Mama Bear's Day Nursery

Mama Bear's Day Nursery The Bush, Wells Road, Bristol, BS4 2BA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/05/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 The committed and reflective team use their good knowledge and experience to support children to settle in quickly.  Staff develop warm and supportive relationships with children building their self- confidence and positive attitudes to learning.  Staff provide good support for children who speak English as an additional language, so that all children have opportunities to make good progress.  Staff make parents feel welcomed and make time to talk with them about their child's learning and well-being on a daily basis.  Staff have a thorough knowledge of safeguarding procedures and follow them to protect children's welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff are in the early stages of developing approaches which support and parents' involvement in their children's learning at home.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the children at play in all rooms, both indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the provision with the manager and carried out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled paperwork including policies, risk assessments, children's files and staff files.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sought the views of parents through discussion and evidence displayed on notice boards.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed roles and responsibilities with staff at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Mama Bear's Day Nursery has been registered since 2013. It is one of a group of 19 nurseries in the South West of England, which are operated by the same family-owned company. The nursery operates from a converted two-storey building in the Totterdown area of Bristol, within walking distance of the city centre and Temple Meads railway station. Children are cared for in age-related play rooms with separate outdoor play areas. The nursery has a car park for parents to use.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates weekdays from 7.30am to 7pm for 50 weeks of the year. There are 169 children currently on roll.

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Information about the setting

The owners currently employ a manager and 15 staff, four of whom have Qualified Teacher Status. All staff members hold appropriate early years qualifications. A cook and cleaner are also employed.

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

 further develop approaches to engaging parents in supporting their children's learning at home

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

 continue to develop self-evaluation in partnership with parents, to identify strengths and areas for development and monitor the effectiveness of the provision for children's learning and development.

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who attend

Staff enthusiastically promote children's learning and development as they play. They teach with confidence, planning a range of learning experiences that are carefully thought out to stimulate and capture children's interests. Staff are aware of how children learn best and what activities will motivate them and provoke their curiosity. Discussions with parents about their children's interests help staff to begin to build profiles. Staff use good teaching techniques to encourage children to interact with their friends.

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who attend

The strategically-designed environment ensures that children develop in all areas of learning and that they can independently access the resources they need to fuel their exploration and ideas. For example, the mini-beast theme inspires learning in all the rooms, with resources set out to link learning. There is careful consideration of the differing abilities of children in the rooms so that all children are included. Children develop their mathematical language and understanding as they eagerly look at insect books and talk about how many legs the ladybirds have. Staff quickly seize this opportunity to add new words, such as 'magnificent' and 'incredible', to extend children's vocabulary. Children develop their language skills in an informal, fun manner; consequently, children instantly start to use these new words.

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who attend

Resources inside and outside the setting offer opportunities for all children to learn and develop at their own pace. This is because carefully selected toys offer challenge, and strategic organisation covers all the areas of learning.

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who attend

Staff support children consistently to develop their physical skills. For example, as children use tweezers to pick out small, toy penguins from a pot, they concentrate and use good hand eye coordination. This focus helps to develop attention skills and the use of their hand muscles help to develop strength for early writing skills. Children run around outside freely or ride on bikes and trikes, which promotes the development of their larger muscles. Staff encourage children to take safe risks as they race around the challenging corners of the outside area. Children concentrate and balance as they challenge each other to races. Babies have plenty of space and opportunities to crawl and learn to pull themselves up. Staff know when to support children and when to stand back and let them lead their own learning. Babies thoroughly enjoy play as they potter around their room choosing toys. Interactive toys, and those with buttons and flaps, interest babies and older children as

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who attend

they begin to learn about cause and effect. There is a good mix of adult-led and child-led activities, which gives children plenty of time to explore and think for themselves. After story time, children continue their interest in the characters they have met; they dress up as tigers and pretend to buy tiger food. The quality of the teaching is good. Staff stimulate the learning and enthuse the children.

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who attend

Children of all ages have access to the outside areas during the day; babies wear waterproof suits and immerse themselves in sensory activities outside. For example, they use wooden toys to crush cereals as they kneel around a builder's tray; the crunching noise provokes language and learning about sound. Staff teach the children to make similar crunchy noises, and they role model the sounds without inhibition. Children respond with smiles, and as they try to mimic the sounds, they are developing their language skills. Children learn about growing when they plant vegetables in the raised beds outside. They are confident to talk about what they have done and have a sense of pride and ownership: 'This is our potatoes and we can eat them, because we watered them.' They are learning about growth and responsibility, which builds their understanding of the world around them.

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who attend

Staff use detailed information to identify the level of children's language development and to track their progress. Key persons use opportunities such as informal discussions at the start and end of day to share information about individual children's progress. Development checks for two-year-old children are also completed. Staff make observations of children as they play and use this information to plan how to improve children's progress.

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

Children develop strong attachments with the staff who help them to develop their skills of independence. Children are confident, happy and secure; this is because there is complete support from a committed team that reflect on the care they offer. Babies and young children enjoy hugs and affection from the staff and this supports the bonds between them. New children, at their first session, take part in activities confidently. This is because key people ensure that optimum support helps them to feel comfortable and secure. Strong support from staff who speak and write words in children's languages, helps those learning English as an additional language to close any gaps in their development. Staff use a Spanish phrase now and then, and children who speak this language feel comforted with this. They put words and phrases in relevant languages around the room to provide an ideal environment for those learning English. This helps to build children's confidence.

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

Overall children behave well because staff are good role models and they work together to constantly remind children of simple rules. They implement the same routines and boundaries in every room, so that children experience consistency across the nursery. Staff use skilful intervention to help babies play together in a calm atmosphere. For instance, staff use distraction methods to make sure learning is uninterrupted. Children learn to share and take turns with the support of the staff. Older children learn to manage their own conflict outside, for example, by using sand timers to organise the sharing of bikes.

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

Children learn about safety during activities. For example, staff teach children to use scissors properly. Older children talk about the potential risks in the room. Staff display some of their comments around the room as posters, to remind children, for example, that 'If you stand on the chair you might fall off and hurt your body.' This gives children an idea of how to identify and manage everyday risk for themselves. Likewise, low-level sinks and easy access to toilets mean that children have every opportunity to learn to become independent. Staff provide visual support with photographs that plot the steps in the process for proper hand washing. All children take part in emergency evacuations and staff teach older children how to respond appropriately.

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

The staff take great care in helping children learn about healthy foods. Displays of the menus for meals and snacks allow parents to keep updated of what is on offer. Staff record what children eat and share this with parents daily. The nursery cook enhances the children's understanding of fresh food by placing vegetables on the tables prior to lunch. This provokes conversations about where food comes from and what they will eat at lunch time. Babies and older children serve themselves potatoes, sweetcorn and fish fingers; they do this with full support and patience from the team. Children sit nicely and the atmosphere is homely in all rooms at mealtimes, so that children relax and enjoy their food. Staff instinctively talk about the health benefits of the food and children learn good foundations for life. All staff easily identify children with specific allergies or intolerances. These are clearly marked on the named place mats for each child. This system makes sure

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

that children do not come into contact with foods that might harm them. Visual timetables and low-level displays in all rooms enable children to understand the routine and to celebrate their creative work. The displays give children, and parents, the chance to reflect on their learning and gain a sense of pride. This boosts confidence and self-esteem, which lays good foundations for when they start school.

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provision

Management has a very clear understanding of their responsibilities for the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have relevant policies and procedures in place that staff become familiar with at induction to make sure they are aware of the day to day running of the nursery.

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provision

The owner /manager has put in place robust policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection. Staff understand and implement these well. All staff have a relevant childcare qualification at level 3 or above and have a positive attitude for continued professional development. The management carry out a full Disclosure and Barring Scheme check and ask for references before they appoint new staff. All staff participate in appropriate safeguarding training to make sure they know what to do if they have concerns about a child's welfare. In-house training has made sure that this is a priority. Most staff have current paediatric first-aid certificates, with plans for remaining staff to attend training. Risk assessment is comprehensive. It covers all areas indoors and outdoors and is reviewed and updated regularly. Staff are meticulous in ensuring they sign in and out of each room and the setting as a whole. Likewise, children's attendance is

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provision

efficiently recorded throughout the day.

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provision

All staff are involved in the ongoing evaluation and improvement of the nursery. Although not fully embedded, systems to review provision and to set targets to improve outcomes for children are good. Management takes into account the views of parents and children and responds to their suggestions as part of their commitment to continuous improvement. For example, after parents asked for more growing activities, the nursery provided raised beds and planted vegetables in response. And when children asked for more bikes, the management arranged for this to happen too. The manager's regular supervision and appraisal is effective in supporting staff in their own professional development, through identifying training needs and setting targets, to enhance their work with all children.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are growing, although there is scope to further develop the learning at home for individual children. Parents speak highly of the care they receive. Regular newsletters and updates on the website and notice boards, keep parents fully informed. Family fun days also foster this relationship. Parents are encouraged to offer suggestions to improve the provision on display boards; they can also take a questionnaire to complete if they wish.

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provision

There are good assessment systems in place that quickly identify children who would benefit from additional support. The setting works closely and effectively with other agencies so that the progress that all children make relative to their starting points is good.

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The Childcare Register

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

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY471520 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 946772 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 85 Total number of places 69 Number of children on roll 169 Name of provider Mama Bear's Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 0117 958 2030

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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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