Bouncing Bees

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and their staff team have worked hard since the last inspection to improve their curriculum and the quality of education children receive. Children have good opportunities to develop their vocabulary. Staff introduce nursery rhymes and songs and engage children in conversation, such as talking about their families and interests outside of nursery. In addition to this, staff have introduced a 'book club', enabling children to choose books to take home and read with their parents. This helps to strengthen children's interest in books and stories.

Staff provide children and their families with a warm welcome. Children arrive happily, leave their parents and carers with ease and settle quickly. Young babies have built strong attachments with staff, and they form early connections with their peers. Young babies demonstrate that they feel safe and settled. They engage confidently in sensory activities and are very well supported by staff.

Staff support children to learn about sharing and turn-taking. They help children to learn that 'sharing is caring' and reiterate this during play. Older children demonstrate their understanding, such as telling their peers 'it's your turn' during a game. Staff praise children for following the rules and being kind. This helps to promote children's self-esteem.

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

• Since the last inspection, the manager and his staff team have made a number of improvements. The manager has worked closely with the local authority and taken on board the advice and guidance given. This has had a positive impact on the setting overall. The manager has improved his supervision of staff. This helps to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to deliver good-quality education. It also means that any potential gaps in staff's professional development are identified quickly and action is taken to improve.
• Staff have good relationships with parents. They share information in many different ways to ensure that parents know about their children's time spent at nursery and the good progress they are making. Parental feedback is positive. Parents comment on the friendly and welcoming environment. They are happy with the communication they receive from their children's key person and the staff team in general. Parents know who to speak with if they have a concern, and they comment that they are confident that this would be resolved quickly and appropriately.
• Staff encourage children to be active, both indoors and outdoors. For example, older children eagerly engage as they take part in the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. They listen carefully to staff and use their imaginations as they pretend to 'splish', 'splash' and 'swish' around the room while looking for the
• 'bear'. The staff member tells the story and encourages children to join in by leaving gaps in the story, which they are able to fill. She asks questions about what is next in the story, and children share their thoughts. They are quick to respond and do so appropriately. Children interact and engage enthusiastically. This demonstrates the confidence children have and how well they know the story.
• Staff's interactions with children are good. Staff use appropriate opportunities to support and enhance children's learning through play. For example, staff extend older children's language while washing the dolls. In the baby room, staff introduce new words and language in a sensitive way while children explore or sing songs together. However, in the room for two-year-old children, staff are sometimes over-directive with their interactions. During adult-led activities, staff ask many questions, and they lead children towards what is planned without adapting the activity to meet the needs and interests of the children.
• Children are confident, and their independence is promoted. All children are supported to try and do things for themselves. For example, at mealtimes, babies and young children are supported to feed themselves. For older children in the pre-school room, they are supported by staff to serve their own meals, which are cooked freshly on site each day.
• Children are kind to each other. Staff are generally consistent in their approach to behaviour management and provide children with effective support. However, for young children who find it difficult to self-regulate and manage their emotions when playing alongside their peers, staff do not always give consistent messages as to why they cannot do something. This means young children do not always learn about the consequences of their actions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the quality of staff's teaching and adapt activities to meet the individual needs and interests of two-year-old children
• support staff to help young children regulate their own behaviour and begin to learn about the impact their actions have on others.