Bedgrove's Busy Bees Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited for their day at this welcoming setting. They separate confidently from parents as they put their books back in the lending library. Children are greeted warmly by the friendly staff who help them settle into activities. Staff know the children well and have strong bonds with them. Children show they feel safe and secure as they confidently talk to staff and choose from the wide range of activities that staff have planned.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and development. The welcome carpet time gives children information about what they will be doing during the day and helps them to decide activities of their choosing. Staff are good role models, and children behave well. If conflicts arise, staff support children to find solutions to resolve these themselves. This supports children to understand about their own feelings and the feelings of others.

Children learn about the local community and the world around them. Staff plan walks to help children learn about the local area. This raised questions from the children about different buildings and the role of businesses. For example, children ask questions about the church, and staff extend children's learning by planning further visits. Staff print photos of the buildings, and children use these when using junk modelling to recreate what they have seen.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Leaders and managers have created a strong curriculum, which is clear about what they want children to achieve during their time at the setting. Information from parents when children first start, help staff understand and plan for children's individual needs. This means children make good progress from their starting points and are confident learners.
• Regular observations and assessments mean that staff know children well. If gaps in development are identified or a child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, staff work with parents and other agencies to ensure that children and their families get the support needed in the quickest time possible.
• Overall, staff encourage children to contribute to group activities and work together to complete tasks. However, at times, staff do not recognise when some children need encouragement to join in with group activities or support to socialise with their peers. This means, at these times, not all children's learning is taken to the highest level.
• Children's communication and language is supported well. Staff ask children questions to encourage them to think and extend their vocabulary by introducing new words. They give children time to think and respond to questions. Recent training for using Makaton sign language has provided staff with different methods to support children with their individual communication needs. Staff and children use simple signing successfully throughout the pre-school. This supports children to become confident communicators.
• Overall, children's independence is supported well. Children self-serve their fruit at snack time, pour their own drinks and wash their plates and cups when finished. Children show pride as they successfully put their coats on themselves and enjoy the praise from staff as they do their own zips. However, there are some tasks that staff complete for children that they could do for themselves, such as preparing the fruit. As a result, children do not benefit from all opportunities to develop their independence.
• Mathematics is woven well into children's everyday routines and through planned activities. Staff incorporate counting and number recognition into activities, such as snack time. Children confidently use tape measures to see how long objects are or how high they have built their towers. With support from staff, children follow and create patterns using shapes. This means children begin to understand simple mathematical concepts.
• Staff build strong partnerships with parents. They comment that staff are caring, nurturing, professional and enthusiastic. Regular verbal and written feedback means parents are aware of what their children have been doing and what the focus is for their individual development. As a result, parents feel supported and the consistency between home and the pre-school means children make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all children to access the activities on offer and develop their social interaction.