Busy Bees Day Nursery at Hempstead

Hempstead Day Nursery 197 Hempstead Road, Hempstead, GILLINGHAM, Kent, ME7 3QG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/05/2014 21/05/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Children are able to choose where they play and learn due to the good free-flow access between the different learning areas.  Staff are deployed well to meet the children's individual needs.  Children make good progress in their learning and development due to the quality of teaching from the staff.  Children are able to play in a safe learning environment due to the staffs' knowledge of safety and well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff sometimes keep the children waiting when moving between activities, which reduces the time the children have for learning.  Staff do not provide a full range of resources to effectively teach younger children about technology.

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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 the main playrooms and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, provider and staff at appropriate times throughout the observations, and invited the manager to carry out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's development records, planning documents, and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked staff's Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures.  The inspector spoke with parents to gain their views on the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Hempstead Day Nursery registered in 2010. It was acquired by Busy Bee nursery in 2014. It operates from a group of purpose built buildings in the grounds of Hempstead Infant School in Gillingham. The buildings comprise three large rooms in the main building and three slightly smaller rooms in the bungalow. There are separate kitchen and toilet facilities. Children have access to enclosed outdoor play areas. There is a ramp for access to the main building and a small step to the bungalow. The nursery serves families from the local community and surrounding area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 149 children on roll, all in the early years age range. The nursery opens five days a week from 7am until 7pm for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

The staff currently care for a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who learn English as an additional language. There are 33 members of staff who work with the children. Of these, 30 staff have a recognised early years qualification to at least level 2, or above. Two members of staff hold Early Years Professional Status, three hold qualifications at level 6 and 19 hold qualifications at level 3.

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

 strengthen the organisation around changes to activities so that children are not left waiting for extended periods as they move from one activity to another

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

 improve the availability of resources to promote younger children's understanding of technology.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning and development. The quality of teaching from the staff is good. This enables the children to learn and progress well and develop the skills they need for their future learning. Each key person effectively plans for each of the children's individual needs. They plan according to the children's interests and their next steps in learning. This enables the children to progress well towards the early learning goals. There is a regular exchange of information between the parents and staff which informs the planning process. Parents share what they have been doing at home with their children and use the information given to them from the staff to carry out activities at home. This also means that activities can be adapted to meet children's changing needs and provide children with good continuity in their learning. Staff complete the required progress checks for two-year-old children and share their finding with parents, to keep

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who attend

them fully informed of their child's development.

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who attend

Children show confidence in communicating and are developing their vocabularies and spoken language well. Children are inquisitive learners and are highly confident in asking questions. Staff promote the children's learning well through the answers they give and by responding with further questions to fully extend children's learning. Children who learn English as an additional language are supported well in the nursery. Staff take time to find out the key words that parents use at home so they can help the children to develop their language abilities. Dual language books and CDs are also used so all children can hear how different languages sound. This also promotes children's understanding of the wider world around them.

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who attend

Staff promote babies learning well. They are responsive to the children's needs and give cuddles to children as they settle in to the nursery. Staff encourage the children to enhance their new skills such as learning to stand and taking steps as they start walking. They make sure floors are kept clear so there are no hazards to hinder this learning. This effectively promotes the children's physical development and their safety.

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who attend

Some routines are not effectively managed to fully meet all the children's needs. At the beginning of the day, when older children are getting ready to play in the garden, they are left waiting for other children to get ready. As a result, some of them start to become restless. Although they do go out to play, the delays reduce learning time for the children in this environment.

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who attend

Older children thoroughly enjoy role playing. Staff are skilled in observing the children and adapting, and extending, their play to enhance their learning experiences. Children build an plane out of large wooden bricks. As they start to 'fly' children talk to the staff to say they do not have any tickets. The staff use small bricks to represent tickets. They talk to the children about where they are going and children respond well with their suggestions. They talk about a popular London attraction and what shape it is. This promotes children's thinking and their mathematical skills. After the children pretend to land their plane, staff then extend the role play into the garden and encourage children to imagine what they can see at their destination. This greatly promotes their creative skills.

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

Children's emotional development is effectively promoted by staff who build secure bonds with them. The key-person system is effective in meeting the children's individual needs. Children of all ages receive regular cuddles of reassurance and comfort throughout the day. This clearly promotes the children's self-esteem and their confidence. When children first start, staff gather detailed information about them which they use effectively to settle the children into the nursery.

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

Staff effectively teach children clear and concise boundaries to promote their good behaviour. Staff work closely with parents to help children who need support with their behaviour. Clear targets are set and staff work with the children to give them positive challenges to promote their good behaviour. Given the children's ages and stages of development, they behave well. Staff organise good quality resources well and use these to promote the children's independence skills. Children choose the resources they would like to play with, which promotes their learning and development. However, the younger children have fewer opportunities to explore information, communication and technology resources, than older children. This reduces opportunities for them to discover how things work. Staff promote children's physical development well through the good range of resources and opportunities available to them. The unlimited access to play between the

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

inside and outside areas allows children to choose where to play and what they would like to play with. During wet weather staff adapt the activities that are available for the children, for example, enhancing children's physical development by using water and paint brushes on a black board.

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

Staff make sure the children are kept safe by keeping slides dry to prevent children from slipping in the wet weather. Children's safety is further promoted through regular fire drills. Staff, therefore, teach children what to do in an event of an emergency. Staff supervise the children well when they are using the ramps, and when they move between their rooms and the gardens. Staff remind the children to hold onto the railings to keep them safe. Risk assessments are thorough and clearly identify hazards and any action taken to minimise these. This further enhances the safety and welfare of the children.

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

Children are able to thrive due to a high standard of hygiene that is maintained in the nursery. All children wash their hands before any meals are served and after messy activities. Although children do not serve themselves hot food, due to nursery's safety policies and procedures, they prepare and serve their snacks and cold meals. Staff talk to the children about the food they eat and the effect of healthy eating on their bodies. Children enjoy valuable social experiences when eating together. Staff also teach children to make sure they have finished their food before they move from the table. This further enhances their safety and also helps to prepare children for the move to school when the time comes.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery are strong. The manager has been brought into the nursery to improve the quality of practice. The staff have made clear improvements since the last inspection and have all worked on the actions that were raised. Staff have raised the standard of care that is being provided to the children and, as result, children are making good progress in their learning and development. Staff are deployed well around the setting to make sure the children are kept safe when they play. Staff supervise the children well during all aspects of play and when they are moving between play areas. Ratios are maintained well through regular head counts carried out by both staff and the manager. This enables them to see where the staff are best deployed in order to meet the children's individual needs.

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provision

The manager keeps track of all accidents and incidents and tracks the data to inform future risk assessments or identify any furniture that needs to be changed to keep the children safe. All forms of accidents and incidents are recorded and shared with the parents so they are kept fully informed of any injuries to their children. Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding children and who to contact in the event of any concerns. Staff have a clear understanding of the safeguarding policies and procedures that are in place, and implement them well in the nursery. Staff also implement effective risk assessments for the premises, and for any outings, to ensure children play and learn in safety.

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provision

The manager and staff use effective systems for self-evaluation. They all work together to work through any areas they need to improve. They gather the views of parents at parent's evenings and through general discussions. The manager monitors the staff practice well and uses the information effectively to inform staff supervisions and appraisals. The information is used to find out the staff training needs in order to further enhance their practice. Management monitors the educational programmes effectively and checks that staff are planning relevant and challenging learning opportunities for children of all ages and abilities. As a result, children make good progress. Management implements rigorous recruitment procedures to help ensure the suitability of those who work with the children. They request personal and professional reference checks and make sure that all staff are appropriately vetted. This helps to ensure that all staff are

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are strong. Staff liaise closely with parents to share information about their child's care and education and respond to concerns. Consequently, parents' views are valued and they have good opportunities to contribute to their children's learning. Staff engage parents well to help promote the security of the premises and ensure parents do not let anyone into the setting. They make parents fully aware that only staff are to answer the door at the nursery. This further enhances the safety and well-being of the children. Staff liaise with staff at other settings the children also attend. They find out what they have been doing there and share information to provide consistency of care and learning for the children.

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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 EY408447 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 972277 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 149 Name of provider Kinder Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 21/05/2013 Telephone number 01634 261156

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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

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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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