Busy Bees at Solihull Stratford Court

Manor Hill Day Nursery 3 Stratford Court, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4QT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/06/2014 29/07/2013

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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

 The activities and assessments of children's achievements support their learning appropriately, ensuring they make satisfactory progress in their development.  Children are happy and they form strong bonds with key persons, resulting in their good behaviour.  Staff have a clear understanding of the reporting procedures to be followed if they have concerns about children in their care. This means that children are kept safe.  An evolving professional development programme ensures staff receive training to enhance their skills to work with children.

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It is not yet good because

 The quality of teaching is variable and, as a result, children do not always have worthwhile learning experiences.  The information available for parents about the food provided for children is not clear enough.  Partnerships with other early years providers are not developed to share information about children's individual learning needs. Some parents do not receive support to continue with their children's learning at home.  The self-evaluation and monitoring are not rigorous enough to identify and address weaknesses, including the quality of teaching.

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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 checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations in care rooms and a joint observation of an activity with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including staff's files, children's files, policies, learning journals, and records of planning and assessments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, spoken to on the day, and of information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Manor Hill Day Nursery opened in 2011 and is registered on the Early Years Register. It operates from a renovated commercial building in Shirley, Solihull. Care rooms are located on three floors and the top floor rooms are accessible by a lift to the two upper floors. The nursery serves the immediate locality and the surrounding areas. It opens five days a week, from 7.30am until 6.30pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children are cared for in five rooms and have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 136 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. There are currently 23 staff working directly with the children. Of

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Information about the setting

these, one member of staff has a qualification at level 6 and another has a qualification at level 5. Seventeen staff have qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff has a qualification at level 2. There are two unqualified staff. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 provide clearer information for parents about the food provided, so that they can make an informed choice about their child's diet

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must:

 develop arrangements for sharing information and partnership working with other providers that children attend in parallel with the nursery in order to fully support children's learning and development

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must:

 improve the quality of teaching by taking account of all children's individual needs and ensure these are fully met through stimulating activities.

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must:

 develop further the relationships with parents and carers to fully involve them in their children's learning and development, enabling them to fully support children's learning at home

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

 develop the self-evaluation process to identify and prioritise targets for improvement, including the monitoring of the quality of teaching, to ensure staff practice is consistently good and children's progress is well promoted across all areas of learning.

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who attend

Staff deliver a suitable range of activities that promote children's learning by taking account of their interests. Staff have a reasonable understanding of the types of play children enjoy. They plan activities, such as a treasure hunt, to promote imaginative play with pre-school children. Staff appropriately follow children's lead when they point to treasure and all move towards a section of the room to take a closer look. However, although they engage most children throughout the activity, those who are less confident are not always fully involved. This means that for those children the learning activity is less rewarding. Activities are not always appropriately planned to provide a worthwhile learning experience at all times. For example, staff encourage children to practise skills in making marks to draw their pirate ships. But they do not fully use all occasions to provide stimulating learning experiences. For example, children are not allowed sufficient time to

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who attend

talk about their ships and to develop their ideas of what to do next. Although staff model actions, such as pretending to stomp in the imaginary sand, they do not ensure all children observe and copy, so that they learn to link what they hear and do. Staff promote younger children's learning adequately. They focus primarily on sensory play and sensitively encourage children to explore textures. They repeat words, such as 'soft' and 'cold', thereby steadily building children's vocabulary. Staff patiently encourage these children to roll playdough, and they generously praise them when they use rolling pins appropriately. A fun activity, such as blowing bubbles, provides relevant learning for young children to join in with large group play. Babies enjoy water play with staff who gently splash in the tray and they persistently encourage children to join in. The quality of teaching is variable and, as a result, children make mainly satisfactory progress in their

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who attend

Staff have discussions with parents, when children first start in the nursery, and they obtain adequate information about children's skills. During the settling-in phase, staff carry out observations when children play to gain a clear picture of what they can do. This means that they can plan with a focus on children's individual needs. Observations and assessments show that children are making steady progress within the typical range of development, according to their age. These assessments include the progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, which are shared with parents. Positive feedback from parents reflects their understanding of their children's achievements. Staff work closely with parents to promote the learning and development of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, they use a visual timetable to communicate different aspects of the daily routine. Therefore, these children are

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who attend

beginning to make some progress. However, staff do not always provide similar guidance for some other parents. This prevents them from being able to work with staff to develop a shared understanding about their child's learning. Staff mainly support children who speak English as an additional language with activities, such as story time. Consequently, they are beginning to develop some skills which prepare them for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

Daily activities, such as phonics, counting and letter formation generally help children to develop skills in preparation for school. They learn to select resources, from the wide range available, and this adequately promotes their self-help skills. Children move around freely in care rooms that are rich in print, numbers and colour. They develop some of the characteristics of effective learning when they explore their surroundings. Displays clearly reflect learning that has taken place. Themes on transport and examples of children's work reveal their skills in sticking, gluing and painting.

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

Children are happy in the nursery, where they form strong bonds with key persons who are largely responsive to their needs. They cuddle babies, and children often go to their key persons for support. Therefore, children demonstrate, through their actions, that they feel emotionally secure in the nursery. Staff allow sufficient time for children to settle in the nursery. They carefully follow guidance from parents and keep to already established routines, such as the length of time children sleep. Generally, the continuity in care between the home and the nursery is appropriately maintained, and children quickly feel at ease. However, arrangements for sharing information about the meals provided are not sufficiently robust to ensure that parent's preferences for their children's diets are always taken fully into account. The changeover between rooms within the nursery is a gradual process because staff arrange several sessions for children to spend time in new rooms.

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

This means that they grow accustomed to new routines and other staff before they move permanently. Staff competently support children to develop confidence during their time in the nursery. Therefore, on a daily basis, children grow more self-assured, and due to appropriate praise their self-esteem is raised steadily.

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

Children are well behaved because staff use various methods to promote their good behaviour. Children play fairly contentedly with peers and they spontaneously share resources. Toddlers are gaining skills in personal self-care, as they learn to wash hands and demonstrate clear understanding of the reasons for doing so. Lunch time is a social occasion when staff sit at tables with children who enjoy balanced meals. They eat heartily and some have second helpings. Lots of praise and encouragement help children to develop their independence skills to serve themselves and drinking water is within their reach. Daily outside play is enjoyed by all children who learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies. In the event of inclement weather, children use the soft-play room to develop their physical skills. They learn to take sensible risks, under close supervision, when they walk on low beams, and learn to develop their balancing skills. Staff give

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

constant priority to children's safety during activities, such as when they access the room on the top floor. For this purpose staff use the lift with very young children, and appropriately help toddlers and pre-school children to keep themselves safe on the stairs. The welcoming environment and the availability of good quality resources contribute positively to children's sense of belonging in the nursery.

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provision

The arrangements to safeguard children in the nursery are satisfactory. This inspection was prioritised due to concerns about the provider's ability to safeguard children. The inspection found that ratios are maintained according to requirements and children are adequately supervised at all times. The provider has a clear understanding of procedures to be followed to notify Ofsted if there are significant changes, including staffing in the nursery. Rigorous recruitment procedures ensure staff have suitable qualifications and experience to work with children, and regular supervision sessions provide opportunities for staff to enhance their skills. The provider ensures parents receive some information about food provided in the nursery. However, this is not always sufficiently clear or easily accessible. This means parents cannot always make an informed decision about their child's diet. This is a breach of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

Concerns were also raised about the learning and development needs of children, and their progress in the nursery. The provider has recently appointed a senior member of staff who leads in this area and she provides regular coaching for the rest of the staff. As a result, the planning and assessments are now focussed on children's individual needs. However, the quality of teaching is not yet good. Therefore, children make mainly satisfactory progress in their learning. The management team ensure staff regularly discuss safeguarding issues at team meetings to keep them informed about good practice. There is a clear understanding of the procedures to be followed for reporting concerns. The designated person for child protection has received training for their role, and they have a secure understanding of their responsibilities. An adequate induction programme ensures staff are suitably prepared for their role and records required for the smooth

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provision

The management team have an adequate understanding of the learning and development requirements. Although they regularly review the planning, assessment and staff's practice, the monitoring is not rigorous enough across the nursery. This means that children do not receive sufficiently good support to make good progress in their learning and development. The professional development of the staff is evolving as they undertake training to enhance their skills. For instance, they receive coaching from the deputy manager to integrate writing into the activities to extend children's skills. Team meetings provide opportunities for staff to contribute to the running of the nursery and they are free to make suggestions for improvement. For example, staff can request additional resources to support children and to provide interest during play. Some reasonable changes have been made since the last inspection. In particular, the monitoring visits

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provision

showed that safety issues were addressed, the planning of activities and the assessments of children's progress are more meaningful, and that procedures for giving medication and for recording accidents are followed correctly. However, the self-evaluation is not yet thorough and does not take account of some weaknesses that impact on the well-being of the children.

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provision

On the whole there is a satisfactory partnership with parents, and the provider ensures that parents receive a raft of information about the nursery. Although there is a daily exchange of information about children's learning, staff do not always encourage parents to continue with activities at home. Recently, the provider has offered workshops to include parents in some activities in the nursery. The written feedback suggests that parents value these sessions and they comment positively on children's happiness in the nursery. Some children attending the nursery also attend other early years providers. As yet, the management team have not developed systems to share information, about these children, with the other settings they attend. Consequently, the children do not receive the individual support they need to promote their learning fully. The team work closely with other agencies that support staff to develop skills to assist children's development and

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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 EY437526 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 978916

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 102 Number of children on roll 163 Name of provider Razain Enterprises Ltd Date of previous inspection 29/07/2013 Telephone number 0121 745 9455

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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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