Little Buds Day Nursery

Little Buds Day Nursery Huddleston Centre, 30 Powell Road, LONDON, E5 8DJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/11/2014 05/02/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 Previous inspection: 2 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider's recruitment procedures are not robust. For some staff, the provider relies on suitability checks completed by previous employers and does not have records for other staff members available for inspection. In addition, staff whose suitability has not been checked are left alone with children. This compromises children's safety.  Staff do not always give children time to think about their answers to questions. When this happens children do not have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, and increase their confidence in their communication and language development.  Children can only choose to play outside at certain times during sessions. This means that children who learn best outdoors do not progress in their learning as well as other children.

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It has the following strengths

 Key staff know children well and plan consistently across the nursery for all children's learning.  Small group sessions are effective and engage children in a range of learning experiences.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and children during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with staff and the management team at appropriate times during the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children as they took part in routines, adult-led sessions and spontaneous play in all areas of the nursery.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled nursery records, including children's development files, staff records and policies.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with a member of staff.

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Information about the setting

Little Buds Day Nursery is run by an individual. It opened in 2007 and operates from a large hall and two smaller rooms in a purpose built building. It is situated in a residential area in Clapton in the London borough of Hackney. A maximum of 20 children may attend the nursery at anytime. The nursery is open each weekday from 08.00 to 18.00 for 48 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 25 children in the early years age group on roll. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four. Children come from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and also supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs six members of staff; all hold appropriate

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Information about the setting

early years qualifications and all are working towards a higher qualification.

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must:

 ensure there are robust recruitment procedures, which include recording information about vetting processes that have been completed, including obtaining references, and the Disclosure and Barring Service checks, the date a disclosure was obtained and details of who obtained it

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must:

 ensure people whose suitability has not been checked do not have unsupervised contact with children being cared for

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must:

 ensure required records are easily accessible and available for inspection with specific reference to showing checks have been undertaken on staff through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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

 extend outdoor play time to further support those children who prefer to learn outside

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

 develop staff practice to ensure they consistently allow children enough time to form answers to questions.

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who attend

Children enjoy their learning at this nursery. They are motivated to learn because staff provide a varied range of activities. Staff use the different rooms well to provide a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Small group activities are used effectively to promote children's language skills. Children are engaged as they take part in favourite activities, such as stories and using picture cards to name animals. Staff provide stimulating, home-made resources to encourage children to take an active part in counting. Staff skilfully involve children in these small group sessions, which develop children's confidence and awareness of others' needs. Visiting teachers support children's awareness of other languages and children fully enjoy these lively sessions with songs and signs. Teaching in these small groups is good. Staff demonstrate rhyming words and respond well to children's questions.

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who attend

Key staff know children's abilities and characters well. This knowledge is due to the careful observations they make as children play and take part in routines. As a result staff plan effectively, overall, for the next steps in children's learning. Structured activities and routines encourage children's emerging writing skills as they prepare for school. Younger children use name cards to begin to recognise their names and older children use these to practise writing their names on their pictures. Children enjoy spending time with their key member of staff. They play co-operatively alongside staff, and their friends and staff use this time to consolidate children's learning.

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who attend

Staff use children's current interests to engage in role play with the children. This play develops children's imagination and their creative skills. For example, children take a train ride to the seaside using large wooden blocks as their train. They play with pretend kitchen resources to act out what they see adults do. Staff encourage this play and provide different vocabulary for children to learn. However, during this play staff sometimes ask too many questions in quick succession. This means that children do not always have time to consider the questions and form their answers. This affects their ability to think critically and further develop their confidence in their use of language.

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who attend

The provider knows all children well in this small nursery. She works closely with staff to support all children including those who are learning English as an additional language, and those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In consultation with parents the provider makes referrals when staff observations show that children need additional support. Staff know that some children learn better outdoors but; they do not make the most of outdoor play space to enhance children's indoor play experiences. Time outdoors is generally limited to short periods in the morning and afternoon when children can enjoy fresh air and exercise. Some outdoor activities are planned to increase children's understanding of the world. Overall children make at least sound progress in their learning, and development and for many their progress is good.

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

Staff welcome children warmly when they arrive at the nursery. The small environment supports children well and parents particularly like this aspect of the nursery. However, the provider has failed to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage as she has not carried out appropriate suitability checks on all staff. This compromises children's safety as staff whose suitability cannot be assured are routinely left alone with children in small groups and outside play.

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

Staff suitably support children's behaviour. They are consistent in their approach and, as a result, children are learning about how to share and take turns with resources. Staff use large sand timers so that children can begin to understand about waiting for their turn. This means children have something to focus on as they wait or decide to play with a different toy.

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

Children's health is suitably supported in a range of ways. Staff provide healthy meals, and snacks and children talk about their favourite main meals and fruits. Staff promote healthy practices further by encouraging children to think about how food items in favourite stories can be changed in favour of healthy alternatives. This is a fun way to learn about healthy foods. Children spend time in the outside area each day to play with a range of resources in the fresh air. They demonstrate increasing agility as they play. Staff provide activities to cover all areas of learning in this secure area. They grow vegetables with the children and these are then included in meals so that children learn about how food is produced. There are effective and well-established arrangements to support children as they move to school. The provider arranges for children to spend time at the local school where they take part in phonics sessions and play in the school playground. This means

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

that children become familiar with playing in a much larger outside area and eases the move to school for them.

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provision

The provider has failed to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She does not have effective procedures for the recruitment of staff. The provider has failed to make checks on the suitability of staff, which is a breach of the requirements. She has relied on suitability checks, which were carried out by previous employers for some staff and has not carried out her own checks or kept records of any references obtained. For other staff, the provider has made suitability checks but; was unable to provide evidence of these checks for inspection. These breaches compromise children's safety. However, staff generally support and supervise children suitably as they play. They join in with indoor play, and supervise outdoor activities to minimise hazards and risks.

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provision

Staff have a sound knowledge of the safeguarding policies and procedures in the setting. They understand how to report any concerns about a child in their care and the importance of notifying the relevant authorities. The safeguarding policy covers all required elements, including the use of mobile phones, and cameras and it is implemented effectively.

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provision

The provider suitably reflects on her provision and develops areas of practice with staff. Recent improvements have been made to the way staff plan for the next steps in children's learning. These changes have resulted in more precise planning processes and all staff support these changes. The provider monitors children's development folders to ensure staff practice is consistent across the nursery.

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provision

Nursery staff have strong partnerships with parents. They give regular feedback to parents about children's progress, and activities and this means that parents have the information they need about their children's time at the nursery. Parents often volunteer to visit the nursery to enhance children's learning. Parents read stories in a range of languages and share their dentistry expertise to teach children about the importance of cleaning teeth properly. Through parents' participation children sample a variety of different foods as they celebrate different cultures and learn about each other's preferences and tastes.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 put in place effective systems to ensure that any person caring for or in regular contact with children is suitable to work with children, which must include obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service check, and is of integrity and good character (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  put in place effective systems to ensure that any person caring for or in regular contact with children is suitable to work with children, which must include obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service check, and is of integrity and good character (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY366810 Local authority Hackney Inspection number 829021 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 17 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Jocelyn Crome Date of previous inspection 05/02/2009 Telephone number 0208 986 8307

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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.

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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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