Busy Bees@Maidenhead

Positive Steps Day Nursery St Joseph's Church, Cookham Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7EG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/01/2014 05/11/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: Requires Improvement 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff have implemented new ideas and designs to create a learning environment, which stimulates children and helps them to learn. Children make steady progress.  Children are safeguarded because all staff demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities for child protection. Ongoing risk- assessments ensure that any potential hazards are identified and minimised.  Management has made a number of positive changes since the last inspection. Accurate self-evaluation and the staff's drive for improvement is set by a clear plan that supports positive outcomes for children.

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It is not yet good because

 There are times when staff do not always give children the freedom and opportunity to find their own solutions to problems as they play. This reduces opportunities to challenge children to build on their skills and learn through trial and error.  Staff do not consistently maintain an accurate record of children's daily attendance.

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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 of the rooms within the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the area management team and the nursery manager and undertook a joint observation of activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to members of the staff team about the progress of their key children and their understanding of the nursery's policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's observation, tracking and assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working with children in the nursery and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers by analysing information from the parent's questionnaires and talking to parents.

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Information about the setting

Positive Steps Day Nursery registered in 2003. It is one of seven nurseries run by Positive Steps Children's Day Nurseries Limited. It operates from five rooms over two floors in St Joseph's Centre, situated close to the centre of Maidenhead, Berkshire. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and is caring for 116 children in the early years age range. It is also registered on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register, although there are no older children currently on roll. The nursery supports children learning English as an additional language. It is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.15pm for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. The nursery employs 21 staff, of whom 14 hold relevant qualifications at level

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Information about the setting

3. The manager holds a degree in Early Years Education and the nursery employ a pre- school teacher who has qualified teacher status. A number of peripatetic staff deliver weekly French and music and movement classes.

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must:

 ensure the teaching practice is consistent in all rooms to provide sufficient challenge for children in their learning

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must:

 maintain the daily record of the names of the children being cared for on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of each child's key person

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who attend

Children make steady progress in relation to their starting points. They appear happy and suitably settled in this friendly environment. Staff gather information from parents on entry about children's favourite activities and their individual interests, and this information along with subsequent observations is used to plan for children's future learning. Children's ongoing progress is tracked through a continuous assessment of their achievements. Staff complete regular summaries of children's learning, including the progress check at age two years. This helps staff to support the children to make progress in their learning and development, as their specific needs are recognised and planned for. Children's learning journey records contain a wide range of information, including photographs, detailed observations and examples of their work. Staff confidently discuss their understanding of each child in their care and know their key children well. They

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who attend

demonstrate a suitable awareness of their preferred learning styles and how to support these in their play. Good levels of information are shared with parents and they value parents' input. Staff share weekly information about how they can help their child's learning through simple activities at home. Consequently, any gaps in learning are identified through this partnership and additional support sought if necessary, to enable all children to achieve their full potential.

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who attend

Appropriate levels of support are provided by staff to ensure children have opportunities to make steady progress in their learning and development. While the tracking and assessment of children's progress in the nursery is generally secure, the quality of teaching requires some improvement. This is because teaching is variable across the nursery, particularly across the two older age ranges, which have been subject to some staff changes in recent months. Although children enjoy the activities on offer and engage suitably with staff during them, staff do not make the most of the opportunities to extend learning. For example, some staff tend to sit with the children and talk to them in their play and ask some questions to make them think. However, other staff ask questions that are too general during the play, which does not extend learning for more able children. Some other staff are too quick to model or provide children with the answer instead of

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who attend

giving them the opportunity to find out for themselves. Nevertheless, children enjoy the attention they receive from staff and the activities on offer. Overall they make sound progress in their learning given their starting points.

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who attend

Planning develops from children's individual interests and preferences. Staff encourage children to develop activities for themselves. They ensure that these interests feed into weekly planning because they recognise that this best motivates and engages children in their learning. Children recognise shape and colour as they skilfully complete jigsaw puzzles. Older children link sounds to letters and start to spell out simple words. This is suitably supported by staff who are gaining their confidence in the correct pronunciation of phonic sounds and how to model handwriting to children. Children enjoy one to one work with staff. Children show their confidence in early counting skills, as they use an abacus to calculate basic numeracy problems such as adding up and taking away numbers, with the help of staff. The use of technology is becoming embedded into everyday practice and make children use of a 'smart table' and computers with some

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who attend

success, although the lack of adult guidance, sometimes limits the enjoyment of these activities.

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who attend

There is a suitable focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills. Staff sit with babies talking or using sign language to discuss what they are doing. They role-model language and encourage the younger children to repeat words to build their vocabulary or sign to communicate their needs. Older children confidently use more complex sentences and confidently talk about their experiences, connect ideas and explain what is happening. Staff encourage children who learn English as an additional language, and very young children, to communicate their needs. For example, they use pictures, props, symbols and sign language to reinforce their communication skills. Where children's starting points are below those of other children of their age, particularly in communication, assessment shows they are improving consistently over a sustained period and the gap is closing. This means that the strategies that staff are using are

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who attend

effective in ensuring that they have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning and their move to school.

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who attend

Parents are kept well informed of their child's progress and are fully involved in their children's learning. They receive daily information about the activities children are involved in and formal arrangements are in place for sharing children's learning folder. Parents and carers are encouraged to continue their child's learning at home and contribute to the assessment and planning process through comments in children's learning records or through observations of activities at home which they share with staff on the 'Wow' moments board.

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

Children are happy to come to nursery because staff build strong, caring and respectful relationships with families. Children are beginning to form stronger attachments with key staff following revisions to the key person system after recent changes to staffing. The allocation of staff who are bi-lingual, to those children who speak the same language, helps build a sense of security and safety in rooms where they are based. Acceptable systems are in place to support children as they move rooms, such as discussions with new key persons, sharing children's developmental progress reports and settling-in visits. As a result, children experience continuity and consistency of care and learning. Overall routines, staff deployment and activities support the varying needs of the children in the nursery to a satisfactory level throughout the day, with some good practice evident across some rooms in the nursery. However, weaknesses in the systems for recording children's

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

attendance, means that their well-being is not fully promoted.

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

Access across the nursery to range of outdoor activities means that children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. The outdoors areas are accessed in all weathers and are suitably used to support learning. Plans to further enhance this area are well underway with a clear action plan in place to provide further opportunities outside, such as den building. Cosy areas within the indoor environment give children opportunities to rest and relax and play quietly. The indoor environment is well equipped with a wide range of interesting resources to promote children's natural curiosity and develop their exploratory skills. This means that children experience an adequate balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities to meet their individual learning styles and help them continue to make progress. For example, babies and young children use their senses to explore different textured objects and materials, such as sponges, in a water play and paint activity. Older

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

children investigate assorted materials and media, such as sand, water, glitter, paint and play dough.

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

Children's health and physical well-being are promoted. Children's knowledge of a healthy lifestyle is promoted as staff offer healthy snacks, and children have continuous access to drinking water. Meals are provided in accordance with parents' wishes and any allergies or dietary needs are given high priority. Suitable procedures are followed when preparing and serving the meals to ensure that they are served at an appropriate temperature. Children's health and self-care are suitably promoted as they are encouraged to attend to their own personal needs. For example, older children are becoming increasingly independent as they self-select resources, serve their own meals and manage their personal needs. Consequently, children acquire satisfactory skills, abilities and attitudes to prepare them well for their future learning and school.

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

Children enjoy music sessions, participating in action rhymes and moving and dancing in time to music. Children are provided with range of opportunities to develop their physical skills, both indoors and outdoors. For example, babies have space indoors to move, crawl, roll, stretch and reach. The environment is organised with sturdy, low-level units so that they can pull themselves up to a standing position and cruise along the furniture. Older children develop their large muscle control and coordination as they ride assorted wheeled toys, use climbing equipment and climb up and balance on the wooden play bridge.

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

Children's safety is promoted. Children talk about their own and others' safety as they play, knowing to be careful on the wet playground in case they slip. They are involved in routine activities which develop their understanding of safety, such as tidying the toys away so that others do not trip, or taking part in the fire drill which is practised regularly so they know how to swiftly exit the premises in an emergency. Appropriate action is taken to ensure accidents are kept to a minimum and staff are suitably qualified to administer treatment. Suitable procedures are followed for the administration of medication. The treatment of ongoing medical needs is suitably risk assessed and monitored.

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

Staff help children manage their behaviour as they explain about sharing, distract children with resources and talk about feelings. Since the last inspection staff have implemented a number of strategies to extend this further through the use of an emotional literacy programme of activities in the pre-school room. Although there are still some minor disagreements over resources, staff are consistently implementing these new strategies, with increasing success. This means that any incidents are managed calmly and sensitively using strategies and techniques that are appropriate to each child's level of understanding. Children now show a developing understanding of the behavioural expectations, demonstrating generally good self-control, as they listen to staff explanations, share resources and play together. The use of reward charts as a form of positive recognition recognises children's efforts and further builds their self-esteem. Overall, behaviour is

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provision

The senior management team has a suitable understanding of their responsibility to ensure that the nursery meets the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There have been many changes made since the last inspection, most notably the change in the management of the nursery and a restructuring of staff teams. This has led to a number of positive changes in the nursery. New initiatives are steadily making a difference as they become more embedded. For example, the recruitment of a qualified teacher in the pre-school room has allowed for a sharper focus on quality of teaching for this age range. The nursery employs a suitable number of qualified staff who work directly with the children and are supported by additional staff such as room helpers. This ensures that ratio's are met. Increased opportunities for children to access outdoor play has led to progress for all groups in physical development,

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provision

while aptly supporting the progress of those children who prefer to learn in an outdoor environment.

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provision

The manager, ably supported by the new deputy manager, takes overall responsibility for overseeing the educational programme in the nursery and ensuring its effective implementation. She is confident in her role and uses her knowledge, experience and skills to lead the staff team well. Suitable support systems, such as role modelling, mentoring and coaching help improve staff confidence and practice. Furthermore, as the manager oversees and regularly checks children's learning journey records, this ensures that they are up-to-date and that observations and tracking accurately reflect children's learning and progress. The motivated staff are also committed to the changes that have occurred in the nursery and as a result work well together as a team. Training has improved staff confidence in identifying and providing additional support that children may require. Robust recruitment and selection procedures, induction processes, probationary periods

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provision

and completion of checks pertaining to suitability, ensure that practitioners are suitable, safe and appropriately skilled to work with children. Staff underperformance is tackled and suitably addressed. As a result, the quality of teaching overall is becoming more consistent, especially in the pre-school and toddler rooms, as staff gain increasing confidence in how to support children's learning. However, there are still some weaknesses in teaching that means staff are not consistently challenging children in their learning.

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provision

There are sufficient staff in each room to meet the required staffing ratios requirements. Nursery rooms are open plan and the effective deployment of staff means that there are always at least two members of staff in each room and outdoors to supervise and promote children's safety. Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and know what to do and who to contact in the event of child protection concern. They have attended safeguarding training and this continues to be updated to ensure they strengthen their knowledge, understanding and skills in this area. A mobile phone and camera policy is strictly enforced in the nursery and staff are monitored to ensure phones are not used during the day or on breaks. Staff undertake daily risk assessments of all areas, resources and equipment. These are regularly reviewed as changes occur and any potential hazards are minimised through prompt action of the management team. Staff are vigilant about

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provision

children's security. There are clear arrival and collection procedures and controlled entry systems at the main entrance. Detailed and comprehensive written policies support the safe and efficient management of the nursery and ensure children's needs are suitably met. For example, the provider has a data protection policy as well as a comprehensive confidentiality policy and social networking policy. This is to ensure that staff do not share confidential information with others. Documentation is suitably maintained, although the attendance register is not always maintained. This is a breach of requirements and, although there are good levels of supervision, this has the potential to compromise children's safety. This is also a breach of the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Further documentation, such as details of accidents and incidents are suitably recorded and acted upon to ensure the ongoing safety of children in the nursery.

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provision

There are suitable systems in place to monitor and evaluate the provision. There is now a well-documented drive to strongly improve achievement for all children, which demonstrates the team's commitment for continuous development. All actions from the previous inspection have been promptly addressed, with new strategies for the management of behaviour in the pre-school room, steadily becoming embedded in daily practice. A targeted and comprehensive action plan is in place for future initiatives, which accurately reflects the current strengths and weaknesses of the nursery. As a result, practice is improving and any differences in the levels of progress children are making is steadily narrowing.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong. Children's learning journey records are shared with them and they access a wealth of information in the form of displays, photographs and regular newsletters. Parents are highly complementary about the staff and the care and education their children receive. They comment that they can confidently leave their children, knowing that they are happy and settled in their care. Parents are appreciative of the consistent information they receive about their children's development and progress, through parents' meetings and regular discussions with their child's key person. Close links with the other nurseries and schools in the local area provide staff with opportunities to gather and implement new ideas and share good practice. Staff have secured further links with outside agencies to seek advice and support for children's individual needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 keep records of the following and retain them for a period of two years: a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  keep records of the following and retain them for a period of two years: a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises and their hours of attendance (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)

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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 EY243905 Local authority Windsor & Maidenhead Inspection number 951093 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 111 Number of children on roll 116 Name of provider Positive Steps Children's Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 05/11/2013 Telephone number 01628 623777

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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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