Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bedford Elstow

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bedford Elstow Progress Park, Elstow, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 9XE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 1 June 2017 26 August 2016

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Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Good 2

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 On occasions, staff in the baby room do not record the times that children are in attendance at the nursery.  The provider does not consistently ensure that statutory requirements for adult-to-child ratios are met.  Staff do not always use the information they gain from observing children's learning to help them plan precise ways to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.  Staff do not always share enough information with parents to help them have a good understanding of their children's development. Parents also state that, at times, they feel uninformed as to who is managing the nursery.

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It has the following strengths

 Since the last inspection, the provider has started to embed some improvements. Effective supervision meetings and regular observations of staff's practice are now routinely used to identify their ongoing professional development needs.  Staff plan a well-balanced curriculum for children. Children can choose where and with what they want to play, both inside and outside. Adult-planned activities engage and enthuse children in their learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 keep an accurate daily record of children's attendance 14/06/2017  make sure that adult-to-child ratios consistently meet statutory requirements. 14/06/2017

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 support staff to make more regular and precise observations of children's learning in order to help them make the best possible progress  enhance the partnerships with parents to enable them to have the best possible knowledge of how to support children's learning at home, and to keep them more informed of management changes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspectors spoke with staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The lead inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspectors held a meeting with the manager and regional manager. They looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspectors spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

On the day of the inspection, staff in the baby room were unaware that not all children's attendance details were correctly recorded in the register. Staff are not aware that it is their responsibility to make sure that children's arrival and departure times are accurately recorded. Information from parents, other professionals and checking of registers shows that, at times, statutory requirements for adult-to-child ratios are not met. Not all staff are proactive in notifying the managers of the number of children present to ensure they deploy staff across the nursery effectively. Staff have good knowledge of how to recognise and deal with any signs and symptoms of abuse and know how to report these appropriately. Rigorous recruitment procedures are in place and help to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff assess children's development and identify next steps for their learning. They use this information to plan suitable experiences for children. However, some staff do not have the best possible knowledge of children's development, in order to plan ways to help them make rapid progress. Staff provide parents with information about children's development. However, they do not always give some parents enough information about children's progress to help them support learning at home. Staff provide younger children with a range of wooden objects to explore. They carefully stack them in order of size. Children in the pre-school room use their imagination well to set up a dinosaur world and to make up stories.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Managers have not effectively identified and addressed weaknesses in practice relating to maintaining adult-to-child ratios and keeping accurate records of children's attendance. Nonetheless, children are happy and settled and their behaviour is good. Staff provide many opportunities for children to learn outdoors. Children enjoy using water for play and to tend their growing vegetables. Staff help children to understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. They help them to recognise what happens to their bodies after physical exercise, such as changes in how fast their hearts are beating. Children talk about the importance of drinking water to rehydrate their bodies. Babies benefit from consistent routines which help them to settle and feel secure.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are making good progress from their starting points. They are developing skills needed for early writing. For example, they make marks to represent shopping lists and write notes to their friends with water on boards outdoors. Children are gaining the skills they need to be ready for their next stage of learning or their move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY152150 Local authority Bedford Borough Inspection number 1072957 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 112 Number of children on roll 98 Name of registered person Just Learning Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 26 August 2016 Telephone number 01234 330220

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reference number

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bedford Elstow registered in 2014. The nursery is one of a national chain of daycare settings. It opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery employs 17 members of childcare staff, eight of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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

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 reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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reference number

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

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