Early years · Early years inspection (CIF)
Busy Bees@Maidenhead
Summary
What we read, and from where
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- Inspection datesingle source
11 Dec 2014
- Inspectors verified
Vanessa Brown
- Overall effectiveness verified
Good
- Postcode verified
SL6 7EG
- Name on report verified
Positive Steps Day Nursery
- URN verified
EY243905
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2014.
- OverallGood
Tone of the report
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Reads more critically than most reports of this type graded Good.
Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.
How the report reads, start to finish
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Strengths
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No standout praise found.
Concerns
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No strong criticism found.
Next steps
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- Children enter the nursery and settle well. p.3
- They choose from a wide range of exciting and stimulating resources that promote all areas of children's learning and development. p.3
- Staff plan the environment well for the different ages of children who attend, taking into account their ages and abilities. p.3
- Staff learn about children's interests, routines and abilities before they start in the nursery by offering home visits to parents so that they can get to know the children well in their home environment. p.3
- They observe children and use this information to ensure activities continue to challenge and extend children's learning in the nursery. p.3
- Management and staff monitor children's learning so that they can identify any gaps, and plan activities to ensure children move on to the next stages of their development. p.3
- They prepare progress checks for children when they reach the age of two, which enables staff to identify children who may need extra support. p.3
- Baby and toddler rooms are bright and inviting with low-level furniture. p.3
What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Wellbeing & mental health7
“Children form strong emotional attachments with staff in the nursery.” p.5
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 10
- Words of findings
- 1,975
- longer than usual (typical 703)
- Reading level
- Fairly hard
- Flesch 51, typical 50
- Average sentence
- 16 words
- Next steps
- 8
- typical 2
- Hedged sentences
- 1%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Positive Steps Day Nursery St Joseph's Church, Cookham Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7EG
p.1
Inspection date
Previous inspection date 11/12/2014 17/01/2014
p.1
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
p.1
This provision is good
Children arrive happily in the nursery and settle well. This is because staff get to know children well before they start in the nursery and plan activities to follow their interests. Children take part in a wide range of activities to promote all areas of learning that are led by adults and initiated by children. Consequently, children make good progress in their development. Management and staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding procedures in the setting. This promotes children's safety and well-being. Parents make positive comments about the nursery. They are happy with the care provided by staff and with the progress their children make in the nursery.
p.1
It is not yet outstanding because
Staff do not always provide regular information to parents of older children to promote their learning at home. There are fewer resources around the nursery to support children to learn about their home cultures and backgrounds.
p.1
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
p.2
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.
p.2
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.
p.2
Inspection activities
The inspector observed interactions between staff and children in all rooms of the nursery and in the outdoor area.
p.2
Inspection activities
The inspector met with the management team and the manager of the nursery and discussed staff records, action plans and children's development records.
p.2
Inspection activities
The inspector sampled the nursery policies, procedures, self- evaluation form and general documentation. The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager. The inspector spoke to staff, parents and children in the nursery.
p.2
Information about the setting
Positive Steps Day Nursery registered in 2003. It is one of eight nurseries run by Positive Steps Children's Day Nurseries Limited. It operates from five rooms over two floors in St Joseph's Centre, situated close to the centre of Maidenhead, Berkshire. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 109 children on roll in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.15pm for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. The nursery employs 24 staff, of whom 13 hold relevant qualifications at level 3 and above. The nursery manager holds a level 3 qualification and the nursery employs an early years curriculum manager. A
p.3
Information about the setting
number of peripatetic staff deliver weekly French, sport and music and movement classes.
p.3
To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:
further promote individual children's home learning on a regular basis, especially in the pre-school room in the nursery
p.3
To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:
enhance the environment to include resources and visual aids to reflect the cultures and backgrounds of the children who attend.
p.3
who attend
Children enter the nursery and settle well. They choose from a wide range of exciting and stimulating resources that promote all areas of children's learning and development. Staff plan the environment well for the different ages of children who attend, taking into account their ages and abilities. Staff learn about children's interests, routines and abilities before they start in the nursery by offering home visits to parents so that they can get to know the children well in their home environment. They observe children and use this information to ensure activities continue to challenge and extend children's learning in the nursery. Management and staff monitor children's learning so that they can identify any gaps, and plan activities to ensure children move on to the next stages of their development. They prepare progress checks for children when they reach the age of two, which enables staff to identify children who may need extra support.
p.3
who attend
Baby and toddler rooms are bright and inviting with low-level furniture. This promotes their physical development as they practise walking and cruising around the room. Babies confidently choose from easily accessible toys and are supported by staff, who follow their interests. Babies choose to play with animal figures and staff sing animal songs using a hand puppet. Staff teach children the noises animals make and children start to move to sounds. They listen to and start to copy words, which promotes babies' communication and language development. Babies explore making marks using large chunky chalks on blackboards and staff encourage their independence. Staff give lots of praise and children copy the marks which promotes their confidence and self-esteem. Babies giggle and squeal as they kick and explore the balls in the ball pit. Staff promote children's understanding of colours as they pass the balls and repeat the colours.
p.3
who attend
Toddlers sit with staff and have cuddles as they read books together. Staff are enthusiastic and engage children in stories by using different voices, pointing at the words and pictures and encouraging children to join in and talk about what is happening. This promotes children's imagination and language development. Toddlers painted pictures of the beach and staff extended their learning by encouraging them to talk about what they might find at the beach. This encourages children's imagination and confidence in talking in front of other children. Staff provide chunky paintbrushes so that children start to become confident in controlling the marks they make on paper ready for school. Toddlers learn about different colours and shapes as they play together and take turns building towers. This supports their understanding of maths and they learn to manage their own behaviour as they take turns with the bricks.
p.4
who attend
Older children build with small bricks and staffs sit with them and encourage them to think about how they can build a house and a garage. Children describe what they are building which promotes their communication and language development. Children explore and investigate shells and natural items with a magnifying glass. They play treasure hunt games in shredded paper and explore using their senses as they cover their eyes and have to guess what they have discovered. Staff support children in small groups with lessons in phonics. They teach children what letters look like, what they sound like and how to draw them. Children learn what words start with the letter 'o'. Staff model using books and pencils and children become confident with the letters of the alphabet. Resources around the nursery promote children's understanding of the differences in society. However, there are fewer resources around the nursery to support children's learning about their home
p.4
who attend
Staff teach children skills ready for school and promote their self-care skills. Children are encouraged to use the toilet independently and wash their hands afterwards. They wash their hands before meals and know the routine well for snack and lunch times. Children blow their noses and find a bin for their tissues.
p.4
who attend
Strong partnership working with parents ensures that children are well supported with their development. Staff discuss babies' and toddlers' development and ideas for home learning regularly with parents and general ideas to promote all children's home learning are shared through nursery newsletters. Parents' evenings for all age groups provide opportunities to discuss children's individual development and ideas to promote home learning. However, there are missed opportunities in the pre-school room to promote individual children's development at home on a more regular basis.
p.4
The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children
Children form strong emotional attachments with staff in the nursery. This is because staff take time to build positive relationships with their key children. Staff visit children at home before they start in the nursery so that they understand their individual needs. A secondary key person system is in place to ensure that children are supported when their key person is absent. This ensures children continue feel safe and secure in the nursery.
p.5
The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children
Children build independence and confidence throughout the day as staff provide children with choices in their play. Staff plan a good mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities which promote children's development in all areas of learning. Children become independent learners and staff praise children for all achievements, which promotes their self-esteem.
p.5
The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children
Staff teach children about positive ways to behave. They offer lots of opportunities for children to take turns and learn to share. Staff remind children of the rules in the nursery and talk to older children about their behaviour. They encourage children to think about the consequences of their actions. Staff act as positive role models. Consequently, children are developing good manners and generally behave well in the nursery.
p.5
The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children
Children have opportunities daily to play outdoors so that they benefit from fresh air and exercise. Babies sing songs outdoors and copy the actions. They start to explore the environment, digging in the soil and scooping and pouring water. Toddlers paint outdoors with water and learn to kick and pass balls to each other and staff. Older children become confident climbing a rope ladder and sliding down slides. This promotes children's physical development and understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children learn by repeating the actions and staff give children lots of praise and encouragement so they become confident to try new activities.
p.5
The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children
Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. They encourage children to wash their hands after using the toilet and before meals. Staff talk to children at mealtimes about healthy foods which promotes their communication and language development. They teach children about the foods that are healthy and encourage children to try new flavours. Fruit is available during the day and children are encouraged to help themselves, which helps children to recognise when they are hungry. Staff provide healthy foods at mealtimes. Children eat spaghetti bolognese with vegetables and are encouraged to use their knives and forks. Staff give babies and toddlers time to develop their independence and to learn to feed themselves. Older children serve themselves, which promotes their self-care skills.
p.5
The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children
Staff follow robust health and hygiene procedures that support children's well-being. They carry out daily risk assessments in all areas of the nursery and follow up on any actions that need to be taken. This ensures that children's safety and well-being are promoted. Management and staff attend first aid training and are deployed effectively throughout the day. This also ensures that any accidents are recorded and dealt with appropriately.
p.5
provision
The management and staff team in the nursery have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation stage. Robust policies and procedures are in place and shared with parents so that they understand the nursery provision. Policies for safeguarding children, including the use of mobile phones and cameras, are displayed throughout the nursery. This reminds parents and staff of the procedures to follow in the event of a safeguarding issue. Management and staff attend safeguarding training and there is an appointed designated safeguarding officer in the nursery to deal with any safeguarding concerns. Staff understand the signs and symptoms that would give them cause for concern about a child and the procedures to follow. They understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about another member of staff in the nursery. Consequently, children's safety is promoted.
p.6
provision
Management follow robust recruitment, induction, and supervision procedures. Staff attend ongoing training for their continuous professional development, which ensures they continue to be suitable for their role in the nursery. Documentation is organised and is easily accessible. Accurate attendance registers are in place in all rooms of the nursery to ensure children's safety. Staff are deployed effectively throughout the day and ratios are adhered to in order to support children's needs.
p.6
provision
Management and staff work in partnership with parents to keep them informed of their child's development. Regular monitoring and assessment of children's development by management ensures that any gaps in children's learning are identified early and actions put into place to support them. This means that children make good progress, overall, in the nursery.
p.6
provision
Discussions at regular staff meetings, feedback from parents and evaluations of activities and children's development, all ensure that management are able to reflect continually on their provision. Management also follow up on actions from previous inspections. This ensures they continue to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
p.6
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
p.6
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
p.7
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.
p.7
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.
p.8
Setting details
Unique reference number EY243905 Local authority Windsor & Maidenhead Inspection number 962745 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 109 Name of provider Positive Steps Children's Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 17/01/2014 Telephone number 01628 623777
p.8
Setting details
set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.
p.8
Type of provision
For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:
p.8
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.
p.8
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.
p.8
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.
p.9
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,
p.9
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’.
p.10
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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