Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Former Garrison Theatre, Circular Road South, COLCHESTER, CO2 7UF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/03/2014 20/05/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children's progress is consistently excellent across all areas of learning because staff carefully consider each child's learning needs. They plan exciting, stimulating activities offered within an outstanding, exceptionally well-resourced indoor and outside environment, so that children's development is fully promoted.  Children's emotional well-being is strongly promoted because they form firm and meaningful attachments to the adults caring for them. This enables them to develop the confidence to engage in their surroundings, actively exploring and learning.  All aspects of safeguarding children is fully considered at all times. Parents are reassured that their children are always safe, secure and free from harm and the nursery environment is exceptionally well planned and resourced, so children can move between areas freely and safely.  The owner, manager and senior staff team share a clear vision and ethos for the

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This provision is outstanding

nursery, striving for excellence at all times. Staff are highly motivated and celebrate the achievements of the children they care for, creating a purposeful, positive ambiance throughout the nursery.

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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 interacted with children in the playrooms and in the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the provider and the manager, and carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation including evidence of staff checks, the complaints record, some policies and children's development profiles.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents gathered in advance of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in newly renovated premises in Colchester, Essex. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from four large playrooms on two levels and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 7pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 128 children attending, of whom 125 are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities. The nursery employs 20 members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. One member of staff has

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Information about the setting

Qualified Teacher Status and three members of staff have early Years Degree status.

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

 enhance the already excellent provision for outside play to include a wider range of open-ended and natural resources to fully encourage children's creativity and problem-solving skills.

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who attend

All children at Butterfly Blue make outstanding progress in their learning and development. They are extremely well prepared for school and the next stages in their learning. This is because the staff team has an exceptionally strong understanding of how children learn, enabling them to plan and deliver a very full and stimulating programme of activities. All children in the pre-school age group, from three years of age, have planned sessions in the nursery's school room with a qualified early years teacher. This recent innovation provides meticulously planned sessions for pre-schoolers and offers streamlined, highly integrated activities with an emphasis on literacy and numeracy, based on very interactive learning. This might include elements of drama, singing, physical activity and science experiments in any session. Children thereby develop ideas and consolidate their understanding through very active play, indoors and outside. For example, children learn

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who attend

letter sounds through a structured phonics programme, which uses repetition, songs and actions based on each sound's 'character'. Children then use their knowledge to develop their ideas in role play and small world play, thinking about the characters that each sound represents. They learn to recognise and order numerals to ten and beyond, then arrange numeral tiles or play hopscotch outside, or use a variety of appealing mathematical resources and table top games to reinforce their understanding. Every child benefits from these well-paced 'school room' sessions which are in contrast to their less structured free play sessions. Staff understand fully that children benefit from this approach, which keeps them enthusiastic and keen to learn. They plan together to ensure that they consistently apply effective teaching methods, such as, open questioning, following children's leads and interests, and maintaining a broadly based educational programme. The practical

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who attend

elements, such as, understanding and following simple routines and managing their own needs, are also included. Children are given time to change their shoes and put on their coats, they manage their lunchboxes and become fully independent in hand washing and using the bathroom. This means they will start school with a confidence and understanding which will enable them to settle quickly and make the best possible progress. Once the final term at nursery approaches, children are introduced to their future schools either through visits, or with photograph books, around which discussions can take place to answer any questions and allay anxieties.

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who attend

Children demonstrate their confidence and enthusiasm to engage with their environment as they select resources, such as coloured cylinders full of colour matched treasures, or explore the two-tier indoor play house, which is well equipped with domestic style equipment to encourage children to act out familiar home situations. Younger children relish the freedom that outdoor play provides. They excitedly water the vegetable seeds they have planted and then flutter around the garden with their sparkly butterflies. A child says 'this is the mummy and this is the baby'. Later, back in their room, the children match mother and baby animal pictures, consolidating their understanding as they find a pairing. Babies are very relaxed because they enjoy a good ratio of qualified, caring staff, ensuring they receive sufficient attention and develop in all the prime areas very well. Staff interpret babies gestures and other pre-verbal communication well and encourage

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who attend

them to experience different materials, textures and colours to stimulate all their senses. There are treasure baskets to explore and cosy spaces to curl up in. A baby is fascinated by a tray of flour placed on the floor with a variety of containers. She squats down to play with the flour, scooping some up, feeling it in her hands and showing intense concentration for a good period of time. Different sensory materials are provided every day, so babies' and young children's innate curiosity with the world around them is constantly stimulated. These materials are often food based so that they are safe for the youngest children to explore with their mouths. The baby room has its own attached garden, with soft, safe faux grass underfoot, so babies experience fresh air and free movement for a large part of their day. They can learn to pull themselves up, balance and develop their physical skills very well on the excellent, safe equipment provided. Their

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who attend

contented babble, smiles and squeals of delight demonstrate their confidence and attachment to the staff caring for them. Cuddles and reassurance are freely given with genuine warmth and affection, giving the babies a sense of belonging and promoting their emotional well-being, enabling them to benefit from their time at the nursery.

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who attend

Every child's progress is meticulously tracked and their achievements recorded. Initially, the key person does this and all records are overseen by the manager, who collates every record centrally. This enables her to then compare the progress of different groups of children across the nursery. Any gaps, or individuals making less good progress, can be pinpointed accurately and strategies put in place to support them. All children have a progress check at age two, the results of which are shared with parents. Any child not reaching expected levels of development at this stage can be assessed and additional help sought to help maximise their learning potential. For children with identified special educational needs, every effort is made to secure assistance. The manager works tirelessly, alongside parents, to pursue outside help from appropriate professional bodies and supports children while they are awaiting assessments, or the funding for one to one

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who attend

For all children, the exceptionally strong partnership with parents is seen as key to children's successful care and learning. From the earliest days, parents' views and wishes are considered and the two-way flow of information encouraged. Many avenues, including emails, social network pages, letters, well-maintained notice boards and daily face-to-face discussions, ensure that no parent is less well informed about any aspect of nursery life. The professionally produced monthly newsletter is available in various formats and parents state that they enjoy being able to stay in touch while on the move, as many are leading very busy lives. Regular surveys are issued to seek parents' views and they provide information which the management can use to continuously reflect and evaluate practice. For example, parents reported that they would like more opportunities to be involved and see the nursery at weekends, so memorable family fun days are now held on Saturdays,

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who attend

allowing mums, dads and other family members to share in their child's nursery life. Formal interviews are offered on a termly basis, when parents can have in-depth discussions with their child's key person and find out about what next steps in learning they can help with at home. Other innovative practice includes the appealing soft toy characters matched to each room, which children can take home for adventures. The caterpillar, ladybird, butterfly and bumble bee accompany children on visits, such as to the dentist, on holiday or to the park, and parents take photographs to contribute to a scrapbook-style journal. This creates a strong home/nursery link and children love sharing these with their friends and the staff in their rooms. A parent forum invites parents to be involved in all the major developments and proposals to add facilities and resources, again ensuring they are fully consulted and their views considered. An after school facility is

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who attend

available and is proving popular with parents who have children at local primary schools. The children enjoy use of the school room, as it is free at this time of day, where they can relax after school and enjoy games and books, have a snack and do homework if they need to in a supported environment. There are plans in place to develop this aspect of the nursery's services as numbers of children attending pick up.

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

Every child at Butterfly Blue is valued and their individual care needs considered. A highly inclusive ethos ensures that children's unique home circumstances, including their individual health and medical needs and their stages of learning and development, have the highest priority. All staff are passionate and committed to maintaining excellent relationships with their key children and their families. The key person relationship is central in maintaining the effective partnerships with parents. Newly arriving staff undergo an induction programme before they are given the responsibility of a key group, to ensure that they are fully familiar with the nursery's policies, procedures and all operational plans. This includes how to complete the children's development profile, or 'learning journey', which forms the record of their achievement and contributes towards future planning and next steps in learning. The key persons form the main point of contact for families and

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

help to build a firm relationship from the earliest days of a child's attendance. At each transition, information is passed to the next room, so the next key person can provide a seamless move and maintain stability and continuity for the child.

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

Children are thereby confident and able to engage meaningfully with their surroundings to benefit from the exceptional nursery environment. The furniture and resources are all of the highest quality, matched to children's sizes and developmental stages, so they are able to move about safely and confidently and access the resources they wish to use. Low-level units, transparent boxes and labelled containers all help children become independent and able to make choices. The outside area is safe with its faux grass and features, such as, a large sandpit, sensory garden and large pirate ship for climbing, provide a stimulating play and learning environment. There is space for wheeled toys and the railings can support colourful additions, such as streamers. Currently, fewer open- ended and natural resources are offered, which would further extend children's imagination and creativity.

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

Children's learn about and participate in many activities which will enable them to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while attending the nursery. For example, they all enjoy hearty, healthy snacks and nutritionally balanced meals, prepared in-house from fresh ingredients. The meals are served in the care rooms, with staff sitting and supporting the children. On warmer days, a picnic snack time in the garden is exciting and fun. Fresh drinking water is available to all children, in appropriate cups or named beakers, keeping them hydrated at all times. They can rest or sleep as required, as cosy spaces or separate sleep rooms are available for every age group. Babies are monitored constantly when asleep and no child is left unattended at any time, keeping them safe. After lunch, children are supervised in cleaning their teeth and taught why this is important for their dental health. If a child becomes unwell or has a minor accident, care is given and they are looked after until

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

collected, or simple first aid is applied. All accidents are recorded and the entry signed by a parent, the same applies to any medication administered. Fresh air and exercise are featured daily for every child. There are double and triple buggies so babies and young toddlers can enjoy walks around the area and all children have at least two sessions of outdoor play daily, because staff recognise the importance of this for children's all-round development.

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provision

Safeguarding of every child is paramount and the manager has completed higher level training to take a lead role in ensuring that all staff are enabled to manage concerns appropriately and in a timely way to protect children from any harm or abuse. Security at the nursery is strictly maintained and all visitors to the premises are screened and signed in and out. All staff have rigorous recruitment and induction procedures to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities and all are checked and vetted for their suitability to work with children. Overall, the staff team are highly qualified, with three members of staff holding an early years degree and one being a qualified teacher. All staff have ongoing supervision carried out by senior staff, and regular formal appraisals. This serves to identify staff's strengths and areas for development or training. Many training sessions are delivered in-house, ensuring a consistent approach and level of

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provision

understanding. In turn, this helps the nursery to run smoothly. Staff morale is high and there is a strong sense of team spirit throughout. All staff spoken to during the inspection comment that they are proud to work at the nursery and contribute to the well-being and development of the children. All areas are bright, spacious, scrupulously clean and well maintained. Risk assessments and checks keep the environment safe and secure, so children can freely and safely move between rooms and use the outdoor area. The high quality of the nursery environment contributes positively to children's experience and staff's feelings of pride in their workplace.

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provision

The manager is passionate about her role in providing excellent care and education to children. She strives, supported by the owner and directors, to constantly improve the nursery environment and outcomes for children. This is achieved by reflecting and evaluating all aspects of the nursery and initiating new ideas and practices which enhance children's experiences. The manager takes a central role in overseeing the planning, assessment and recording of children's achievements. By maintaining a consistently high standard of teaching in all rooms, children's progress is maximised. This is based on a firm foundation and understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, shared by all staff. Children, therefore, benefit from a range of teaching approaches which accommodate their personal learning styles and individual preferences. Staff say that some children work well individually while others prefer a group approach, or in friendship

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provision

groups. All agree that children benefit hugely from outdoor play and learning, so ensure that they have frequent outdoor sessions with stimulating resources and planned, focused activities to keep them active and engaged.

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provision

Partnership working is embedded in the nursery's day to day practice. Relationships with parents and carers are nurtured and where outside professional help will benefit a child, this is sought. The manager plays a key role in assisting some families to secure the support for their child and assists with form-filling and any procedures required to move the process along, as she understands that it is vital to get the help in as early as possible to help the children fulfil their potential. This can be frustrating at times, as services are patchy and response times are occasionally less than favourable, but by offering continuous care the children's best interests are served at all times. Any concerns brought to the attention of the manager and provider are dealt with promptly in line with the nursery's complaints procedure. A copy of this, along with all other policies and procedures, is readily available to all parents; a set is held in the entrance foyer and

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provision

policies are featured on a monthly basis when they are updated or amended. This ensures that parents have an up-to-date understanding of how the nursery operates. This outstanding nursery has made huge strides since opening a year ago and expanded rapidly due to word of mouth recommendations and a rise in housing in the immediate area. The location of the nursery means that it attracts children from military families, so their unique needs are taken into consideration. For example, families move about and are posted at short notice, so a settling-in period can be difficult to organise for some families where parents need a care arrangement in place speedily. The provider and manager ensure they have all essential information and at least a couple of accompanied visits before children are left for the first time, as anything less would compromise their welfare. Children here make the best possible progress because all aspects of their care and

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 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 EY455971 Local authority Essex Inspection number 954506 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 88 Number of children on roll 128 Name of provider Butterfly Blue Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 20/05/2013 Telephone number 01206764191

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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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