Busy Bees Day Nursery at Meopham

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Meopham Meopham School, Wrotham Road, Meopham, Gravesend, Kent, DA13 0AH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 April 2018 3 August 2015

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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 develop strong attachments with staff from the start. Staff are skilled at recognising and supporting children's individual needs. Children are sensitive and caring, and are happy and settled in the nursery. Parents comment on the lovely relationships that children develop with the nurturing staff team.  The manager is enthusiastic and ambitious. She leads by example and effectively supports the dedicated and experienced staff team. She has a positive attitude to developing her practice. The manager welcomes the views of parents and children to help evaluate the nursery and make changes to enhance the provision further.  Children are respected and are keen and motivated learners. Staff effectively recognise children's interests and use these to create opportunities that enable them to develop and practise new skills. Children develop good skills to support their future learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 On occasions, staff do not give children sufficient time to share their developing knowledge and respond to questions being asked.  Staff do not consistently support younger children to understand the importance of good hygiene practice. For example, they do not always effectively encourage children to wash their hands before mealtimes.

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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 staff's questioning techniques to encourage all children to express their thoughts and ideas to extend their learning  help younger children gain a deeper awareness of good hygiene practice, to further support their good health and well-being.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to parents and children, and considered the views of parents from written feedback.  The inspector joined the staff and children on a trip to the local woods.  The inspector spoke to staff and looked at developmental records for individual children.  The inspector observed interactions between the staff and children in the inside space and the outside environment.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including the nursery's policies and staff's records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager has a clear focus on ensuring children are safe and well protected. Staff know the children well and have a good understanding of their role and the procedures to follow in regards to safeguarding. Staff are confident in recognising and recording concerns, such as any changes to children's behaviour. The manager monitors staff's practice well and offers regular support and coaching. This helps to ensure all staff keep their knowledge up to date and develop their skills and confidence. Staff attend training opportunities, which help them implement positive changes to practice. For example, staff used ideas gained from training to review and develop the outside space. They have created more opportunities for children to learn and explore their own ideas in the nursery garden.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff record accurate observations of children's learning as they play. They work closely with parents and other settings to gather and exchange information regarding children's achievements. The manager works with the staff team to monitor children's progress. Staff swiftly identify children who need extra support in specific areas, and provide tailored interactions and experiences. Overall, staff are good teachers and recognise how and when to involve themselves in children's play to further support their learning. For example, staff are attentive and give lots of encouragement as babies use emerging skills to explore a range of 'real' spatulas and kitchen utensils. Babies start to copy staff's actions as they begin to move the spatulas with meaning, such as stirring motions. Older children benefit from opportunities to discuss and predict what will happen as they mix ingredients to make 'volcanos erupt'. They use well-developed communication and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

language skills to describe what may happen.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children benefit from accessing a range of challenging activities in the well-considered and stimulating environment. Children behave well. They are effectively supported to develop a good understanding of how to play, share and work cooperatively with others. For example, older children are keen to take on simple jobs, such as being table monitors and they collect cups and cutlery for their friends. They use simple manners consistently. For example, children use 'please' and 'thank you' at mealtimes as they ask for 'a little' or 'a lot' of vegetables. Staff are aware of the importance of outdoor experiences and arrange regular trips, such as to a local wood. This helps to support children's health.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop and practise skills that support their progression to the next stages in their learning. For example, young children use emerging language skills as they independently look at books and talk about the characters. Older children show strong communication skills as they talk to staff to solve simple mathematical problems. They count items and talk about needing 'more' or 'less' pieces of dough to make 10.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127300 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1126847 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 104 Number of children on roll 140 Name of registered person Kinder Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 3 August 2015 Telephone number 01474 813076

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reference number

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Meopham registered in 1993 and is part of the Busy Bees chain of nurseries. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm, throughout the year. The nursery employs 29 members of staff, 21 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free 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

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reference number

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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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