Busy Bees at Bamber Bridge
Inspection report for early years provision
Unique reference number	503750
Inspection date	26/10/2010
Inspector	ISP Inspection
Setting address	School Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire, PR5 6QE
Telephone number	01772 324 644
Email	bbbnursery@busybees.com
Type of setting	Childcare on non-domestic premises

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) 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 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.
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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable.  The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.   

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration.

Description of the   setting    

Busy Bees at Bamber Bridge is one of a number of nurseries run by Busy Bees Nurseries Limited. It was registered in 2002 and operates from a converted and extended two-storey school building. It is situated in Bamber Bridge in Preston. A maximum of 167 children may attend at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday all year round from 7.30am and 6.00pm. Children have access to outdoor play areas.

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. They may care for no more than 167 children under 8 years and not more than 167 may be in the early years age group. Of these, not more than 100 may be under three years, and of these, no more than 47 may be aged under two years at any one time. There are currently 130 children on roll. There is a team of 38 staff to care for the children, of whom, two have Early Years Professional Status, 20 staff have appropriate level 3 qualifications and five have an appropriate level 2 qualification. One member of staff is working towards a relevant level 3 qualification and one to a level 6 qualification. The manger is supernumerary. In addition the staff are supported by an administrator, a cook and assistant, and three cleaning staff. The nursery has attained module one of the Lancashire County Council quality award and are working towards their Step Into Quality Award. 

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

 Overall the quality of the provision is good.

 Children make good progress in their learning and development due to effective planning and organisation. Strong partnerships with parents and external organisations are consistently encouraged to provide stimulating and varied experiences for the children. Effective self-evaluation leads to continuous improvements and involves staff. A commitment to the professional development of staff results in motivated staff and knowledgeable staff.

What steps need to be taken to improve provision further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:       organise children's learning files to ensure that they are always sufficiently clear and easy to use for all who need to see them    enable children to have additional opportunities to explore real-life problems through practical situations.

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision

The staff have a confident understanding of safeguarding issues. A suitably-trained designated person supports staff. Regular training opportunities and links with external organisations, such as the local authority, ensure their knowledge is up to date. Robust recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitably vetted and qualified and prioritise children's safety. Staff work well as a team to maximise the children's safe use and enjoyment of the premises, especially the outdoor play space. Risk assessments and a system of daily recorded checks in each room help keep the children safe. Parents and children share information about their experiences and activities with effective use of photographs around the nursery. This provides a wealth of valuable information, used to support and inform planning for individual children. It creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, encouraging open sharing of information.  As a result, the staff have a good knowledge of the children's backgrounds. Strong links with the local authority inclusion team mean children's needs are fully assessed and supported. 

Self-evaluation processes give an accurate assessment of the group's strengths and weaknesses. Staff embrace changes to improve outcomes for children, for instance, relating to the use of rooms, or improvements to the outdoor play space. All staff are involved in personalising plans for each child, making activities fun and stimulating. Staff manage children's behaviour effectively in partnership with parents. The staff make good use of the diversity of staff and children to support children's care and learning.

The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children

The staff plan a stimulating well-equipped environment which the children confidently explore. The children see photographs of themselves in the nursery. This creates an inclusive learning environment. Staff model positive attitudes to learning, joining in activities with enthusiasm. They chat freely with the children about their activities making them feel secure. All staff have a good understanding of the planning and observation systems in place. Planning systems are used to plan for the children's next steps and track their progress to the early learning goals. The children's files hold staff observations and children's work. However, at times the contents are not clearly organised, making them not always easy to use.

The children develop useful skills for the future through their daily play. The layout of the baby rooms encourages the children's walking and crawling skills as they find exciting things to look, touch or hold. All children play with electronic toys or computers. Staff provide toy computers for the younger children to play with. They explain why these need batteries to make them go and make sure all children have turns playing with these. Older children use the large interactive board with confidence. They know the range of games available and choose their favourite ones, such as, matching games. Staff talk with interest to the children, encouraging their communication skills. Displays of words in the different languages of staff and children encourage the children's interest and understanding of language. High quality resources help promote the children's numeracy skills. The children explain how they can follow sample pictures to make different items with the bricks provided. They show great interest in the toys and resources. Older children count with confidence in their independent play, such as, when they line up toy cars. However, they have less opportunity to count in practical situations, such as, in their daily routines to help reinforce their learning.

The children play cooperatively. When playing outside, they happily share a wide range of wheeled toys. The children's interest in the natural world is supported well by staff. Staff ensure all children have a basket in which to hold the leaves they have collected. They describe the leaves    colours and the sounds that the leaves make when trodden on. The collected leaves are used later in craft activities. Staff support children   s learning by effective modelling of how to use the magnifying glass. The children look closely at insects, describing what they see to staff or each other. 

Children enjoy their time outdoors. They use safely the challenging play equipment as they climb or ride fast on toys. The staff supervise sensitively, understanding children   s need to take risks in a safe environment. As a result, the children benefit from fresh air and exercise. The children follow effective hygiene routines, for example, washing their hands at appropriate times. Meal times are sociable as children chat enjoying their meals together. Their understanding of healthy eating is encouraged by the nursery's involvement in schemes, such as, the Healthy Schools Award and the Introducing Children to Fish Award.

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

How well does the setting meet the needs of the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?	2
The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement	2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage	2
The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement	2
The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources	2
The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity	2
The effectiveness of safeguarding	2
The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement	2
The effectiveness of partnerships	2
The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers	2

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage

2

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage	2
The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning	2
The extent to which children feel safe	2
The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles	2
The extent to which children make a positive contribution	2
The extent to which children develop skills for the future	2

Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are:

Met

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are:

Met