Busy Bees Pre-school Playgroup

Busy Bees Pre-school Playgroup Grange Lane, Littleport, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 1HW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/01/2015 11/02/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children develop their independence well as they make choices freely from the good range of easily accessible resources. Their communication and language development is promoted well, which helps them to be ready for school.  Managers and staff work well together and show a firm commitment to professional development. As a result, good practice is developing to improve the outcomes for children.  Parents are very positive about the setting and the staff. They are well informed about their children's activities and have regular opportunities to discuss their progress.

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It is not yet good because

 The committee has not notified changes of committee members to Ofsted to ensure they are suitable for their roles in leading and managing the pre-school.  Activities are not always planned according to individual children's learning needs. As a result, not all children make good progress.  Staff's teaching skills are variable and not all have the confidence to recognise and extend children's learning opportunities when they arise. Support given to staff to develop their skills, is not yet strong enough.

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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 observed the children at play in all areas of the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the manager conducted a joint observation and looked at children's learning records.

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Inspection activities

 A meeting was held with the manager to look at underpinning processes, including staff recruitment, supervision meetings, the monitoring of the educational programme and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 A range of documents were examined, including safeguarding procedures, registers, training information and staff suitability checks.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to some parents and took account of their comments and testimonials.

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Information about the setting

Busy Bees Pre-school Playgroup was registered in 1992 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is operated by a voluntary management committee and is a registered charity. The pre-school operates from a purpose-built building in the grounds of the Millfield Primary School in Littleport, Cambridgeshire. There is an enclosed outdoor play area. Opening times are Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 2.45pm during school term times. The pre-school accepts children eligible for two-, three- and four-year-old early years funding. There are currently 84 children on roll in the early years age range. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. There are 12 staff employed to work with the children, including the manager. Of whom, eight hold appropriate qualifications. The pre-school is a member of the Pre-

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must:

 improve the planning of activities to reflect and follow children's individual learning needs more closely to ensure all of them make good progress in their development

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must:

 improve staff's knowledge of the different ways that children learn, so they can more effectively exploit any opportunities to extend their learning, for example, through effective questioning.

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

 develop further the support given to staff to enhance the quality of teaching, for example, through mentoring or peer observations.

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who attend

Staff observe children as they play and make assessments of their interests and capabilities. However, observations and assessments are not used effectively to plan activities that are tailored to children's individual learning needs. Adult-led activities, in particular, tend to be planned around themes or topics, rather than as a result of children's specific interests. Some staff lack the confidence to extend children's learning and hold their attention during these activities, for example, through effective questioning. As a result, there is a tendency for children to lose interest too quickly, which affects their depth of learning and their ability to concentrate. Nonetheless, children enjoy their time the in pre-school. The good deployment of plentiful resources and a largely child-led routine means that children have opportunities to make choices and follow their interests. Consequently, they enjoy their learning and make steady progress and they make steady

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who attend

Children who speak English as an additional language receive appropriate support. Staff are developing their knowledge of simple sign language. They provide children with clear labelling and visual images to support their understanding of the routines and help them to communicate with each other. Staff work closely with parents to find out about children's skills in their home language. Several staff members reflect the backgrounds of families. This has helped to build trusting partnerships that supports children's development in English.

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who attend

Staff provide children with a good range of books and offer spontaneous story times during the sessions, which supports their interest in literacy. Some staff show good teaching skills, for example, as they snuggle up with children outdoors to share a story. Children have access to a suitable range of writing materials. Staff encourage older children to mark their artwork with their names. They promote children's sensory development well. For example, they ensure children have ample opportunities to explore paint and play dough. Dens and covered play areas enable children to be imaginative. They create their own play scenarios, pretending to 'go camping' or have pretend tea parties. Staff carry out a progress check for all children when they are aged between two and three years of age. This short written summary is shared with parents and passed to other providers or health professionals as appropriate to support children's continuity of

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who attend

learning. Parents are offered regular meetings with their key person to discuss children's progress. Shared resources, such as story sacks, give them opportunities to promote their children's learning at home.

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

Children develop warm and affectionate relationships with staff because the key-person system is effective. Staff collect appropriate information from parents when children first start to ensure their care needs are met well. For example, they find out about their health and medical needs. Staff offer children friendly greetings as they arrive and they settle quickly to their activities. Flexible routines give children time to explore their surroundings and choose from the plentiful resources. As a result, children show good levels of independence and follow their own interests confidently. Staff encourage children to share and take turns and teach them to respect each other. Older children use tools, such as timers, to negotiate their own sharing. Children show friendly relationships with each other and most know how to behave appropriately, given their age and stage of development.

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

Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles by offering a range of wholesome snacks, such as fresh fruit and breadsticks. Children develop their understanding of healthy foods through informative conversations with staff. They take an active part in food preparation and learn about appropriate portion sizes. Parents provide children's lunches and they receive guidance to ensure these are healthy and varied. Children with special dietary needs are carefully monitored to ensure any food served to them is safe and appropriate. Children learn independence skills, such as putting on their own coats or washing their hands, which helps them to prepare for school. The outdoor area is available on a continuous basis throughout the pre-school session. Children thoroughly enjoy the swing cars and trikes. They explore natural materials, such as sand and water and they enjoy imaginative play with the outdoor kitchen. Staff support children to navigate balance

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

beams safely and talk to them about negotiating the tyres with care. As a result, children know how to keep themselves safe during risky play.

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provision

Following recent visits from Ofsted, the provider received a warning letter relating to their failure to notify Ofsted promptly of safeguarding allegations about a member of staff. The provider was also issued notices to improve that related to making child protection notifications to the local authority, staff induction and staff supervision meetings. At this inspection, it was found that all staff and the committee are clear about the procedures to follow if allegations are made against a member of staff. All staff have attended child protection training. Committee members and staff have received guidance from the early years team at the local authority. As a result, their knowledge of child protection issues is now good. The manager has reviewed the staff induction process to ensure all are clear about their responsibilities. She has recently instigated one-to-one supervision meetings where staff can discuss any concerns in confidence. Procedures for staff and committee

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provision

have been strengthened to ensure they have the knowledge to deal with any future allegations and notify the appropriate authorities.

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provision

There are suitable recruitment processes to ensure staff are safe to work with the children. Appropriate checks are taken up and the new induction procedures help to ensure staff understand their roles and responsibilities. However, the committee has not notified changes to the individual committee members to Ofsted. For example, some committee members who have served for a year, are not known to Ofsted. Other committee members who have left, have not had their association with the pre-school ended. While the impact on children's safety is minimal, it is, nonetheless, a breach of requirements. The pre-school has recently experienced a good deal of change, including an almost complete change of staff and a new manager. The manager and her staff have worked hard to develop their team work and build successful relationships with children and parents. The manager has begun to assess staff's skills and provide opportunities for

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provision

professional development. Staff have a keen interest in widening their knowledge and several are on courses to improve their qualifications. However, this has not had time to affect the quality of teaching, which is variable. Consequently, children's good progress is not assured. Although, effective self-evaluation is in its infancy, managers and staff have a sound understanding of what needs to be done to improve the provision.

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provision

The manager has begun to monitor the educational programme and children's development. She has regular meetings with the school head teacher to ensure children's learning is developing in line with the school's expectations. Reception teachers provide staff with guidance, such as the formation of letters. As a result, children are well prepared for school. Staff have developed good links with other agencies, such as speech and language specialists. This helps to ensure children who show signs of delay, have appropriate support. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are quickly identified and their needs are assessed. Those that need additional adult support have a one-to-one worker allocated. This enables them to have equal opportunities to play and enjoy the activities. Parents indicate that they are pleased with the pre-school. They say their children are happy and well cared for. Staff provide parents with detailed

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provision

information about the pre-school. They encourage them to look at their children's records and they have daily conversations with them. As a result, parents are well informed about their children's care and learning. The manager has begun to ask parents for their views on the provision to ensure the outcomes for children continue to improve.

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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

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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 221727 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 1001889

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 84 Name of provider Busy Bees Playgroup (Littleport) Committee Date of previous inspection 11/02/2011 Telephone number 01353 968606

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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