Busy Bees at Sevenoaks

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at this friendly and welcoming nursery. They are pleased to see the staff and check on the well-being of the resident goldfish. Warm and nurturing staff ensure that they form strong relationships with children by engaging them in conversations. Children show they feel safe and secure as they separate from their parents with ease. Staff know the children well. They find out about children's interests and use this information to plan enjoyable and interesting activities. The key-person system is well embedded, and staff make sure that, through thorough monitoring, every child has access to the broad curriculum on offer. Children enthuse about space and the planets. Staff build well on this interest and plan useful experiences that extend children's understanding of this topic further. They have high expectations for all children and want them to achieve their very best.

Younger children also enjoy the activities on offer. They are encouraged to share photos of their home adventures, and staff use these to create a sense of belonging and reassurance in the nursery. Staff model language clearly, read stories and encourage children to join in with rhymes and songs. Children's communication and language skills are developing well.

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

• Children behave very well. They follow instructions and show high levels of independence. For instance, children pour their own water from jugs and work hard to use their knife and fork. Picture timetables displayed in rooms help children to understand their daily routines. When it is time to tidy up, children listen well to staff and help to put toys and resources away.
• Staff plan activities to support children's mathematical and literacy development. However, the focus is not always where it needs to be to ensure that children have the skills and understanding they need for later, more-formal learning at school. For example, staff do not focus on ensuring that children know all they need to know about numbers one to 10 before introducing numbers beyond this. This is also the case for children's writing, where staff do not focus enough on children's physical readiness to manage writing later on.
• Staff find out about children's lives before they start at the nursery. For example, they gather information about children's differing faiths, backgrounds and experiences. Parents are invited into the nursery to join in with opportunities to celebrate diversity. Children develop an awareness of their own and each other's backgrounds.
• Staff promote an interest in books and stories very well. They use story sacks that contain nursery rhymes, puppets and props. These excite children and motivate them to read. Children take books home to share with their parents.
• Staff consider how stories can be used to deliver other useful learning. They include books about oral hygiene to help children understand the importance of looking after their teeth. This helps to enhance children's love of reading and helps them to develop good habits in relation to health.
• Overall, there is good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff identify when children need extra support. They work with parents and make ongoing observations to provide important information for other professionals, as necessary, to ensure early intervention and help close gaps in learning. However, sometimes, staff who do not know the children so well lack the confidence to adapt their interactions to best meet these children's specific needs. At these times, children do not always receive the targeted support they need to get the most out of their time at the nursery.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Leaders and staff work hard to support good communication with parents about all aspects of their child's care. They assess and evaluate this regularly, making changes and enhancing their effectiveness. Staff communicate successfully with parents through daily chats and messages. Parents say they feel well informed.
• Leaders self-reflect well, which has helped staff to improve their practice and ensure better outcomes for children. For example, the outdoor learning environment has been extended and rearranged to better meet children's needs. Staff take part in regular supervisory meetings to discuss their practice and arrange further training to help support their professional development. They say they feel valued and supported to do a good job.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review planning to ensure that older children have plenty of time to practise and embed skills, to support future learning
• support all staff to have the knowledge and confidence they need to provide the tailored support some children with SEND need, to ensure consistency throughout the day.