Busy Bees, Stotfold

Treetops Stotfold The Grange, 70 High Street, Stotfold, Hitchin, Herts, SG5 4LD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 October 2016 7 January 2014

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider does not ensure that all legal requirements are met and staff practice is not monitored effectively. Leaders do not ensure that all staff know their roles and follow their responsibilities to promote children's care, learning and development.  The provider does not ensure that the premises are suitable and fit for purpose. Many areas of the nursery, including the kitchen used for preparing babies' bottle feeds and meals are not kept clean and hygienic to ensure children's health and safety.  Staff's risk assessments are not rigorous in identifying and minimising hazards to children. This places children at risk of harm from access to items such as loose cords, stagnant water, plastic bags, litter and radiators that are very hot to touch.  Children's personal toileting needs are not attended to promptly. This results in some children being knowingly left in soiled nappies for some time, compromising their health

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This provision is inadequate

and comfort.  Young children are not adequately supported to build positive relationships with their key person in order to help them settle at nursery.  Teaching throughout the nursery is weak. Staff's expectation of toddlers' levels of concentration are unrealistic. Older children in pre-school are not sufficiently challenged in their learning.  Children do not have access to a wide range of resources in an appropriate condition to help to encourage their interest in literacy.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff help parents to support children's learning at home by providing a range of activity bags for them to use. They regularly share information on children's learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

The provision is inadequate and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to:

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Due Date

 ensure that staff understand and carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively to meet the needs of the children in their care 30/11/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that the premises and equipment used for the purposes of childcare are safe, clean and suitable 30/11/2016

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Due Date

 provide suitable facilities for the hygienic preparation of food for babies 30/11/2016

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Due Date

 take all reasonable steps to ensure that children are not exposed to risks, undertaking thorough assessments to identify, remove or minimise hazards with regard to the premises and equipment available to children 30/11/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that the basic needs of babies and young children are known and promptly addressed by their key person 30/11/2016

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Due Date

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 plan challenging and enjoyable experiences for each child in all areas of learning and development that meet their individual needs, interests and stages of development 30/11/2016

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Due Date

 promote children's learning and development, specifically their literacy skills. 30/11/2016

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Inspection activities

 We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about this provider.  The inspectors observed activities and spoke to the staff and children at appropriate times.  The inspectors carried out joint observations with the nursery manager.  The inspectors looked at children's assessment records, planning documents and a range of other documents, including a range of policies and procedures.  The inspectors held a meeting with the nursery manager and area manager.  The inspectors checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the staff working with children.  The inspectors reviewed the nursery's self-evaluation process and took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Children's health, welfare and safety are compromised as a result of poor organisation, leadership and management. The monitoring of staff practice is not effective. The kitchen area used for the preparation of milk and sterilisation of equipment for babies is not routinely cleaned. At the inspection, it was observed that a number of dirty towels were left lying on the kitchen floor. There was a stale odour and the manager stated that the towels had been left over the weekend. Risk assessments are not effective in keeping children safe. On the day of inspection, blind cords and telephone wires were within children's reach. Some radiators were extremely hot and the water available for children's water play was very dirty as it had been left from the previous week's activities. Further hazards were seen outside. Despite this, staff understand how to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and their responsibility to refer

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

any child protection concerns to relevant agencies. Suitable recruitment and induction procedures are in place for new members of staff. Supervision and appraisals of staff's practice are carried out. These are used to help identify some suitable training opportunities for staff. However, management is not effective in ensuring that staff carry out their duties adequately.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Many aspects of staff's teaching are ineffective and are not matched to the needs of the children. In the pre-school room, staff do not challenge the learning of the older children. Some activities are too easy for the children and they disengage from learning. On some occasions, younger children are expected to sit for sustained periods of time. Staff plan adult-led activities that are not matched to children's age or stage of development. For example, young children are repeatedly asked to name shapes, such as hexagon and oval. They quickly become restless and are told to sit still, listen and look at the flash cards. Staff attempt to share books with babies. However, babies quickly lose interest as staff show them pages which are upside down. When children engage in free play they show more involvement. They make pretend phone calls to their parents and fill up bags with toys that they carry around the room, developing their emerging imaginative play. Staff

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

collect some information from parents when children start at the nursery to help them to understand children's starting points in learning. Staff plan some next steps for children's learning, based on their observations, but these are not implemented consistently through appropriate planned activities. Managers track children's progress, however, they fail to recognise the impact the inadequacies in staff's teaching have on children's development.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The key-person system is not rigorous in ensuring that children's basic needs are met by staff. Staff maintain a strict routine of changing their own key children's nappies as a group. They do not interrupt this routine when necessary to prevent children becoming uncomfortable or sore in their soiled nappy. Furthermore, when young children are settling into the nursery they are often distressed. Some staff find it difficult to comfort them because they do not know their routines or needs. At times, they provide activities using equipment that is not suitable for their age and do not always consider the risks to children, such as choking. On the day of inspection, the inspector and the manager witnessed a young child in the baby room chewing on a foam paint roller. Staff report that they like to involve the pre-school children in identifying risks in the outside area. They provide children with plastic gloves in order to help pick up any items of litter. During the

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

inspection, staff competed this activity with a group of children assuming that a detailed risk assessment had been carried out prior to the children's involvement. This was not the case and children were exposed to hazards including discarded tissues, paper and plastic bags. Despite this, staff encourage older children to be independent; they have opportunities to pour drinks and serve themselves at mealtimes. Children spend time each day in the garden, where they benefit from physical activity in the fresh air. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language to make some progress. They learn key words in the home languages spoken by children and use visual prompts.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Children are not making progress from their starting points while at the nursery. The teaching methods used by staff are inconsistent and often ineffective. Younger children do not engage in learning and activities are not appropriate to their age and stage of development. Older children do not develop their curiosity and thinking skills. Staff do not provide enough activities with appropriate challenge. Consequently, not all children are developing the basic skills they need for future learning at school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY387116 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 1075653 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 64 Number of children on roll 147 Name of registered person Treetops Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 January 2014 Telephone number 01462 734306

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reference number

Treetops Stotfold was registered in 2008. The nursery employs 29 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold qualifications at level 2 and above. The manager holds early years professional status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7am until 6pm, all year round. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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