Bumblebees Day Nursery (Plymouth) Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently enter the nursery, where staff greet them warmly. Staff talk to parents about children's general well-being and anything they need to know before the day starts. Younger children have a cuddle with their key person before exploring the activities available. Older children independently hang up their belongings. They wave goodbye to their parents. Children are mostly settled throughout the day.

The curriculum is designed well to incorporate children's interests and what they need to learn next. Younger children enjoy songs where staff use interactive props to encourage engagement and children's communication skills. Older children show a willingness to join in group activities, such as 'remembering' games. Children take it in turns to hide while their peers guess 'who is missing' to support their problem-solving skills.

All children behave well and play cooperatively. When outside, older children help one another up the steep grassed 'hill' by stretching out their arms and pulling their friends up. Younger children develop good physical skills as staff teach them how to move safely down the stairs, such as climbing down backwards. Children develop a good understanding of the nursery rules and know they need to be kind, share and use their 'listening ears'.

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

• Staff encourage all children to be independent learners. They help children to learn how to feed themselves and how to drink out of open-top cups. Staff are good role models, showing children how to use cutlery effectively. Older children are competent to use a knife and fork in preparation for when they start school.
• Children are keen to join in with specific group times. Younger children listen to a story about sharing, where staff encourage them to join in to support their literacy skills. Older children play games to help them learn about words that have the same initial sound, such as 'terrific tiger'. However, staff do not plan the activity well enough around children's individual needs. They do not check children's understanding of what they have learned to build on what they already know and can do.
• Older children enjoy working out how to use tools independently. For example, they persevere when hammering plastic nails into foam blocks, helping to support their hand-to-eye coordination.
• Overall, staff use visual aids and simple sentences to help children's understanding. Occasionally, staff working with the younger children do not always communicate with children effectively. For instance, staff pick children up and take them into the sleep area. They then tell them that they are going for a nap without warning. This upsets children, as they do not always understand what is happening or what will happen next.
• The leadership team has high expectations and reflects frequently on its practice to help benefit children. The team has recently implemented changes, for example when older babies move up to the toddler room. Key persons from the toddler room spend quality time with older babies before they move to help them become familiar with the staff who will be looking after them. However, the organisation over the lunch period is not as effective. At times, there are many transitions taking place at once, which upsets younger children and makes them unsettled. For example, staff carry out various tasks and move between rooms.
• Staff have formed positive relationships with parents. They communicate well with them, providing them with relevant information about their child's day and the progress they are making. Parents comment on this friendly and welcoming nursery, describing how children develop good social and vocabulary skills.
• The nursery has established effective links with the community. Once a month, children visit the care home in the area and meet with the residents, sharing their experiences. The nursery also contributes to a nearby gardening group, where children grow vegetables and fruit and show these in their neighbourhood. Additionally, the nursery has formed positive relationships with the local primary school. Children attend extra-curricular activities at the school, such as sporting events, helping them become familiar with their future educational establishment.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan and implement group activities for older children more effectively, tailoring them to their individual needs to build on their existing knowledge and skills
• help younger children understand what is happening now and what will happen next to help them feel secure
• organise routines more effectively to ensure younger children feel consistently settled.