Mama Bear's Day Nursery

Mama Bear's Day Nursery The Old Vicarage, 63 Downend Road, Downend, Bristol, BS16 5UF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/11/2013 07/10/2008

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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

 Staff have a good knowledge about how to promote the learning and development experiences for young children.  Children are happy and enjoy their time in the nursery's warm and caring environment.  Senior leadership and management have a strong vision for the nursery's development and a focussed commitment towards promoting the best outcomes for children.  Staff plan a stimulating range of activities which enable children to become confident, independent learners.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 While the nursery is a safe environment, staff do not always fully promote opportunities to develop children's personal awareness of safety.  Toys and resources are plentiful, but the organisation of some makes them difficult for children to access freely and use to support their learning further.

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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 observed activities in both the indoor and outside areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's records, planning documentation, as well as policies and procedures.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers about their views on the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the senior leaders, the manager, staff and children during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Mama Bear's Day Nursery registered in 2007. It is privately owned and is part of a family group of 19 nurseries. The nursery is situated in Downend, Bristol. It operates from a converted private house and uses designated rooms on ground and first floors. There is a spacious, securely walled garden for outdoor play, which includes both grassed and paved areas. The nursery serves the local community and surrounding geographical areas. It is registered on both the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens from 7.30am to 7pm each weekday for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 51 children within the early years age group on roll. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children. The nursery cares for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 12 members of staff, including a cook and a cleaner. All 10 staff who work directly with the children hold appropriate early years qualifications. The owner/manager holds a childcare learning and development qualification at level 4 and two staff hold degrees in childcare. The nursery has close links with local primary schools and other childcare providers.

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

 review the organisation for toys and resources so they are easier for children to choose between and also support their learning further, such as by having name cards on the writing table

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

 develop children's awareness of personal safety further by encouraging them to take care when moving around the indoor environment and when using tools during their play and at meal-times.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements for young children. They plan an exciting range of stimulating activities, across the seven areas of learning, which children enjoy. For example, children have fun investigating what happens when they mix flour and water together. They talk happily to one another, saying that the water makes the flour sticky. When they add rice to the mixture, they notice it disappears. Staff engage effectively, challenging children's thinking by asking 'why do you think the rice has disappeared?' This supports children's learning well.

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who attend

Staff have a good knowledge of children's individual development levels. They make careful observations of children as they play, which effectively supports the assessment processes. Staff assess children's starting points when they join the nursery, which helps them to plan effectively for future learning. For example, during adult-led group times, they help children develop their confidence in speaking to both adults and their friends by giving them thinking time and making positive and encouraging comments. This results in children gradually becoming more confident in voicing their thoughts and ideas. It also provides good support for their communication and language development. Good provision is in place for children requiring extra support for their learning, such as those with specific educational needs or with English as an additional language. Staff work closely with parents, giving them guidance and helpful support for children's development.

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who attend

This helps all children to make positive progress from their starting points.

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who attend

Children are making good progress with their mathematical skills. During an activity with toy cars, staff encourage children to count and sort by colour; children are keen to respond. Staff ask children how many frogs are left when one hops away; children confidently say two. The writing table provides positive opportunities for children to develop their literacy skills. Staff support them in holding pencils properly and pose problem-solving opportunities, such as 'can you find the blue top to match the blue pen?' Children show interest in writing their names and some are able to do so from memory. However, resources, such as name cards are not always easily available to enable other children to attempt this skill. Staff make the most of children's time outside to enrich their understanding of the environment. For example, they ask children what traffic they can hear, saying 'do you think the sound is a bus or a car?' They point out that the leaves fall

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who attend

off the trees in autumn and talk to the children about the different autumn colours. Children have good opportunities for physical play and enjoy running and climbing on apparatus. Children carefully negotiate the pretend road marked on the paved area when playing on wheeled toys. They competently explain the need to drive between the white lines and understand that a red traffic light means stop. Children enjoy the many opportunities to be creative, such as printing, sticking and mixing colours during painting. They are highly independent and concentrate well as they make their creations. These skills help to prepare children well for their transfers to school.

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who attend

Staff have strong relationships with parents. Good systems are in place to help new children settle, such as attending the nursery for taster sessions. Parents receive comprehensive information about their child's nursery day through the daily diary sheets. The daily dialogue with staff, alongside opportunities to look at their child's developmental records and attend formal parents' meetings, ensure that parents receive good information about progress. Staff positively encourage parents to continue children's learning at home and contribute their home successes. During discussions, parents comment that they are very pleased with the nursery's provision. They feel that they receive good information about their child's learning and development progress. They particularly speak of the caring attitudes and approachability of the staff.

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

Children are happy and settle quickly because of the nursery's warm and welcoming atmosphere. Staff greet children enthusiastically when they arrive, which helps children feel safe and secure. The key person system is effective because staff know and understand children's individual needs well. For example, to help children part from parents smoothly, they take them to the window or door so that they can wave goodbye. Children happily talk to staff as they play, and about their home experiences, such as talking about a visit after nursery to see a newborn baby. Staff listen attentively and smile warmly, which supports children's self-esteem well. Children confidently ask staff for help when they require it, such as when trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle or put on boots for outdoor play. Toys and apparatus, both indoors and outside are good quality and plentiful, although some resource boxes in the indoors are kept on high shelves and not easily

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

accessible for children to choose from. The spacious outdoor area provides a wealth of exciting learning opportunities. Children confidently move around their surroundings, both indoors and outside. They enjoy the many opportunities for imaginative play, such as pretending to make apple pies in the mud kitchen and building a castle from bricks in the outdoor area.

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

Staff are good role models, who work well together as a team. Children observe this, which helps to effectively promote their relationships with each other. They play well together and enjoy the company of their friends. In the outdoor area, staff encourage more confident children to organise races, which they do, using repetitive rhymes such as 'ready, steady, go!' Children laugh happily as they work together, helping to build a tall tower with constructional apparatus. Children understand the need to share and take turns on wheeled toys. They say 'good friends always share'. These experiences help children to develop strong social skills. Children behave well. Staff use golden rules to promote positive approaches to behaviour. They share these strategies with parents, which helps ensure a consistency approach between home and nursery. Children enjoy the praise that staff use when they succeed with difficult tasks, such as managing to use

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

the serving tongs at lunch time. Staff encourage children to develop independence and an understanding of responsibility through tidying away toys at the end of activities and taking messages between staff. Children relish these opportunities and are proud, which helps them to become self-reliant. These skills effectively support children's personal development, preparing them emotionally well for their educational transfers.

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

Staff provide strong support for children's health and well-being. The nursery has a strong focus on children's safety. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to develop children's understanding of danger further, such as taking care when moving around toys and resources sensibly or when using cutlery at meal-times and drawing with pencils activities. Children are highly independent in their self-care routines. They understand the need to wash hands after toileting and putting on coats to keep warm for outdoor play. Children have ample opportunity to enjoy fresh air and exercise in the spacious outdoor play area. They have a good balance of healthy snacks each day, alongside freshly cooked lunches which they greatly enjoy.

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provision

The nursery's leadership and management have a strong understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities to ensure children's welfare and well-being. Designated safeguarding officers ensure that all staff receive regular training in child protection procedures. Staff understand the action to take if a concern about a child arises. Comprehensive policies and procedures effectively cover all aspects of the nursery's provision. Senior staff regularly review all documentation and inform parents about procedural changes. Rigorous recruitment and vetting checks are in place for all new staff to ensure that they have suitable qualifications and experience to work with young children. Additionally, all staff receive good levels of induction training when they begin work at the nursery. Records for registration, medical, first aid and behavioural incidences are meticulous. Staff always inform parents about any incidents that may occur, relating to

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provision

their child's well-being. Children are well supervised at all times. Regular emergency evacuation drills, in case of fire, alongside daily checks and risk assessment processes, ensure that they nursery is a safe, welcoming and stimulating environment for children to enjoy.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements. Each month she reviews children's developmental records and planning documents to ensure equality of provision for all children. The manager also regularly observes staff as they interact with children and follows this with individual staff supervision meetings. Appraisal systems are thorough and successfully help to identify future training needs for staff, which effectively supports their professional development. These processes promote good quality practice well and help to ensure the best outcomes for children.

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provision

The nursery's leaders and manager have a strong focus on the continuous improvement of the nursery. Clear targets are set for future improvement such as further development to the outdoor learning area to enrich children's learning experiences even further. Recent changes include alterations to planning and assessment systems to reflect the new educational criteria for the Early Years Foundation Stage, supporting children's learning more effectively. Systems of self-evaluation are thorough and effectively identify the nursery's strengths and areas for future development. Children, staff and parents all have opportunity to contribute towards the evaluation process. Periodic questionnaires and a display board in the nursery foyer provide further opportunities for parents to express their thoughts and opinions on the provision.

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provision

The manager receives good levels of support because senior leaders and area managers visit regularly to provide additional guidance, which effectively helps her to fulfil her role. The nursery has clear links with external specialists, such as speech and language therapists, to support children's individual needs if necessary and always involves parents in any such consultations. Good links exist between the nursery and local schools; staff from both provisions meet prior to children's transfers to discuss learning and development needs. Children also have opportunity to visit their new schools accompanied by nursery staff. This effectively enables the smooth transfer for children as they move between educational phases.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY363560 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 917940 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 51 Name of provider Mama Bear's Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 07/10/2008 Telephone number 0117 3305 300

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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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