Busy Bees Childcare Centre

Busy Bees Childcare Centre Ministry of Defence, Administration Office, Carver Barracks, Wimbish, SAFFRON WALDEN, Essex, CB10 2YA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/06/2014 23/05/2011

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Knowledgeable staff provide children with a wide range of interesting experiences, both indoors and outdoors, based on their interests and next steps in learning. This results in children having many opportunities to make good progress in their learning and development.  The dedicated and caring staff team know children and their families particularly well. This helps children and families to establish very secure and trusting relationships with key persons and other pre-school staff.  Children behave well and they make independent choices about their play. This supports them in developing a positive attitude to learning.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of a change of committee members. This is a breach of requirements and compromises children's safety.  The organisation of group activities does not fully encourage some children's listening and concentration skills to further reinforce their learning.  Children's literacy skills are not consistently promoted because some displays of text in the pre-school environment do not provide accurate foundations for reading and writing.

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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 three rooms of the pre-school and talked with staff, children and the pre-school's committee secretary.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the acting manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff and a range of other documentation, including the safeguarding procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector reviewed the provider's self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees Childcare Centre opened in 1993. The pre-school operates from three rooms within a building in the village square, adjacent to the Carver Barracks in Essex. The pre- school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is managed by a voluntary management committee made up of parents and other individuals. It serves the local and surrounding areas and has strong links with the local primary school. The pre-school is accessible to all children, with an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school opens each weekday, during school term time, from 9am until 12Noon and children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 37 children in the early years age range on roll. The pre- school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language

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Information about the setting

and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are 10 staff employed to work with children, five of whom, including the acting manager, hold an appropriate childcare qualification at level 3. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 provide information to Ofsted to ensure the vetting procedures can be completed in a timely in a manner.

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

 encourage children to build on their reading and writing skills, for example, by ensuring that labels and signs are displayed in lower case letters to enable them to copy words accurately

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

 strengthen strategies to extend children's listening and concentration skills during group activities, for example, by introducing visual reinforcements.

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who attend

Staff assess children's skills, knowledge and abilities accurately and use this information to plan how to improve children's progress. They do this through observations, flexible planning systems and regular assessments to monitor and track children's progress from their starting points. They then identify their next steps in learning. This helps staff to notice any strengths or gaps in learning so they may quickly implement strategies to keep those children moving forward. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities by working closely with parents and other professionals to agree robust strategies. They create individual education plans and specific activities that support their individual needs. Staff also support children who are learning to speak English as an additional language, for example, staff learn key words in children's home languages and help them to understand the pre-school's routine by using attractive visual timetables.

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who attend

Consequently, children remain comfortable as they are able to anticipate specific events, such as hand washing and home time. A good range of adult-led and child-initiated activities provide children with a strong level of challenge appropriate for their age and stage of development. Whatever their starting points, children make good progress at this pre-school and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. All children benefit from the attention of staff, who are enthusiastic, energetic and make learning fun. Group activities provide older children with valuable opportunities to develop their communication and language skills. They confidently sing songs and join in with actions to the daily weather song. They raise each of their fingers, one by one, to represent each day of the week, which enables them to learn about sequences and time based events. Staff consistently provide children with time to respond to open-ended questions, such as 'What

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who attend

does it mean when the sky is white?' This challenge's their critical thinking and they make suggestions, such as, 'it's cold, 'it's night-time' and 'the sun is coming'.

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who attend

Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted well as staff encourage children to put their hands up before speaking. This means that children listen to each other and demonstrate friendly behaviour as they take it in turns to speak. However, not all children fully benefit from some aspects of group time and lose concentration because staff do not always utilise the wealth of resources available. For example, the weather board and the days of the week labels are not used to reinforce children's knowledge. Younger children learn new words and play an active part in the books that they select to share with staff. For example, staff encourage them to wear animal masks and use props to re-create familiar stories. Staff are animated and use intonation in their voice. Consequently, children remain captivated and are keen to join in with repeated refrains, such as the different animal sounds. Staff have a secure understanding of how children

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who attend

learn through their play. They have created stimulating and well-organised, separate indoor spaces for younger and older children. The shared outdoor spaces are a delightful extension of the indoor area which is full of good quality resources. Children develop good physical skills, such as hand-eye coordination. They fill up their buckets with sand, learn how to successfully negotiate space as they pedal backwards and forwards on bikes and create shapes with their bodies as they jump on the trampoline. Children say that they enjoy coming to pre-school 'because they like learning to ride bikes without stabilisers'.

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who attend

Staff place a strong emphasis on creating an environment that helps children to develop good foundations for reading and writing. For example, children develop a love of books as they enthusiastically select one to share with their parents at home. In addition, children begin to make links between letters and sounds, as staff encourage older children to write their own names on their artwork. They sound out individual letters for them and praise them for their achievements. As a result, children are motivated to keep on trying until they are happy with the result. However, some of the text that is used for labels and signs around the pre-school is printed in capital letters. Consequently, children are not always provided with an accurate foundation for reading and writing. The extremely effective partnerships established with parents and others, support staff to meet children's individual needs. Parents complete a detailed 'Getting to know you' document. This

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who attend

enables staff to quickly establish children's starting points. As a result, they are able to effectively plan how to meet children's needs at an early stage. Staff take positive steps to include parents in more formal updates, such as the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years and the completion of summaries as children start school. Dedicated staff work hard to welcome and engage all families in their children's learning and development. For example, they complete home-link diaries, which enable staff and parents to share children's learning with each other if they are unable to do this verbally. Parents say that they welcome the ideas that staff give them to extend their children's learning at home. This ensures that there is a collaborative approach to supporting children's learning and development. Staff use a range of systems to keep parents informed of daily activities within the group, such as regular newsletters, an informative

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who attend

noticeboard and the introduction of stay and play sessions. The strong focus on developing children's personal, social and emotional development and communication and language, therefore, extends across home and the pre-school.

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

Children are happy and settled in this pre-school as they form generally good relationships with caring staff and there is an effective key-person system in place. Key staff work well with parents and children when they begin attending and this continues as younger children progress to the older room. Children and their parents make a number of visits, based on their individual needs, before staying for the whole session. Sufficient information is gathered from parents, such as, specific dietary needs, medication and personal routines. This ensures continuity in children's physical and emotional well-being. The staff are kind and caring towards children, which supports their well-being and sense of security. For example, children approach their key person to tell them about their recent holidays, staff take the time to listen to them and share their experiences. Children learn some appropriate safety messages, such as how to walk sensibly during outings to

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

the nearby park and the pre-school's allotment area. However, children are provided with a false sense of security because Ofsted have not been informed of changes to committee members, which compromise children's safety. The impact is minimised as the individuals do not have unsupervised access to children.

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

The learning environment is well-organised and inviting. There is a good range of toys and resources, including those that reflect cultural diversity. Children have free access to these to extend their play. For example, they help themselves to scissors to snip and cut around the shapes of different vehicles. Children's behaviour shows that they feel safe within the setting. They cooperate well with each other and know what behaviour is acceptable as they play. This is because staff frequently praise them for their achievements; they reward them with stickers and invite them to add a piece of 'special pasta' to the dish. When this is full all children are rewarded with a treat, such as visit to the park. Children develop independence and self-care skills as staff encourage them to manage their own clothing. For example, they put on their own aprons before playing with the water and change into their boots before playing in the digging area. As a result, children are learning practical

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

skills that help to prepare them for their move to school.

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

Children are encouraged to be physically active in the fresh air, which aids their continuing well-being. For example, children take part in weekly physical education sessions and access apparatus in the outdoor area, such as, slides, climbing frames, tunnels and bridges to balance on. Additionally, children take part in an annual sports day in partnership with another local pre-school. Children are encouraged to enjoy their food and appreciate healthy choices in order to promote their continual growth and development. Snack times are sociable occasions as all children sit down to eat together. They enjoy nutritious snacks, including a variety of fresh fruit and drinks are constantly available. They take it in turns to be special helpers and hand out the plates, cups and named placemats. Children's awareness of healthy foods is enhanced as children plant their own fruit and vegetables in the pre-school's allotment area. This helps children to learn where

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

food comes from and that it is good to eat. All children are encouraged to develop appropriate hygiene routines. They learn that they must wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. This helps to minimise the risk of cross-infection. In addition, children learn good dental hygiene as they brush their teeth after eating their snack. Staff support older children as they prepare to move into school, for example, children's future teachers are invited to the pre-school. Staff provide them with information about children's learning and development achievements during their time with them and this supports their continuity of learning. Staff share photographs of the schools that children move to and engage in 'big school' role-play scenarios, which enables children to try on different school uniforms. This helps children to feel emotionally prepared for the new routines and experiences of school.

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provision

The leadership of the pre-school is not effective in ensuring that all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. The provider has breached legal requirements by failing to notify Ofsted of changes to the management committee. This is also a breach of requirements of the Childcare Register. However, the breaches have a minimal impact on children's safety as these adults do not have contact with children in any unsupervised situation. The deputy manager of the pre-school has recently stepped up into the role of acting manager following the departure of the manager. She has a good knowledge base, experience and enthusiasm to manage the team of staff. As a result of sound mentoring from the previous manager, there has been a seamless transition in the change of leadership and staff moral remains high. All staff, including the designated lead for safeguarding have attended appropriate training. Effective procedures are in place to

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provision

provide support, advice and guidance to staff on an ongoing basis. As a result, they understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child. This means that children's welfare is sufficiently monitored. There are clear policies that are in place for staff and parents to be aware of and fully understand. Strict rules cover the use of mobile telephones and cameras in the pre-school. In addition, there is a suitable complaints policy in place. Access to the premises is carefully monitored and staff keep attendance registers so that all children can be accounted for throughout the session. There are clear procedures in place for assessing risks to children's safety. For example, daily risk assessments are carried out by all staff to ensure that areas accessed by children are safe and any hazards are quickly identified and removed. Children's safety is further protected when they go on outings or take part in specific activities, as staff complete

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provision

separate risk assessments for these occasions. Children are cared for by a suitably qualified team. Appropriate recruitment and induction procedures are implemented and staff performance is managed through regular supervision meetings and annual appraisal. Training needs of staff are identified and there is a commitment to continuous professional development for the benefit of children attending. As a result of recent training, staff have improved the provision for non-verbal children by introducing key words using sign language, enabling children to communicate their needs with ease. The acting manager and staff assess the detailed observations of children against the areas of learning and development of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Therefore, educational programmes are continually monitored to ensure all children are achieving their potential.

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provision

The staff team effectively evaluates their practice through inclusive self-evaluation. They do this through staff meetings, questionnaires seeking parental views and listening to children. As a result, the acting manager and committee are well-informed of how to continue to move the pre-school forward. The recommendation from the pre-school's previous inspection has successfully been addressed. Recent improvements include, utilising the available small room for focused group activities and installing a canopy in the outside area to enable children to play outside in all weathers. As a result of the pre- school successfully being awarded a grant, there are plans in place for future improvement. These include installing a camera security system to further enhance children's safety and refurbishing several internal and external areas of the pre-school to improve accessibility. In addition, information sessions for parents are planned to support

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provision

children's learning and development at home. Staff develop appropriate and friendly relationships with parents. Parents comment positively on the patient nature of the staff and how they effectively support children to settle at the pre-school. They appreciate the way in which staff listen to and act upon their children's interest and needs and feel confident in approaching any member of staff should they have a concern. Staff understand the importance of partnership working with external agencies in order to secure appropriate interventions for children to receive the support they need. For example, procedures are in place to seek expert advice from other professionals, should the need arise. In addition, partnerships with other providers who deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage are continuing to be developed in order to provide continuity in children's care and learning, for example, links have been established with the local

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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:

 inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any member of the committee (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of any member of the committee (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 650130 Local authority Essex Inspection number 869515

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 37 Name of provider Busy Bees Childcare Centre Committee Date of previous inspection 23/05/2011 Telephone number 01799 523542

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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

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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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