Busy Bees Day Nursery at Norwich Hospital

Busy Bees at Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital Busy Bees Nursery, Colney Lane, Colney, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7UX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/06/2014 12/04/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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

 The quality of teaching across the nursery is good and there are some examples of outstanding practice. Children in the pre-school room are very well prepared for school and all children are progressing well given their starting points and capabilities.  Management and staff place high priority on keeping children safe. Safeguarding procedures are well established and all staff are confident in the knowledge of how to ensure children's safety and well-being.  All staff work in close partnerships with parents to ensure a joined-up approach to promoting children's learning and development. As a result, there is good continuity between home and the nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There are some instances when monitoring of staff practice does not always sufficiently focus on raising the already high quality teaching to further extend children's learning across the nursery.  Although management are careful to monitor staffing levels across the nursery, the procedures used do not always clearly show whether staff are deployed as effectively as possible within the individual rooms.

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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 the seven playrooms and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager of an adult-led activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and deputy manager and spoke to staff and children during the course of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was registered in 2005 and is part of the Busy Bees chain of nurseries. The nursery operates from purpose-built premises on the site of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The nursery opens five days a week from 7.30am until 6.30pm all year round, except for bank holidays. Parents who are employed by the Hospital Trust can request an earlier start of 7am. The nursery provides care for children in the locality. Hospital staff members are given priority access for nursery places. Children under the age of two years are cared for in four base rooms on the ground floor and older children are cared for in three base rooms the first floor. The premises are easily accessible, with lift or stair access to the first floor. A fully enclosed garden is available for outdoor play. There are currently 244 children in the early years age range. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old

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Information about the setting

children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are currently 33 staff working directly with the children, 31 of whom have an appropriate early years qualification. Three of the staff have appropriate qualifications at level 6 and 28 are qualified to level 2, 3 or 4. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register.

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

 extend the monitoring of staff practice to ensure all staff consistently allow children the time to respond to questions and solve simple problems for themselves so that children's learning is constantly improved upon

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

 review ways of monitoring staff deployment across the nursery so that is easier to identify if staff are deployed as effectively as possible within individual rooms.

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who attend

The quality of teaching across the nursery is good and there are some examples of outstanding practice. Staff have a very good knowledge of child development and the importance of providing children with a stimulating range of challenging play-based learning experiences. As a result, all children are working comfortably within, and in some cases exceeding, the expected development for their age range. Children in the pre-school room are very well prepared for school. They display very high literacy skills and are very confident individuals who are keen to learn and find things out for themselves. Observation and assessment is effective across the nursery. Meaningful systems of monitoring children's progress enable staff to identify and target any gaps in children's learning. As a result, all children, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities, are progressing well towards the early learning goals given their starting points

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who attend

and capabilities. All staff have high expectations of the children attending based on an accurate understanding of children's prior skills and knowledge on entry to the nursery. They gather meaningful information from parents during settling-in visits and through initial observations of children's play. As a result, they can plan suitability challenging experiences for individual children from the start of their placement.

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who attend

Children are interested and keen learners who display the characteristics of effective learning. They are eager to explore the activities and learn to make their own choices in their play in the indoor and outdoor learning environment. For example, younger children happily explore the properties of paint. Staff interact with them well and use sensitive and age-appropriate teaching strategies to encourage them to use their senses. Staff talk to the children constantly providing a narrative of what they are doing. They describe the feel of the paint using words, such as squidgy to extend their vocabulary and understanding. They acknowledge in a fun way that some children do not like the feel of the paint and encourage them to express their views on what they would rather play with. All staff place high priority on promoting children's communication and language skills. They work closely with parents of children who speak English as an additional language to

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who attend

promote their understanding of spoken English. Words in children's home languages are well displayed around the nursery, including in the toilets and nappy changing areas. Staff use simple ways of helping children learn to value each other languages, such as when they count as they go up the stairs. Staff know the children well and plan effectively for their individual interests and next steps in developmental progress. For example, following children's interest in sinking and floating, a member of staff provides an interesting activity to encourage the children to explore the properties of different objects. Children excitedly gather objects from around the room. The member of staff encourages them to decide which sink and which float. As a result, children are eager to express their findings and use language, such as lighter and heavier to describe why some items float and others sink. However, at times some staff do not always allow children time to respond to

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who attend

questions or encourage them to solve simple problems for themselves. Consequently, children's learning is not always extended to the highest level.

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who attend

Children enjoy engaging in role-play activities across each of the rooms. Younger children play together cooperatively with staff and each other while pretending to cook 'tea'. Older children role play familiar scenarios, such as a hairdressers. Staff provide imaginative activities for children to learn to construct and explore how things fit together. For example, with a member of staff they previously made a model of an igloo out of plastic milk bottles and enjoyed pretending to live in it like Inuits. Parents are provided with many opportunities to be involved in their children's learning. Meaningful information is shared about younger children via daily diaries, which are also offered for older children. Parents feel well informed about their children's progress and welcome tips on how they can support their children further at home. Parents are delighted in the progress their children have made since being at the nursery.

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

All children are happy and very well settled in the nursery. Good settling-in procedures enable staff to meet children's needs from their first day. Staff provide sensitive and caring support if a child is unsettled and work closely with parents to work out how best to meet individual children's needs. For example, parents sometimes attend stay and play sessions, which help children see their parents enjoying spending time in the nursery. Parents comment that all staff are genuinely friendly and always smiling. Key persons form strong relationships with children and their families. They are careful to follow children's routines from home, such as when weaning babies and supporting children's individual sleeping routines. As a result, all children are emotionally secure and are well prepared for future change in their lives. Staff breaks are taken around children's sleep routines with the manager and deputy helping to provide additional lunch cover. Staff remain on the

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

premises so they can be called back to their room if needed. Children's transitions between rooms are handled sensitively to ensure they are prepared both emotionally and physically, especially when they transfer from the smaller rooms on the ground floor to the larger numbers in the more active rooms upstairs. All children are cared for in very well- resourced rooms which contain a wealth of good-quality, age-appropriate toys, furniture and equipment. Every room is rich in print, signs, symbols and photographs, and contain attractive displays of children's artwork that staff take great pride in. As a result, children feel a sense of belonging and security within the nursery.

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

Children are kind and caring towards each other and staff offer simple reminders about expected behaviour. As a result, children play well together and remind each other to share and take turns. They are confident to approach staff for help if necessary and older children learn to settle simple disputes for themselves. Children are provided with freshly prepared meals which are cooked on the premises which enables the nursery cook to control the sugar and salt content. He implements stringent procedures to ensure children's individual dietary needs are met following Busy Bees guidance. He follows head office menus which ensure children are provided with the correct portion sizes of the major food items. All children eat well and enjoy the social occasion of mealtimes. For example, babies enjoy eating their tea together in the outdoor area. They sit in comfort and safety in the shade which provides them relief from the very humid weather. They

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

enjoy sitting around a large low-level table enjoying home-made humus, with pitta bread and vegetable sticks. The caring staff encourage them to enjoy this sociable occasion while talking to them about their food and praising their speech as they teach them good manners. As a result, children's health and well-being is effectively promoted and children learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle from a young age.

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

All children have many opportunities to enjoy physical exercise both indoors and outside. Older children enjoy running about and practising their balancing skills in the outdoor area. Staff teach them to undertake their own simple risk assessment so that they learn to take responsibility for their own welfare in the future. Staff plan activities, such as different music and movement sessions relevant to individual age groups which help children learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies. All children learn to follow well-established hygiene procedures from an early age. Older children understand they must use soap 'to get rid of germs'. Staff teach children the independence skills they will need when they start school. For example, older children learn to queue up for their meals canteen style and then carefully carry their plates back to the table.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery have very good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Safeguarding children is given high priority within the nursery and all staff are very confident in their roles and responsibilities and the action to take if they have any concerns about children's welfare. Child protection is discussed as an agenda item at staff meetings and appraisals to reinforce staff's understanding. Effective risk assessments and daily checks ensure children play in a safe and secure environment. Parents access the nursery using a fob system to unlock the front door and management closely monitor arrivals and departures to ensure no unauthorised person can access the nursery. Robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are well implemented to ensure staff are safe and suitable to work with children. As a result, all children are safe and well cared for in the nursery. Adult-to-child

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provision

ratios are met across the nursery and staff supervise children closely to ensure they can play in safety and comfort. The manager and deputy are both supernumerary to staffing ratios; the administrator also has a childcare qualification and can step in to provide extra staff cover. Recent staff changes have been managed appropriately and the nursery is in the process of appointing new staff. Each room has a phone so staff can call for another member of staff if necessary. Management are careful to monitor staffing levels across the nursery. However, the procedures in place are hard to monitor effectively to ensure staff and management can easily identify and implement the most effective way of deploying staff within each of the nursery rooms. All documentation is up to date and accurately completed to promote children's welfare and learning. Policies and procedures are implemented effectively and shared with parents to ensure they are well informed about

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provision

The manager and room leaders accurately monitor educational programmes to ensure that planning and assessment are consistent across the nursery. As a result, all children are provided with a broad range of challenging learning experiences to promote their good progress within each area of learning. Children with identified needs are well targeted and their progress vigorously monitored to ensure appropriate interventions are sought to ensure any gaps in learning are closing. Staff are provided with regular supervisions with the manager and room leaders to monitor their practice to identify priorities for improvement and training needs. However, there are instances where monitoring of staff practice does not sufficiently focus on raising the already high quality teaching across the nursery to further extend children's learning. The majority of staff are well qualified and the manager is passionate about the importance of raising staff qualification levels still

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provision

Self-evaluation is effective and takes account of the views of staff, parents and children. As a result, actions plans are well targeted to continue to improve the nursery. Staff within each of the rooms meet regularly to prioritise area to develop to improve the already high quality learning experiences provided. The nursery works closely with other professionals and early years settings to provide continuity of approach to meeting children's learning and care needs. Very good partnership working with parents enhances all areas of children's learning and well-being. Parents praise the professionalism of nursery procedures and the good quality documentation provided which makes the whole nursery experience so much easier.

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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 EY305861 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 978726

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 114 Number of children on roll 244 Name of provider Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 12/04/2013 Telephone number 01603 507776

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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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