Bizzie Bees Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are eager to arrive and explore the wealth of learning opportunities in this friendly nursery. Management and staff work hard to create an exciting learning environment that ensures children are thoroughly engaged in age-appropriate play throughout their day.

Children behave well and are aware of the need to follow the nursery rules. Staff support this by implementing strategies that develop children's understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, staff and children regularly refer to the nursery's safety mascot to remind them of appropriate and safe behaviours.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported in this nursery. Staff plan and adapt activities well to ensure children have equal access to high-quality learning opportunities that meet their individual needs. For example, staff conduct small-group sessions to provide additional support for children's communication and social development.

Children develop close relationships with the nurturing staff. They rush to greet them on arrival and enjoy cosy story sessions cuddled up in the reading area. Those children with SEND demonstrate particularly close bonds with their key staff, who are always on hand providing targeted support during activities.

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

• Staff have a flexible approach to planning a curriculum based on children's ever-changing interests. Children play an active role in determining what they learn. They discuss topics of interest that staff skilfully incorporate into their planning. Together they create books documenting what they have learned. This enables staff to effectively evaluate the impact their teaching has on children's progress.
• Relationships between staff and carers are strong. Parents speak highly about the interim manager and staff and the high-quality care and support they provide. Parents particularly value the advice and support staff give and how this enables them to continue children's learning at home. Parents have access to an electronic journal system and attend regular consultation meetings to keep them up to date regarding children's progress.
• The interim manager works hard to establish a close network of mutual support with other professionals. She regularly seeks advice to enable staff to offer high-quality learning opportunities for all children. Staff communicate well with local schools and other providers when supporting children's transitions. This enables children to settle swiftly and continue making good progress.
• Children show high levels of confidence in new situations. They welcome visitors warmly and are eager to show them round their nursery. Children enthusiastically invite visitors into their play, and delight at performing songs in preparation for their winter concert.
• Staff provide meaningful opportunities for children to learn about cultures and ways of life beyond their own. For example, children explore the national flags of their home countries and those of their friends and learn to greet each other in different languages. Parents regularly visit the nursery and share their unique traditions and customs with children and staff.
• Management and staff monitor children's learning closely. They complete regular assessments and document their findings using an online tracking system. Staff use this information to plan activities to support children's progress. However, not all staff demonstrate the detailed understanding of individual children's next steps needed to fully support them in their play.
• Staff morale is high in this well-established team. The provider has devised highly effective methods of monitoring and promoting staff well-being, providing additional support where necessary. She conducts regular appraisals with all staff to identify areas of development. Staff have access to various online and face-to-face training opportunities to enhance their knowledge. However, methods of coaching are not yet robust enough to enable staff to independently identify and address areas to improve their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure all staff have consistently robust knowledge of children's abilities and areas for development in order for them to fully support children's learning in activities and sessions of free play
• enhance current methods of coaching and mentoring to support staff to identify areas to improve their practice and raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level.