Honeybear Nursery ltd

Honeybear Nursery 11 Northenden Road, Gatley, CHEADLE, Cheshire, SK8 4EN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/01/2014 30/09/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Excellent partnership working with parents and other agencies provides children with a good start in their early education and as a result, their individual needs are well met.  Educational programmes are individualised and provide opportunities to challenge children further within their unique learning journey. As a result, children are making good progress and are well prepared for school.  Leadership and management effectively monitors staffs' understanding of child protection procedures. As a result, children are safeguarded and their welfare is assured.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not fully utilise opportunities to further develop children's acquisition and knowledge of phonics in everyday contexts to optimise children's understanding of the sounds that make up words.  The arrangements for supporting younger children's experiences outdoors are not fully maximised due to not having a defined area in which younger children can actively explore.

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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 took a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in all rooms and held a meeting with the management team.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took the views of staff, parents and carers into consideration on the day of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of a teaching and learning activity with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a number of policies and checked staff qualifications and suitability.

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Information about the setting

Honeybear Nursery was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a three-storey converted house in the Gately area of Stockport. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, operating 51 weeks per year. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6.30pm. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications up to level 3, including one with Early Years Professional Status. Two members of staff are working towards a level 2 qualification and one member of staff is working towards a level 3 qualification in early years care and education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 59 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association and receives support from the local authority.

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

 enhance the development of children's phonological awareness further by modelling the oral blending and segmenting of simplistic words

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

 review and reflect on the organisation of the outdoor provision, for example, by providing younger children with a defined area to play within.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and use this to support all children in their learning. Staff are deployed accordingly, enthusiastic and help children settle very quickly. For example, staff provide resources and activities that are tailored to children's individual interests and as a result of this, children become engrossed in their learning and feel secure within their environment. Children explore and investigate an exceptional range of new experiences each day. For example, in the 'tiddler' room, children enjoy exploring their sensory development by mixing flour, water and glitter together. The indoor learning environment is well organised and resourced, and children access it very well. However, there is scope to improve the organisation of the outdoor area to ensure that younger children's outdoor experiences are fully optimised.

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who attend

Children's holistic learning and development is supported well. Children receive a good balance between adult- and child-led activities which prepare them well for their next stage of learning, such as moving on to school. However, on occasion, staff do not always provide adequate challenge to enhance children's phonological acquisition further; through demonstrating the correct way to blend and segment sounds. Staff carry out regular assessments and observations on children to inform planning and share these with parents. Planning, interventions and targets are robust and consistent; children's next steps are clearly identified and children's progress is tracked effectively. As a result, staff quickly identify individual interests, highlighting particular strengths and weaknesses in learning. For example, staff noted that older children took a particular interest in the 'construction area' outside and children asked staff if they could have real building bricks.

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who attend

Staff acted upon these interests, and extended children's learning further through providing an abundance of construction materials, such as cones, barriers and real bricks. As a result of this, children become engrossed in their play and gain first-hand experiences of natural and raw materials. Parents are kept well informed of their child's learning and development through progress reports and assessments. A daily and weekly dialogue between parents and staff embeds learning from home to the setting further. Teaching is consistently good and systems for evaluating staff practice are well established.

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who attend

Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by the team of caring and experienced staff. Management have appointed joint Special Educational Needs Coordinators who form part of a multi-disciplinary team, in providing the best opportunities and outcomes for children with identified needs. Regular meetings are held with other professionals to ensure continuity of care and learning takes place. Children who have been identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities have comprehensive support and interventions put in place, such as individual educational plans and one-to-one support. Cohort trackers indicate that these groups of children are making steady progress relative to their starting points and capabilities. Staff use sign language to support children's language and communication skills and they are committed to meeting the diverse needs of all children within their care. The use of bilingual staff

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who attend

further supports the inclusion of children who speak English as an additional language and helps all children learn to value each other's languages.

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

Effective key person systems are in place to ensure good relationships are formed with children and parents. The setting has devised a co-key person system in order for children to become familiar with other staff members, in the event of a key person being absent. Key persons are given adequate time to form a secure bond with their key child and parents, as a result, staff know their children well. Detailed information is obtained from parents about their child upon entry and used effectively to identify children's starting points. For example, parents highlight their children's interests, abilities, likes and dislikes which allows staff members to gain a holistic paradigm of each child's developmental stage and provide enriched and challenging experiences. All children enjoy the quality time they spend with their key person and engage in a variety of activities. For example, younger children listen attentively to vocal sounds and respond to facial expressions

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

during a reading activity. Older children happily engage in a carpet time activity, where they select nursery rhymes to sing, clap and count. All staff members are consistent in the care that they provide and are affectionate towards children. Staff reward children's achievements with praise, encouragement and embrace them with cuddles. Children feel safe and secure within their environments and are confident explorers.

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

Children's behaviour is good and staff have a consistent approach in the behaviour management system. Staff fully understand the significance of rewarding children and this is done through praise and stickers and is shared with parents. Children are developing a good awareness to healthy practices, for example, pre-school children understand the significance of washing their hands before meal times. Children are provided with a range of healthy meals and snacks that are tailored to individual dietary requirements. Children are provided with fresh drinking water and fruit throughout the day. Children's independence skills are good, older children tidy toys away after them, sweep up, put their coats on and wipe tables. Children have a strong sense of belonging to their rooms and are aware of how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, while children are walking down stairs, they remind each other to hold onto the rails and walk slowly.

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

Further to this, children in the toddler room pick up books and cars that are on the floor so that no one falls over them. Staff have arranged visits from the local police, fire service and school crossing patrols to add to the awareness of keeping themselves safe. As a result of this, children re-enact traffic safety in the outdoor area, focusing on traffic lights and what each sequence means.

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

Children's care and well-being is at the forefront of staff practices. Staff sensitively support children during the settling-in process and when moving to different rooms. For example, key persons are provided with allocated time to bond and help children feel emotionally secure within their new surroundings. Key person groups are regularly reviewed by senior members of staff and are grouped in accordance to children's individual needs. Effective support is provided by staff to ensure that pre-school children are effectively prepared for their progression on to school. For example, they are provided with opportunities to meet their new teachers, who are encouraged to visit the setting to observe children in an environment in which they feel secure in. All transitions are very well supported and staff provide extra support when children are moving to school, for example, staff provide children with role-play opportunities, photographs of teachers and their new surroundings;

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

then accompany them on visits to their new setting. Staff celebrate children's transition from pre-school to school with a special 'graduation event', where parents and family members are invited and a number activities, such as face painting, cake decorating and bouncy castles are provided.

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provision

Children are very well safeguarded due to the stringent policies and procedures and meticulous suitability checks the management implements. Staff prioritise children's safety at all times and have a good understanding of how to protect children in their care. Staff have attended relevant safeguarding training and fully understand the procedures to follow if they have a concern around a child's safety. Management effectively implement robust systems to monitor staffs' knowledge and understanding around safeguarding, through scenarios and questioning. Effective systems are in place for checking the identification of visitors to the setting, for example, on the day of the inspection, the inspector's identification was looked at and questioned to whether he had a mobile phone on his person, to leave it within the office area. Further to this, the inspector was asked to read the nursery's code of conduct before signing the visitors' file. Management are fully

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provision

aware of their responsibilities to notify Ofsted of any significant changes or events. They are committed to ensuring that children's safety is given the upmost of importance at all times. For example, daily monitoring of registers for children and staff ensures that the correct ratios and deployment of staff are maintained at all times. Staff regularly count children and have an open dialogue with each other about the number of children within the different rooms; the numbers are then subsequently recorded on the wall for all to see. Documentation, policies and procedures accentuate managements' understanding of the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and ensure staff are fully aware of any current changes. For example, a comprehensive policy on the use of mobile phones and cameras has been updated and distributed to staff members. Robust systems, including monitoring the security of the nursery, are implemented to identify any potential

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provision

danger or risk to children. A comprehensive set of risk assessments for indoors and outdoors, fully ensures that children's safety is not compromised. Daily risk assessments are recorded and any potential hazards are noted and relevant action taken. Stringent cleaning routines of the rooms, equipment and resources are effectively implemented.

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provision

Recruitment and vetting procedures are very effective and follow a robust system which the nursery's business manager has devised. This incorporates a stringent application process and detailed evidence checks take place, such as previous employment records, suitability references and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Furthermore, management regularly review and monitor staffs' ongoing suitability to work with children. The management team are committed and have an intrinsic passion to drive forward improvements and meet targets for future practice. For example, since the last inspection, the nursery has met all the previous recommendations and has devised a number of improvement plans, such as devising a tracking system that clearly indicates each child's progress across the seven areas of learning and monitors children's attainment towards the early learning goals. All staff members are aware of the improvement plans and seek

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provision

for further ways to improve professional practice and the service which they provide to children and parents. Children's learning and development is closely monitored by management and timely interventions are put in place to meet children's individual developmental needs. As a result of this, children are making good progress over time. Management have a clear model of how to push forward the nursery and have devised a number of strategies, such as liaising with other professionals, monitoring and evaluating services provided and assessing teaching and learning that takes place. Targets are set to ensure weaknesses and strengths are addressed appropriately. Observations, assessments and discussions with children and parents ensure their views are taken into consideration. For example, one parent had asked for the nursery to put additional measures in place on the stairs to ensure her child could concentrate when walking up and down them.

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provision

Management quickly responded to this and included footprints on each stair as a focus. Views from parents are also sought through daily conversations, communication books, suggestion boxes, parents' evening and parental questionnaires, which are distributed annually, further promoting effective parental partnerships.

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provision

Partnership working is well embedded within the nursery. Staff have a thorough understanding of the importance of working with a number of agencies to meet the holistic needs of children within their care. Effective measures to engage parents within the nursery are in place and parents spoken to on the day of the inspection, speak highly in the care and learning that their children receive. Staff have developed good links with the community and a number of 'special visitors' work closely with the nursery, such as the fire service. Parents are invited into the nursery to share skills, such as baking and language skills. Parents are provided with detailed information about their children's day- to-day routine and events at the nursery. A comprehensive parents' and carers' board in the main reception, provides an extensive range of useful information, including how to contact Ofsted if a concern has arisen.

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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 EY362226 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 945548

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 59 Name of provider Bernadette Devine Date of previous inspection 30/09/2008 Telephone number 0161 491 5121

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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

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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