Busy Bees at Stokenchurch

Positive Steps Stokenchurch Positive Steps Day Nursery, Lower Church Street, Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3TG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 January 2016 2 July 2013

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Children actively explore the wide range of exciting toys and resources. Staff plan effective activities using their good understanding of how children learn to promote their development. Children make good progress in their learning.  Staff implement initiatives and new skills gained through effective training. Staff in the pre-school room have strengthened children's literacy and mathematics skills. For example, staff use puppets during story time to help children learn the sounds that letters make. They use a broad range of strategies to encourage problem solving, calculation and reasoning.  Staff relationships with parents contribute to the good progress children make. Staff have developed many effective ways of involving parents in their children's learning. For example, they provide parents with activity packs to help support children at home.  Children establish close relationships with staff; they are confident and behave well.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although management monitors staff well and encourages them to improve their skills, they do not consistently raise teaching to the highest level. For example, they do not use individual meetings with staff to provide a regular focus on teaching.  The new manager and leaders are at an early stage of checking the progress made by different groups of children across all areas of learning. Therefore, they do not quickly and effectively help children make the best progress possible.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 strengthen individual staff meetings so there is a clearer focus to develop staff's skills to the highest level  embed the tracking and analysis of children's progress to identify any trends in their learning and target teaching precisely to help children make the best progress possible.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interaction with children and viewed the toys, resources and equipment.  The inspector held discussions with the leaders and managers, staff and children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager to examine the quality of teaching and support for staff.  The inspector checked evidence of safeguarding practices, staff recruitment, staff training and professional development, and the evaluation process.  The inspector looked at records for children's learning and development, and discussed how staff assess children's progress.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The leaders and managers are committed to providing a good quality provision for children. They have made many significant improvements since the last inspection that positively benefit children. For example, the new manager helps to ensure staffing remains consistent and they have developed the outdoor provision for the babies and toddlers. Parents comment very positively on these and all aspects of the provision. Effective partnership working between school teachers and the managers helps to prepare pre- school children for school. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a very good understanding of their role and responsibility to safeguard and protect children from harm. The manager ensures staff attend regular training to update their child protection knowledge. Leaders and managers monitor the progress of individual children and the educational programmes. Children make good progress according to their capabilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff get to know children quickly and assess their ongoing learning well. They take account of children's next steps, what interests them and parental suggestions when planning activities. Babies who are settling in enjoy familiar songs from home and look at photo books of their families. Toddlers enjoy different ways of moving outside over challenging equipment and explore many ways of playing with toys. Pre-school children enjoy linking ideas in their learning and exploring cause and effect. For example, they mix cooking ingredients, identify some of the changes they see and propose simple explanations. Staff support children's communication and language well. Children who are learning English as an additional language benefit from staff's good support to help them learn. Children enjoy continuing their learning outside; for example, toddlers painted fruit inside and then used chalks to draw the fruit on a blackboard outside.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Babies have secure attachments with staff. They feel safe to play and explore the warm and bright environment that staff plan well. All children make choices in their play. Staff are good role models and set high expectations for children. Children behave well and understand right from wrong. Children learn the importance of self-care and develop their independence. Pre-school children serve themselves at mealtimes; they recognise their names on place cards and engage in meaningful discussions about their day. Staff help toddlers to feed themselves, and babies enjoy listening to staff singing familiar songs as they prepare for snack.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those in receipt of funding, make good progress and any gaps in achievement are closing promptly so children continue to achieve well.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY292355 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 1028709 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 101 Name of provider Positive Steps Children's Day Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 2 July 2013 Telephone number 01494 484 737

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Setting details

Positive Steps Stokenchurch registered in 2004. The nursery opens each weekday from 7.45am to 6.15pm all year round. The breakfast club operates from 7.45am to 8.30am; staff escort children to Stokenchurch Primary School. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The nursery employs 20 staff; of these, 11 hold childcare qualifications at level 3 and two hold qualifications at level 2.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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