many interesting conversations between children and practitioners about seeds, growing and allotments. As a result children's communication and language development is well promoted. Children with English as an additional language are well supported by the practitioners who work closely with parents to ensure the children's communication and language skills are developing.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy exploring and looking for insects in the log pile. They use spoons to scoop the insects up and place them in the bowl for examination. They discuss with the practitioners what they have found and name the different insects as spiders, centipedes, slugs, worms and woodlice eggs. Children are allowed to explore and get messy and this means they learn without hindrance.

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who attend

Parents are encouraged to share information about their child when they first start and on an ongoing basis. Practitioners develop good partnerships with parents and gather information from them about their child's development. They share written and visual information with parents to support their understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and help them understand how young children learn and develop. Each room has a book which is completed each week with photographs of the children and what they have been up to that week. This also explains how the activities are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage, and as a result, parents are well informed. Although practitioners already have good partnerships with parents, less emphasis is placed on fully involving all parents and extended family members in their child's learning and development and by explaining how they can further support their children at home, to further enhance

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who attend

children's progress. Parents speak highly of the nursery saying they feel valued by the practitioners who support them as well as their children. They praise practitioner's efforts to settle new children into the nursery and comment that nothing is too much trouble. Parent's comment that their child as attended the nursery for some time now and they are very happy here.

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

Close attachments are formed between children and their key person. Practitioners spend time getting to know the children in their care well and this has a positive impact on children's self-esteem and sense of belonging. Care practices are consistent throughout the nursery as good standards of hygiene and safety are maintained. Children's health and well-being is fostered as practitioners are vigilant. Transitions into the nursery and between family groups are managed well with an emphasis on children's well-being. Staff to child ratios are always maintained, however, sometimes the nursery operates with the minimum number of staff and this can limit flexibility at times. That said, deployment of staff is effective at meeting children's needs, supporting their learning and keeping them safe.

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

Children behave well at Busy Bees because practitioners are good role models for them regarding behaviour and children know the rules and routines of the setting well. They generally play harmoniously together and share and take turns with prompt from the practitioners. They are learning that in life you have to cooperate with others and this is preparing them for their future. Children are able to manage their own safety and take risks because practitioners have created an enabling and safe environment in which they can do so. Children learn how to keep themselves safe, for example, they confidently explain to the inspector how to safely descend the stairs into the outside area. Children's self-care skills are well promoted as they are encouraged to wash their hands before they eat and after they have visited the toilet. The nursery uses a local company to provide them with hot meals each day which are balanced and nutritious. The nursery has

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

received the highest rating from the local environmental health department, which protects children's health and safety. Children over two years have daily opportunities for physical exercise inside and outside in the nursery's outside area. Babies under two years get to go outside most days but not every day. Children also go on trips out and about to the local common and for walks. This gives them the opportunity to explore their local community and nature areas.

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

Babies are well cared for in the nursery because their room has a warm and welcoming, homely environment that is furnished as a home would be with a sofa, dresser and coffee table. This gives babies a sense of security and belonging. The environment is calm and babies can access resources as they wish from wicker baskets on the floor. Practitioners support the younger babies to choose what they would like to play with. The focus is on the prime areas of learning and practitioners know the children well, and as a result, their needs are met and they are developing well. A baby enjoys moving their body to the music being played. Practitioners praise their efforts and join in with the dancing. The baby enjoys it so much the practitioner asks if they would like it to be played again to which they respond with a big smile. The practitioner obliges and repeats the music. They share this special time together and the baby's emotional well-being is fostered as a

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

result. Nappy changing procedures are hygienic and safe. Babies enjoy this time with their key person as they engage in conversation whilst having their nappy changed and practitioners work hard to make this a fun time by making funny faces at them to make them giggle. Babies sleep in a designated sleep room which is a quiet space in which for them to rest. Staff regularly check sleeping babies to ensure they are safe. When babies become upset they are soothed and cuddled by the practitioners who prioritise their well- being.

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provision

The manager/owner has a good understanding of her responsibilities with regard to meeting the learning and development requirements for all children. The staff team all support each other well and the majority of the staff have been working at the nursery for many years and are a mature team. Monitoring of the planning and delivery of the educational programmes happens on a daily basis through discussions between staff. The manager collates data from all of the children's learning and development tracking documents and analyses it to ensure all children are making progress. This is an effective method and shows the good progress children make. The setting receives support from the local authority and appreciates this partnership. The manager embraced the recommendation that was made and has identified her own areas for improvement, such as an outdoor art area and nature area. This demonstrates commitment to continuous

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provision

improvement. The manager reflects on practice and completes self-evaluations to identify areas for improvement, however, she has not done so on a more formal basis for some time now and this means that some areas for improvement have gone unnoticed.

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provision

Meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements is of high importance to the manager and staff team. They all have a good understanding of their responsibilities to keep children safe and have policies and procedures in place to support this. Children are safeguarded as a result. The environment is safe for children and this is due to practitioner's vigilance in supervising the children and the risk assessments that have been conducted. Children are protected by staff as they ensure they are not allowed to leave the premises unsupervised and are only allowed to leave with nominated individuals.

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provision

The nursery works well in partnership with parents and carers. They share information with the aim of getting to know the children and their parents and carers well. They also work very well in partnership with external agencies and the local authority. They have recognised they could do even more to enhance the already good relationships with parents by providing them with more support to enable them to further support their children at home. There is a commitment to continuous professional development in the nursery. All practitioners have a minimum level 3 childcare qualification and the manager and deputy have childcare degrees. The manager and deputy are committed to further development as they would like to undertake their Early Years Professional Status. All practitioners are encouraged to attend regular training where it is going to be of benefit to them and the nursery and the manager supports practitioners who would like to further their

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provision

qualifications to degree level. Staff retention is good and practitioners comment that they enjoy working at the nursery as it feels like an extension of their family. Practitioners support each other and new practitioners are made to feel welcome and supported. The result is a harmonious working environment where morale is generally good. This enables adults and children to grow and develop.

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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 253689 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 935120

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 56 Name of provider Anna Patten Date of previous inspection 11/08/2009 Telephone number 01522 575640

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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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