Bear's House Nursery

Inspection of Bear's House Nursery 19 Grantham Road, BRIGHTON BN1 6EE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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The provision requires improvement

Children arrive and confidently separate from their main carers to start their busy day at nursery. Children happily seek out their friends to join them in a wide range of activities and experiences. However, the curriculum offer is variable. Some staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to plan and implement effective educational programmes in line with their individual needs. Children with special educational needs and /or disabilities (SEND) equally have their needs well supported. This helps children make good progress. However, other staff do not have a clear understanding of how to ensure that all children receive purposeful engagement to contribute towards their learning. At times, staff have their attention drawn to the most able and chatty children, which means quieter children are often missed. They struggle to settle to any particular activity or play experience and have limited interactions.

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The provision requires improvement

Despite this, children demonstrate confidence as they set themselves self-chosen challenges. For example, older children work together to organise an egg-and- spoon race in the garden. Staff teach children the rules for the race, and children show resilience and concentration when trying to keep their egg on the spoon. They delight in their successes.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff work closely with the babies to help them feel safe and secure. Babies show curiosity as they explore the resources available to them in their playroom. Staff set up tabletop activities and provide walkers to encourage babies to stand and take first steps. Staff praise their efforts and provide continued support.

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need to do better?

n Leaders seek the views of children, staff and parents to help them reflect and evaluate the quality of their provision. The manager identifies their strengths and areas to work on and has an action plan in place. This is to contribute towards driving continued improvement. However, there are discrepancies where senior leaders do not place a sharp enough focus to ensure that processes are carried out and checked. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in recruitment processes, some confusion around allegation management and accident management and a variable curriculum offer. n The curriculum offer is not fully embedded across the whole provision. The manager recognises that she has newer staff that need more support to develop their knowledge. She uses her extensive qualifications to offer less-experienced staff the support they need to help them plan and implement educational programmes. However, variations in the quality mean not all children receive the

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need to do better?

help they need to make consistently good progress. The most able children engage well, with good levels of language to express their ideas. However, there

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need to do better?

22 July 2024 are other children who wander around the room disengaged, not noticed by staff. n Overall, children generally behave well. There are occasions when children struggle with taking turns and sharing with their friends, which requires adult support. Staff explain to children the impact of their behaviour and help them find solutions to overcome minor altercations. Due to the curriculum offer being variable, this directly impacts on children's attitudes to learning. Some children struggle to maintain concentration and flit from one play experience to another without gaining any benefit, which can go unnoticed by staff. n All children have a key person in place who takes time to work closely with them to identify their care and learning needs. Staff work with families and colleagues to share information about their key children through a variety of documentation. This also helps to maintain continuity of care when a member of

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need to do better?

staff is absent. Staff show a genuine interest in children, asking them questions while they are playing and seeking their views during story times to get to know them well. Staff have not fully explored their key children's cultural heritage to help children learn about their similarities and differences and what makes them unique. n The special educational needs coordinator has very good knowledge of the children with SEND. She ensures that children receive timely interventions through making referrals to external professionals and implementing strategies to help them catch up. n Staff seek ways to expose children to opportunities to develop their communication and language skills. This includes asking children open-ended questions, reading them stories, singing songs and narrating their experiences linked to their play. This helps to contribute towards building children's vocabulary. n Partnership with parents is effective at this provision. Staff work closely with

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need to do better?

parents to provide feedback about their child's time at the nursery. This includes daily feedback, two-year-old check assessments and parent meetings. Leaders and staff offer suggestions on how parents can further support children's learning. This includes a lending library so parents can borrow books to share with their children at home. Parents comment favourably about the provision and are happy with the care their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

ensure senior leaders have sharper oversight to ensure all required processes and checks are in place for the safe and efficient running of the provision 26/08/2024

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Due date

develop staff's teaching practice so all children receive good quality learning experiences and ensure quieter children are not overlooked. 26/09/2024

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should:

n support staff to gain a greater understanding of families' cultural heritage and use this information to tailor the care and education offered to children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY552028 Local authority Brighton and Hove Inspection number 10309740 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 56 Name of registered person Early Beginnings Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01273 561100 Date of previous inspection 22 August 2023

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Information about this early years setting

Bear's House Nursery registered in 2017 and is situated in Brighton, East Sussex. It is open from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 10 members of staff, eight of which hold appropriate childcare qualifications between level 2 and level 7. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector reviewed a range of records including staff files, vetting checks of staff, first-aid certificates and the safeguarding policy.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

22 July 2024 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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