Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bromsgrove

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bromsgrove 19 Stoke Road, Aston Fields, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 3EQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27/03/2014 22/11/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Educational programmes provide interesting and challenging experiences across all the areas of learning that help children to make good progress towards the early learning goals.  Children are well safeguarded. This is because the premises are kept secure and staff and management are knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities for keeping children safe.  Caring staff get to know the children and their families well. This helps children form secure emotional attachments and promotes their well-being effectively.  The leadership and management of the nursery is good. They demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the quality of care and teaching by honest, reflective practice and implementing action plans.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Performance management is good, however, it is not firmly embedded to demonstrate how the good quality teaching is continually monitored. Staff are well organised, but there are times when children have to wait because staff are not fully prepared.  There is scope to extend opportunities for parents to review their children's learning records, so a more complete picture of children's overall development is obtained.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all rooms including the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with parents, staff and children and held a joint meeting with the regional manager and nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentations, including children's learning records and a range of policies and procedures.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bess Day Nursery originally was registered in 2000 on the Early Years Register. It is managed by the Busy Bees nursery chain. The nursery is situated in purpose built premises in the Aston Fields district of Bromsgrove. It serves the local and surrounding areas and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 25 members of childcare staff. Of these, 17 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 3, including one who is qualified to degree status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.45am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 125 children on roll who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 further enhance performance management and monitoring procedures to ensure that the good quality of teaching continues to be monitored and the information is used to shape staff's professional development in the future

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

 review the organisation of routines during the day so changes between different areas run smoothly and children are not kept waiting

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

 create even more opportunities for parents and children to review and add to their learning records so that a more complete picture of children's development is obtained.

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who attend

All children make good progress in their learning and development. This is because staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff plan play and activities around the children's interests. These are varied and cover all areas of learning and include an appropriate balance of child-initiated and adult-directed play. As a result, children benefit from a combination of experiences that include those led by adults, and learning from their own play. This is also applicable to the planning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, which identifies their specific learning and development needs and how these will be supported. For example, through one-to-one interaction with key staff, and activities delivered in small groups. Staff work closely with parents to learn about their child's interests and experiences so they can extend this further at the nursery. They effectively

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who attend

use initial observations as well as valuable information from parents, to assess babies' and children's starting points and therefore are able to monitor how they progress. Staff regularly observe where children are in their learning, assessing this in order to identify the next steps in their learning. These identified next steps inform the planning of future activities, which help to ensure they are meaningful to children and reflect their stage of development. Staff and management closely monitor and track children's progress and record this in their individual learning records. Photographs of children achieving and pieces of their work are also included in their folders. Parents are invited to review and add to them. However, there is room to further extend ways for parent to do this, so a more complete picture of children's overall development is obtained. Staff are completing the required progress check at age two for each child and these are shared with parents.

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who attend

Babies and younger children are cared for in their own age groups and in their own rooms. This helps them build good relationships with the staff who care for them. The rooms are homely, stimulating and provide children with lots of opportunities to play with developmentally appropriate toys and resources which aid their learning and development. For example, very young children explore very large shiny pebbles and investigate the sand tray by making patterns with the wheels of the cars. They enjoy operating mechanical toys, turning knobs, lifting flaps and pushing buttons to achieve effects, such as making sounds or movements. Young children enjoy building very large towers with equally large foam bricks; they think carefully how to stop it from falling down. For example, a young child, places a staff member's hand on the bottom brick to hold it in place. The staff member supports the activity well by holding the brick and allowing the

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who attend

child to continue with his play. Effective use of group sessions, such as singing and story time help to develop children's social skills, as well as communication and language development. For example, children keep to the beat as they happily sing each other's name and pass the drum around. Children use their imagination throughout their play. Young children pretend to wash up plates, carefully stacking them on the side. Older children cook tea, announcing 'look I'm frying an egg'. Children enjoy dressing up, wearing a high visibility jacket before using a selection of construction resources.

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who attend

Staff effectively model the use of developmentally appropriate language during the children's play and activities, which helps to extend children's vocabulary. For example, staff in the baby room use associative sounds, such as 'brrum' when playing with the cars. Older children explore various textures, shape and space as they make cakes, concentrating as they stir the mixture. Staff use suitable questions to extend their learning which help them think and explore. For example, staff ask children if they make cakes at home before asking them to describe the mix. Children are keen to tell staff of their experiences at home and a child confidently declares, 'it's gooey'. This interaction supports children to make links to their home life, as well as promoting communication skills, self- confidence and self-esteem, skills which are needed in readiness for school. Early writing opportunities are available throughout the nursery and there is a clear emphasis in

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who attend

developing children's mark making skills. Staff teach children how to hold a pencil correctly and support younger children by encouraging them to use the large chunky chalks. Large indoor and outdoor chalkboards, painting easels and a writing table with a range of accessible material are all made available for children to practise their writing skills. Children are developing a good range of physical skills. The nursery has a well-resourced outdoor area, which contains a number of open-ended resources, such as crates and pipes, as well as climbing apparatus, along with sand and water play. Children use a selection of ride on toys, carefully manoeuvring around. In addition, all children are encouraged to join in playing the parachute game. They listen for their name before running under the parachute. Games such as this promote the children's listening and understanding skills, as well as helping them to learn how to work as part of a team.

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

Children's emotional well-being is good. Staff show a good understanding of their role in building secure attachments with babies and children. Consequently, staff have established a sound key person system that ensures that babies and children receive the emotional support they require when they first start at the nursery and as they progress from room to room. Staff ensure parents are included in the transition process and both agree on a suitable schedule of settling-in, which is done over a period of time to ease any distress. Staff share transition records with the next key person when children move rooms. Parents are also invited to add comments, such as current interests at home so that staff can ensure these are included in future planning. Consequently, children soon settle and enjoy their time at the nursery. The nursery has good partnerships with the local schools. During the summer term, reception teachers are invited into the nursery so

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

they can see the children in their own environment and to discuss their individual needs with the child's key person. As a result, the transition between nursery and school is a positive experience for the children.

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

All rooms are warm, welcoming and well organised and staff organise play and resources well. However, there is scope to review the organisation at times of transition to ensure that children are not kept waiting and are kept engaged during routines, such as mealtimes and the flow between indoor and outdoor play. Babies and young children have suitable space to practise moving around in different ways, which supports their drive to stand and walk. Staff support younger children with their toilet training needs and work closely with parents to ensure children are ready for this next stage. Older children confidently manage their personal self-care needs but staff are always nearby to remind them to use the bathroom. They also encourage children to wash their hands before mealtimes and after using the toilet. Staff conduct daily risk assessments and checks in all areas of the nursery rooms including outdoors, which means that any hazards are

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

minimised straight away. The nursery promotes a balanced and healthy lifestyle for all children. Healthy snacks and drinking water are available for children throughout the day as part of the daily routine along with their main cooked meal. The nursery has an onsite cook who ensures that all dietary needs and requirements are fully catered for. After lunch, babies and toddlers have a rest within their designated sleep areas, which is important for their physical well-being. The older children have access to a quiet area where they too can sit comfortably and relax. Children have plenty of opportunity to exercise and regularly access fresh air. Some rooms are fortunate to have free-flow access to their own enclosed outdoor area. Children learn to run, climb and balance while exploring a range of outdoor play equipment. Children's behaviour during the inspection was good. Staff are good role models and give children

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

clear guidance as to what is expected from them. Children learn about boundaries and show an increasingly good understanding about being kind towards others by sharing resources and turn taking. Children are polite and show consideration towards the feelings of other children. For example, during the baking activity, a child offers the spoon to another child so he too can stir. The children are beginning to develop an understanding of the world, different people and communities. During outdoor play, the children excitedly watch workman and their construction equipment digging and building. They celebrate various events, such as Mothering Sunday by inviting Mums in to nursery for tea and cake. These experiences help children to begin to understand about their community, as well as learning to be sociable with others. Children are beginning to learn about their own safety, because staff talk to them about dangers. For example, they are reminded not to climb on

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

chairs and that they must hold the stair rail when going up or down the stairs.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery is very good because the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and management and accountability arrangements are fully understood. Children are safeguarded well. All policies are in place and the nursery has written risk assessments, which are regularly reviewed. Children take part in regular fire drills and these are recorded in the fire log book. The manager and area manager have regular meetings with staff to discuss safeguarding procedures, including whistleblowing. Also at these meetings the manager monitors staff's understanding of policies and procedures by having them complete questionnaires which she then checks to ensure their competence. Recruitment procedures are robust, and they follow company policies which include safer recruitment procedures being implemented. All staff are checked thoroughly before being employed. Staff who have not received final clearance

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provision

are not left unsupervised and are not allowed to change nappies. The manager ensures that all rooms in which these staff may be deployed are fully aware of this. Other procedures to further protect children, such as, secure doors and perimeter fencing, safe collection systems and seeking all necessary information at registration, are thoroughly carried out.

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provision

The nursery appointed a new manager in November last year. She, along with the area manager, has introduced a number of strategies to enhance staffs skills, these include mentoring, team meetings, appraisals and in-house training. However, although there are good performance management procedures, there is scope to enrich these further through the use of peer-on-peer observations to ensure that the already good quality teaching is continuously monitored and information gained is used to shapes staff's professional development in the future. All staff, including relief staff and students, have gone through a comprehensive induction programme. Staff receive ongoing support from management through one-to-one supervisions and recently introduced appraisals. This helps management to identify any concerns earlier on and offer appropriate support where needed. Induction procedures and probation periods are implemented for new staff. In

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provision

addition, appraisals are used to access staff's ongoing suitability which include health declarations, as well as to identify any areas for improvement. There is an effective programme of professional development which helps staff to improve their knowledge, understanding and practice. Management have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. Staff plan purposeful play around the children's individual interests and provide challenging next steps for each child. As a result, children make good progress in their learning. The management team have recently introduced a tracking system which can effectively monitor each child's progress. In addition, the tracker system allows the management to monitor the achievement of children within specific groups, such as ages and gender, as well as being able to monitor each rooms overall attainment.

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provision

The management and staff team value the importance of continuous improvement. They demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the quality of care and teaching by honest, reflective practice and implementing action plans with their team. They have embraced the support from the local authority and with their guidance have completed a focused improvement plan which focuses on ensuring that children, where possible, can freely move between the indoor and outdoor learning environment, along with supporting staff's understanding of the characteristics of effective learning. Partnerships with other professionals are effective and staff work closely with them in order to help children who need additional support. Equally, partnerships with parents are strong. Staff spend time with parents at the beginning and end of the day, advising them about their children's activities and care needs. As a result, parents are kept informed about their children's

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provision

progress. The Busy Bee's company send questionnaires to parents electronically to improve provision. In addition, the nursery has a complaints policy which is clearly displayed in reception. Parents' comments during the inspection show they are happy with the care and education offered to their children, and children themselves are happy and content within the familiar environment.

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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 205167 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 965452

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 86 Number of children on roll 125 Name of provider Busy Bees Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 22/11/2012 Telephone number 01527 575375

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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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