Busy Bee Pre School Millbrook

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate that they feel settled and secure in this nurturing pre-school. They are greeted at the door by friendly staff who know them well. Children settle quickly in the well-resourced building. They confidently explore the environment and know that staff are nearby for reassurance when needed. Children happily chat with friends and are keen to engage in activities. They confidently talk about what they are doing and happily share their ideas with staff. For example, children explain in detail how to build sandcastles. Children use language extremely well to support their play.

Children are confident learners and behave well. They listen and know the routine well. For example, they stop their play and listen for instructions when staff tap the tambourine. Children show a positive attitude to completing tasks on their own, such as tidying up their toys. The outdoor learning environment is well planned and organised. Children learn how to work together and manage risks when taking turns to walk across planks of wood. Staff support and encourage less-confident children to have a go and they praise their achievements. Children use their imagination as they pretend to make a birthday cake in the mud kitchen. This sparks conversations about parties and balloons.

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

• The manager and staff understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's development. They have designed a well-sequenced curriculum with a particular focus on children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff know children well and what they are working towards. All children make good progress from their starting points.
• Overall, children's communication and language flourishes as a result of the input from staff. They speak clearly and introduce new vocabulary. For example, they introduce words such as 'scoop' and 'tap' when children build sandcastles. Staff use sign language to support children's communication development. Children learn to sign 'milk' and 'water' as they choose a drink at snack time. However, there are some limited instances where some staff do not use the correct level of vocabulary for children to understand. As a result, some children are not able to think about their answer.
• The special educational needs coordinator has a good knowledge of children and gives good support to staff to provide targeted plans for children. Staff use funding effectively to meet children's individual needs. For example, they offer children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) one-to-one support in their play. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children with SEND are well supported.
• Staff provide some opportunities to teach children about diversity. For example, they provide books to reflect differences in people in their community. However, there is scope to give children richer learning experiences to further enhance their understanding of the diverse world in which they live.
• Children's independence is well encouraged. For example, they pour their own drinks and make choices about what they may like to eat at snack time. Children are confident to approach staff for help if needed. Staff offer praise for their accomplishments, which raises children's self-esteem.
• Staff skilfully introduce mathematical language into all areas of play and learning. Children enjoy building towers with toy construction bricks. Staff ask them to find one more brick, then two more. They discuss if the tower is 'tall' or 'small'. Children challenge themselves to make themselves taller and smaller as they stand up on tiptoes and crouch down low. As a result, children become increasingly confident to use mathematical language in their play.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents speak highly of the pre-school and comment on how they travel across the town to attend. Good communication ensures that parents know what their children can do and what they will be learning next.
• Staff attend supervision sessions with the manager. The manager places a strong emphasis on targeted training and recognises that this has a big impact on children's learning and development. For example, recent sign language training has improved staff's knowledge of how to support children's language and communication skills effectively.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the existing support to help staff consistently model speech correctly to children
• support children to develop a deeper understanding of cultures that are different from their own and the diverse world in which they live.