Bluebirds Day Nursery

Bluebirds Day Nursery 68 London Road, GRAYS, Essex, RM17 5XX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/07/2014 06/01/2014

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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's learning and development is very effectively supported and extended by the staffing team's high quality teaching.  Children benefit from the sensitive and nurturing relationships that they develop with the staff. Staff support children to build confidence and self-esteem.  Partnerships with parents are successfully supported and parents' ideas are included into improvement plans for the nursery.  The manager and staff team work closely together to monitor all aspects of the nursery effectively, ensuring they continue to strive for ongoing improvement, in all areas.  Children's safety is very well supported through a wide range of daily and ongoing checks. Children are securely safeguarded through effectively implemented policies and procedures.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the use of mathematical language to support children's understanding of mathematical concepts and maintain development at the highest levels across all areas of learning.  There are fewer opportunities for children to explore and investigate through the use of natural materials and open-ended resources.

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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 carried out observations of activities in both nursery rooms and the garden.  The inspector held a meeting with the managers and spoke to members of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation and a selection of children's records and nursery policies and procedures

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through feedback from the nursery questionnaire.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of practice with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Bluebirds Day Nursery was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in converted premises in the Grays area of Essex, and is managed by the registered person. The nursery serves the local and wider area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two ground floor rooms and one first floor room, and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including one with Early Years Teacher Status, one with Qualified Teacher Status and one with a degree in Early Years Childhood studies. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 7pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 24 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for

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Information about the setting

three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and 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:

 enhance the use of mathematical language to support children's understanding of mathematical concepts and maintain development at the highest levels across all areas of learning

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

 extend opportunities to support children to explore and investigate through a wider use of natural materials and open-ended resources.

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who attend

The staff team show a clear, indepth knowledge of how children learn and develop, and of each child's individual learning styles. As a result, staff plan well and support all children to make good progress from their individual starting points. The secure monitoring system, and ongoing training, effectively supports staff to develop and maintain high quality teaching methods. Staff are confident in the use of observation and assessment. This ensures that key-persons provide a clear and focused picture of each child's development. As a result, staff effectively plan for the individual next steps in children's learning. Children enjoy and benefit from a wide range of activities and experiences that are carefully planned to extend their development in all areas of learning. Parents are actively encouraged to share what they know about their children's development. Children's transitions and preparations for the next stage in their learning are very well supported. At

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who attend

each stage, children are provided with a settling-in process as they move up through the nursery. The children's learning journey records are successfully shared with parents and other professionals by key persons, and the nursery has good links with local schools to support children who are moving on. The staff take children to visit local schools and invite teachers to visit the nursery. There is a display of the school uniforms for the local schools to allow children to become familiar with these.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to explore and investigate in the well-planned environments that effectively support their learning. Staff encourage babies and toddlers to explore and investigate through play in the outdoor area. For example, babies and toddlers play at the water tray in the garden. They are carefully supported by staff to play freely, as they float balls and scoop and pour water from tea cups. The staff describe what the children do as they play, to encourage and extend their language and communication skills. The children show delight in their play and the staff ensure they are safe at all times through close supervision. Children are actively encouraged to be creative at a range of activities. For example, children are engaged in a creative collage activity in the garden. Children are supported to use scissors independently as they talk about cutting circles. Staff encourage and extend the learning by suggesting the children draw circles first and then cut them

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who attend

out. Staff continue to support the children who struggle to draw their circles, and suggest they use a pot to draw around, which helps them to succeed and be proud of their achievements. Children's early writing skills are well promoted. For example, children are encouraged to write their own names on their work, and they make shopping lists for the trip to the shops to buy resources for the pre-school room's jungle theme. Children's names are displayed on their self-registration labels and staff use these to help them identify the letters in their names. Children are actively involved in making choices about activities. Staff talk with the children at breakfast time about what activities they will have today, and recognise children's favourites. For example, they know the younger children enjoy using and playing with bubbles in the garden. Staff also discuss with the older children their ideas for enhancing resources and themed learning, such as how they can

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who attend

make a parrot for the jungle room. Children's understanding of the world is developed through carefully designed topics, such as the jungle theme, and then extended as the staff ask questions to help children think, such as what other animals could be included. The children name the animals and staff re-frame what the children say to support and develop their language skills. Children are sensitively supported to follow their own interests. For example, staff have a singing session which most children engage with, although, they also provide alternative activities and support for those children who do not want to take part in singing.

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who attend

Children's learning records are comprehensive and clearly show how children make good progress in all areas of learning. The observations and assessments of learning are precise and focused. A good mixture of formal tracking and spontaneous observations are used to gather a valuable range of information. Planning uses a system of daily activities, the daily routine and plans for more focused activities. To support the monitoring of the quality of the education, staff evaluate each focused activity to show how well it meets children's learning needs. The management team have introduced a group tracking system which gives a precise picture of each child's progress and how well different groups of children are developing. This allows staff to adapt planning for different ages and different groups of children, for example, for boys and girls. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very securely supported. Staff develop individual education plans and link

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who attend

with other agencies to ensure children's needs are fully met. The detailed records show the highly successful outcomes for children and how well they have progressed in communication and language skills, and in developing positive behaviour. Staff work sensitively with children who speak English as an additional language, they take information from parents so that they can understand children's basic needs for toileting and eating. For example, staff provide a visual routine, and a picture board with photographs of all resources, to support children to communicate their choice of activities. At all activities, all children are supported by lots of praise from staff and they are clearly delighted with their achievements. The staff's interaction with the children supports learning very well across all areas. However, there is scope to enhance the use of mathematical language during all activities to further support children's understanding of

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

Children thrive in this warm and nurturing environment where their personal, social and emotional development is carefully promoted. Children are warmly greeted as they arrive and clearly feel well settled and at home in the nursery. Staff gather detailed information from parents when children start at the nursery. As a result, they develop a clear picture of each child's starting points, which enables staff to plan effectively for the next steps in children's learning. Staff work with parents to ensure that the care of each baby and toddler successfully follows their individual routines. For example, the youngest children are able to settle in their own time, and staff take time to give cuddles and close attention if children are unsettled or anxious. Staff ensure that they foster good attachments to support children to be confident to explore and investigate the environment. Positive behaviour for all children is carefully promoted through the use of good, consistent

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

strategies. For example, staff talk to the children about being polite to each other, and using please and thank you. They have conversations with the children about how they speak to their friends and praise them for using kind words. As staff know children well, they are able to identify when children become upset or frustrated and can step in quickly. As a result, staff effectively support children to begin to develop good skills for self-control through the good use of distraction and redirection. Children clearly know the routines well and readily take part in tidying-up for snack time, supporting good independence.

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

Staff use careful systems to support children to learn about good hygiene practices from an early age. Staff ensure children develop good personal independence by encouraging them to wash their hands before eating, and after activities and toileting. The nursery employs a cook to ensure that children are provided with healthy and well-balanced, freshly prepared meals and snacks. Children sit and eat snack together, enjoying the social situation. The older children are supported to help themselves to fruit and to pour their own drinks, building their confidence and independence. Children develop secure and trusting relationships with the staff, which means their time at the nursery is a positive and nurturing experience. As a result, children develop high levels of confidence and self- esteem, supporting them to be emotionally ready for school or the next stage in their learning. Children learn about the importance of being healthy. Physical play is actively encouraged

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

in the garden. The nursery has a very good range of high quality resources. However, there are fewer natural and open-ended resources to support children's exploration and discovery. Children learn how to manage their own safety as staff remind them to be careful of each other when getting in and out of the tent, and about taking care when moving around in the garden with the younger children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are sensitively supported, and staff work closely with all other agencies, to ensure children's ongoing and changing needs are consistently well met.

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provision

Members of the management team have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children. All staff are provided with ongoing safeguarding training, supporting them in keeping children secure and protected. The management team works closely with the staff to support them in implementing the nursery's policies and procedures. For example, staff review an individual policy at each staff meeting, which ensures that all staff have a clear understanding and are up-to-date with any changes. The robust systems securely support the staffing team's practice and promote the care and education of the children. Staff carry out thorough risk assessments each day, to ensure that all areas of the environment, including equipment and resources, are safe, both indoors and outdoors. Staff carefully supervise and observe children, and good ratios are maintained at all times, ensuring children's safety. The management team

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provision

ensures that all welfare requirements are met. Visitors to the nursery are met by staff, and are asked to provide identification and complete the visitor's record. Recruitment and selection procedures are rigorous and Disclosure and Barring Service checks are completed on all staff to ensure they are suitable to work with the children. The nursery team have worked well to ensure they have met the actions and recommendations set at the last inspection.

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provision

The nursery management team provide strong leadership to this committed and well- motivated staff team. A clear lead is shown in driving improvement, promoting a very effective team. Self-evaluation and monitoring are robustly pursued. Through ongoing observations of practice, managers support and maintain high levels of improvement. Effective evaluation includes the views of all staff, parents and children. For example, following comments made on regular parent questionnaires, the management team has now made changes to the way they share information with parents. These well-used feedback systems ensure improvement plans are focused on providing the best outcomes for the children. There is a very well-qualified staff team who successfully continue their professional development through attending regular, ongoing training. The management team have developed a precise and meticulous supervision system that clearly values the

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provision

staff team. This ensures managers have a clear picture of each staff member's strengths and can identify any areas for improvement. Staff meetings and individual supervision meetings support and encourage staff to share ideas and good practice. For example, the pre-school room leader has worked with the staff team to make changes to the room to enhance the children's play and learning experience. Staff develop good partnerships with parents, and with professionals from other agencies. Staffs' ongoing communication with parents supports them to exchange information well. Arrangements are in place to share information with parents about their children's development and the planning for next steps in their learning. Key persons complete a progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, which is effectively shared with parents. Parents make positive comments about both the care and education

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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 EY448795 Local authority Thurrock Inspection number 962534

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 24 Name of provider Dynamic Leap Limited Date of previous inspection 06/01/2014 Telephone number 07572638488

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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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