Busy Bees at Birmingham Kingsheath

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely excited and eager to learn. Their enthusiasm is infectious. They enter the premises with big smiles on their faces, ready to greet the staff and their peers. Children build strong bonds with staff and their peers. For example, babies crawl to the staff to have a cuddle and look at a book. They make eye contact with the staff, listen to them sing songs and begin to clap excitedly. Children behave incredibly well. They learn about respecting individuality and the opinions of other people. They begin to sort their own conflicts and discuss reasonable compromises. For example, older children discuss their likes and dislikes while talking about wild animals. They begin to share and take turns with one another to ensure each child has a turn with their favourite species.

Children settle extremely well. Staff work in partnership with parents to find out children's interests at home. Staff read them their favourite stories and children enthusiastically create a crumble for their favourite character. They discuss the ingredients and how long it will take to cook. They explore different textures while using their small-muscle skills to pour and measure. Children use their mathematical knowledge and discuss capacity and size to see if their crumbles are full or empty.

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

• The setting has improved since its last inspection. Leaders have provided substantial training opportunities for staff to improve their practice, such as risk assessing their environment. Leaders have created a culture of mutual support and teamwork. Staff are provided with focused opportunities to improve their quality of practice and to work as a team to support each other, including a buddy system.
• Children progress well in their learning and development. Staff provide them with an array of valuable opportunities to extend their interests and learning. Staff understand early education and embed children's individual next steps in learning into everyday practice. However, at times, staff do not share the full range of information about their key children when children change rooms. This means that staff do not have an immediate, thorough understanding about their key children's initial starting points and progression.
• Leaders have supported staff in their practice to further support children's concentration and engagement. Staff encourage less confident children to choose their own resources or join in with their peers. Children are mostly engaged. However, staff do not plan as well as possible for all group activities, to encourage all children to take an active part in their learning. This means that some children do not consistently engage in the group activity and fully benefit from the learning experience.
• Children learn to take responsibility in the setting. They learn how to risk assess their own environment and how to keep themselves, and others, safe. Children learn to climb the stairs safely while holding the rail. They understand that they have to wash the 'nasty' germs away from their hands, otherwise they might become ill. Children develop a sense of individual responsibility while tidying away toys so that others will not trip over.
• Children become fluent speakers. Staff help children to foster a love of reading. They can choose a book from their 'lending library' to read at home with their parents. Staff also embed emotional literacy into everyday activities. This supports children to understand and talk about their feelings and how their behaviour can affect others. Staff endeavour to create a safe place to promote children's emotional security.
• Parent partnerships are a particular strength of the setting. Parents state their children love to come to the setting to play with their new friends. Children make great progress and parents feel supported in extending their learning at home. Parents have access to educational apps where they can learn further about oral hygiene, safeguarding and upcoming topics and themes. They appreciate the interactive app that staff use to provide ideas for activities to help with their child's learning targets at home.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively. Leaders and staff have a secure knowledge of children's specific learning requirements and support them accordingly.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and enhance planning to consistently challenge children's learning to extend their engagement and focus, particularly in group activities
• strengthen the sharing of information between children's key person and other staff so that staff fully understand children's initial starting points, particularly when a child changes rooms.