The Hampton Day Nursery

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Peterborough Hampton Hargate Primary School, Hargate Way, Hampton Hargate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 8BZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/08/2014 03/03/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Staff provide a well organised environment with a range of toys and activities to interest children. As a result, children are developing the skills needed to become active and inquisitive learners. Sound partnerships with parents further support this.  Staff encourage children to be independent in their self-care needs. This gives them the confidence they need to move on to school and other settings.  Staff have been positively influenced by the new manager. Due to her aspiration to improve, staff have worked hard to develop their practice and knowledge further.

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It is not yet good because

 Teaching in the toddler room is sometimes inconsistent because some staff do not play alongside children and enhance their learning appropriately. On these occasions, children sometimes lose interest and become less focused on their activities.  There are occasions when some development records are not up-to-date as children make transitions within the nursery. This means that new key-persons are sometimes disadvantaged as they try to build relationships with the children.  Day to day supervision of bank staff and those working occasional hours is not consistently in place throughout the nursery. This means that sometimes, children's learning is missed as staff do not have sufficient information or guidance.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in both the inside and outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and the area manager and spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector and manager took part in a joint observation.  The inspector took the views of parents into account.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Peterborough is one of a large group of nurseries owned by Busy Bees PLC. It was registered in 2002 on the Early Years Register and operates from purpose-built premises in Hampton, Peterborough. Group rooms are located across two floors. A lift provides access to the first floor. There are two enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery is open each weekday from 7am to 7pm, all year round, with the exception of public holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 118 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four year olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. There are currently 37 staff who work directly with the children. Of these, 19 members of staff hold qualifications at level 2 and above. The nursery also employs a

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Information about the setting

chef, an assistant chef and an administrator. It is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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must:

 develop staff interactions and confidence further in the toddler room, to enable them to better support children by, playing alongside children, following their interests and extending learning appropriately

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must:

 develop day to day support for occasional and bank staff to ensure they are fully informed of children's abilities and learning intentions for activities on offer.

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

 review transition arrangements for all children within the nursery, to ensure consistent sharing of information about each child's interests and support needs.

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who attend

Staff demonstrate their secure understanding of how to capture children's interest by providing a range of activities to enhance learning both inside and outdoors. They ensure there is an appropriate balance of adult and child led activities to promote children's development and, at times, children's learning is enhanced well. For example, young children in the pre-toddler room sit for a considerable time with staff as they play together with the farm animals. Staff show their enthusiasm and skills as they extend children's learning by singing a favourite farm animal song and encouraging each child to copy as they pretend the animals are eating grass or chasing bubbles. This intervention helps children to successfully join in and to listen carefully. These skills all support children in their future learning as they move through the nursery. However, in the toddler room the teaching does not always mirror this effective practice and interactions are sometimes

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who attend

inconsistent. Some staff are not always aware of how to maximise children's development in the planned activities and in children's freely chosen activities, staff sometimes do not take children's lead and enhance learning appropriately. For example, staff sit with children as they play with cars but are less confident and do not always know how to keep children interested by modelling play and enticing children to join in. This sometimes results in brief disputes or children becoming rough with the toys.

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who attend

Babies are encouraged to be inquisitive and find out about their surroundings. Staff play with them and stimulate babies sensory development by tapping small containers and listening to the noise they make. Babies copy this action and are delighted with their achievement and subsequent praise from the staff. This boosts their self-esteem. Babies communication skills are fostered suitably as staff repeat babies utterances and use facial expressions to keep babies engaged in their first conversations. In this way, babies soon learn to form words and begin to talk. Staff in the pre-school room show a genuine interest in what children have to say and despite being busy filling the water tray, for example, take the time to hold conversations with children. They ask children about their holiday and discuss aeroplanes and playing on the beach. These incidental moments are all important in building children's confidence and results in most children, including those

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who attend

learning to speak English as an additional language, becoming confident talkers. Children requiring more help in this area and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to gain gestures or single words in order that they are able to convey their wishes and needs adequately.

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who attend

Staff observe children as they play and make satisfactory assessment of children's progress. Children's individual 'Learning Journey' documents are readily available and generally parents are well-informed about their children's progress during daily discussions and the sharing of daily diaries. Parents are encouraged to share information about children's learning at home and on a whole, this supports children satisfactorily.

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

Children are generally happy and confident when at nursery. They relate well to the staff and are contented to find their favourite playthings and explore. This is due to the key- person system and the secure partnerships with parents that enable everyone to be fully aware of each child's care needs. A recent review has resulted in better consideration for which member of staff will support which individual child. For example, children are matched with staff who generally work similar hours that children attend. This means that parents usually see this member of staff on a daily basis and children have a much better sense of security. There are satisfactory procedures in place to support children as they move to school or to other provisions. Likewise, as children progress through the nursery they are supported by visits and settling in periods to introduce them to their new rooms. Staff follow the nursery procedure for informing new key-persons about individual

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

children's learning and development and this is generally successful. However, occasionally this information sharing is not quite as robust as possible, especially when children attend infrequently. In these cases the new key-person lacks some details of children's individual needs because documents are not as up-to-date as possible. That being said, children generally settle quickly in their new environment and staff are quick to build secure partnerships with parents, making the impact minimal on this occasion.

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

The nursery is well resourced and staff carefully consider the organisation of the rooms to allow children free movement and space to play. Children enjoy going outside frequently and here they are able to enhance their physical skills and enjoy the fresh air. They take small risks as they learn to steer bikes around the garden and in this way begin to understand how to keep themselves and their friends safe. This supports children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle from a young age, as does the provision of nutritious meals and snacks. Pre-school children benefit from a 'cafe style' experience, complete with table cloths and flowers. They serve their own foods, butter their own crackers and pour drinks for themselves. This enhances their growing independence skills and also provides a social time where they can chat with friends and staff.

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

Staff have undergone a substantial amount of training over the last few months including developing their skills in managing children's behaviours. As a result, there is a more consistent approach throughout the nursery and on a whole, staff are more confident to both predict and intervene in a timely and appropriate manner. Managers and staff have also reviewed the way in which children move around the nursery safely, especially those accessing the garden from the upstairs rooms. More stringent procedures have been put in place including large reminder signs for staff in corridors and stairways. Staff fully understand the routines at this time and follow them strictly.

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provision

The nursery has made secure progress since the last inspection when they received a number of actions and a follow up monitoring visit. The parent company has appointed a new manager and her drive for improvement has been evident in the last few months. She has enthusiastically tackled challenges and is now benefitting from a staff team who are on the whole, determined and hard working. Support from the local authority has been embraced as has the help from senior regional managers. Staff have attended various training opportunities to improve their knowledge about managing children's behaviours at the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have worked hard to improve their interactions with children and this is evident in the pre-school room especially. The key-person system has been reviewed and focuses firmly on children's progress and sense of security.

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provision

Staff have improved their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures and have all attended recent training. This has had a positive impact on children's welfare as staff are now able to discuss what they would do if they are concerned about a child. Staff are familiar with the comprehensive nursery policies and they are encouraged to stay current in their knowledge during staff meetings and supervisions. Reporting procedures for accidents and incidents follows nursery policies and are thorough. When necessary, managers carry out reviews of routines or incidents and in this way appropriate measures are put in place to reduce risks and hazards for children. The nursery has appropriate recruitment procedures in place and this includes background checks, induction and trial period of working. The new manager has ensured that there are frequent supervision sessions with staff and their practice observed and monitored on a regular basis. These

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provision

measures are secure. However, there is an inconsistency of day to day supervision for bank staff and those who work occasional hours. For example, relief staff in the toddler room, sometimes are not made fully aware of the days activities and the learning intentions for each one. This means that although they try their best, on occasions opportunities to promote children's development are missed.

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provision

Self-evaluation is fully embedded in practice. Led by the new manager, staff demonstrate their reflective practice in discussions and contributions to the written document. Parents and others all contribute their opinion during meetings, online questionnaires and emails. The result is an honest view of the provision and practice, and a clear plan of how they will make greater improvements in the future. Monitoring of children's progress is thorough and in this way staff and managers are able to identify any gaps in children's progress. Partnerships with parents are largely positive. Parents discuss how settled their children are at nursery and how staff have helped them to prepare well for their moves to school. Parents describe how staff provide fun activities to help children familiarise themselves with routines of their new environments. Parents have also been impressed about staff awareness for the security of the premises and how they value children's

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provision

safety. Partnerships with other professionals and providers are in place and support children's overall development satisfactorily.

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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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY221690 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 974160

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 104 Number of children on roll 118 Name of provider Busy Bees Day Nurseries (Trading) Limited Date of previous inspection 03/03/2014 Telephone number 01733 566321

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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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