Busy Bee Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they are happy, safe and settled in this warm and welcoming nursery. They have developed close, strong bonds with the caring and nurturing staff. For instance, babies who are new to the nursery enjoy cuddles with staff as they arrive and are supported to settle. Children are very caring and help their friends when they see the opportunity to do so. For example, they help a child to rebuild a play activity that he has created when it collapses and he is sad.

Children join in with a wide range of well-planned activities that are based around their interests, current favourites being dinosaurs and cars. They are eager to make independent choices from a wide range of good-quality resources and they make decisions about what to do next. For instance, children confidently select items, such as wooden blocks, to adapt their pretend play with cars and small-world characters.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents do not currently enter the nursery setting. Children adapt well to the new arrangements put in place. For example, older children confidently say goodbye to parents at the entrance and excitedly start playing with their friends. They talk about how happy being in nursery makes them feel.

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

• Children behave well. They develop their understanding of the rules and expectations through gentle reminders from staff. Children make good progress in their learning. They are actively supported by their key person, who has high expectations of them based on the sound and accurate knowledge they have about each child.
• Staff have received training and provide opportunities for children to experience outdoor activities in a local forest environment. They have recently restyled the garden to provide more opportunities for imaginative play. Children make good use of this. For example, they use a range of items as they pretend to catch fish. There are ample opportunities for children's physical development. For instance, they develop control and coordination outside as they navigate the outdoor area on ride-on toys.
• Leaders have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator is passionate and committed to her role. She works well with external agencies to support each child. Staff effectively help parents to support children to become familiar with routines and know what to expect each day.
• Parents speak very positively about the nursery and the progress their children make. Staff communicate in a variety of ways, including via an online portal, to ensure all parents receive information about their child's progress. Parents comment that they have been very well supported by staff through online meetings and telephone calls during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they state that they are appreciative that the next parents' meetings will take place face to face inside the nursery.
• Overall, staff have a good understanding of their curriculum. They are aware of what children can do and what they need to do next, and plan well to support children's learning. For example, they encourage children to solve problems and find their own way to achieve tasks. However, at times, they do not use group times as effectively as they could. For example, young children start to develop their listening and attention skills at group story time, but they become distracted and quickly lose interest.
• Staff work together to help children to move smoothly into new rooms as they get older. Staff support children to become increasingly independent and prepared for their move on to school. For instance, they teach children to manage their own coats, hats, gloves and boots as they go outdoors.
• Staff make use of their interactions to support and guide children's learning. For instance, staff working with babies encourage them to explore the feel and flow of water. Staff add appropriate tools to demonstrate the different ways that water can be collected and transported, and encourage babies to copy them.
• Children thoroughly enjoy singing rhymes and confidently join in with the actions of those rhymes that are familiar to them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase opportunities for all staff to develop rich, meaningful story times
• ensure that group activities are suitable for the age range and stage of development of all the children.