Busy Bees at Lichfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children's emotional security. For instance, when pre-school children show signs of tiredness, staff offer them a bed in a quiet area to rest peacefully. Staff encourage new children to bring toys to the table, helping them to feel comfortable. Once children settle, staff gently remove the toys, guiding them to focus on the activity. This process eases their transition into the setting.

Staff actively support children's safety, health and well-being. For example, they teach children the importance of oral hygiene and handwashing. They explain how tucking in chairs and cleaning up spills help to keep everyone safe. Staff model positive behaviour and reinforce expectations calmly, encouraging children to think about why rules exist. They support children to take responsibility for their personal care, such as supporting babies in wiping their hands and putting on their own bibs. When children spill a drink, staff guide them through the steps needed to clean it up. These experiences build children's independence and confidence.

Children freely explore the garden, developing physical skills through activities such as digging in the mud kitchen, riding bicycles and using rockers. They squeeze sponges while bathing dolls, grip chunky crayons during mark making and use paintbrushes to recreate real artists' work. These activities help to strengthen children's hand muscles, developing the needed skills to hold cutlery and feed themselves.

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

• Staff design a sequenced curriculum that builds on children's existing skills. For example, they support babies by holding their hands as they practise early walking skills and assist more confident walkers to balance on large apparatus. Pre-school children confidently run and balance independently, demonstrating how earlier experiences have contributed to their development.
• Staff quickly identify and address delays in children's development. As a result, children who once faced challenges in physical development now move confidently around the room, eager to explore. This demonstrates the positive impact of staff support on children's progress and highlights the effectiveness of early intervention.
• Mindful that many families are new to the area, leaders share information about local services and events with parents and carers. This helps them to connect with other families and enrich their children's experiences outside of the setting. Additionally, staff encourage children to engage in small-world play where they learn about local recycling centres, veterinary clinics and community roles, such as police officers and dentists, deepening their understanding of the community.
• Staff are highly effective in fostering partnerships with parents and other settings that children attend. For example, they regularly meet with parents and key persons to review and discuss children's progress. Parents value the strong communication they receive from staff, feeling well informed and engaged. Notably, fathers feel included, showing that the setting actively involves all family members in children's development.
• Staff collect feedback from school teachers after children transition to evaluate how well the curriculum supported their school readiness. However, staff sometimes lack alignment in their intentions, which can disrupt children's routines and hinder the flow of learning. Furthermore, some group activities are not managed effectively, limiting full participation from some children.
• Staff teach children a wide range of vocabulary and sign language. As a result, babies confidently sign to ask for more lunch, and pre-school children use words such as 'symmetrical' to describe a butterfly's wings. Staff ask open-ended questions to encourage children's thinking and conversations, helping their communication skills to flourish.
• Staff encourage children to develop early mathematical skills. For example, children engage in shape-recognition games, explore concepts such as 'big' and 'small' while rolling play dough into balls, draw zig-zag patterns and wipe down tables using triangle-shaped motions. This shows how mathematics is integrated into everyday routines.
• Staff use funding to directly benefit the development of eligible children. For example, they allocate funds to purchase resources that enhance children's mathematical skills and encourage them to act out scenarios and process their feelings, supporting their overall development.
• Leaders enforce rigorous recruitment and training procedures. They manage staff development through supervision, observation and modelling of expected behaviours. Staff appreciate the support and guidance they receive, including a wide range of training opportunities, such as positive behaviour training. They note that this training has positively impacted on their ability to manage children's behaviour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reflect on children's experiences when in a group to ensure they are all equally supported and engaged in appropriate learning
• encourage staff to continuously work together to deliver the curriculum.