Busy Bees at West Byfleet

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children benefit from a management team, that promotes an inclusive culture, and a clear approach towards identifying children who need additional support. They ensure that staff identify children's needs quickly through baseline assessments when children first start, observations and close partnerships with parents and carers. Staff attend additional training in order to develop their knowledge of certain special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and work closely with external agencies and professionals. For example, the partnership work with other professionals, and this has enabled staff to provide greater support for children with SEND, who struggle with their communication. The use of picture communication systems and simple sign language has enabled non-verbal children to express their needs and communicate in different ways. Staff effectively share their strategies with parents who can then implement these at home.

Children with SEND and others who have barriers to their learning are fully included in the setting. Staff are very kind and caring. However, at times, staff are unclear on how best to support children with SEND, as they have not fully considered how to respond to situations that arise. For example, this includes managing mealtimes for those who struggle to sit for the duration of the session.

Leaders and staff make effective use of additional funding, such as early years pupil premium. Funding is used well to support children's individual next steps in learning and their interests. For example, staff have sourced new role-play equipment for older babies to develop their imaginative skills.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff's support for children's communication and language development is well planned overall. Staff constantly chat to the children and show interest in their thoughts and ideas. For example, when toddlers indicate that they are making pretend birthday cakes with sand, staff encourage children to think about what ingredients they need to make a real cake. Staff show genuine delight when children then sing 'happy birthday'. In general, early mathematics is weaved well into children's play. For example, staff count the number of steps children climb, children copy 'one, two, three'. Staff introduce positional language to older babies, such as 'up', 'down' and 'through'. Preschool children count the number of chairs at lunchtime and use this to work out how many knives and forks they need. However, on occasion, staff do not consistently make the most of their interactions with children to extend children's learning. For example, when asking children about different-coloured objects, some staff then answer for them. Furthermore, when children cannot make sandcastles because the sand is too dry, staff do not encourage or support them to think about what they could do.

Staff use assessment appropriately to identify children's needs and inform their planning. They provide close support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and enable them to have focused learning and development opportunities. Leaders have a generally sound oversight of the curriculum. For example, they have identified that the educational provision outdoors could be further developed. Children have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills outside, including babies. However, staff do not plan for the outdoor learning environment as well as they do for the inside environment. Not all areas of learning are effectively promoted outside, including for those children who prefer to learn outdoors.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make progress from their starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Babies are constantly exposed to conversation and singing, and toddlers experiment with new vocabulary. For example, they listen to staff talking about the 'snapping' sound that twigs make when they are broken, and use words such as 'fluffy' to describe what a dandelion feels like. Older children are becoming confident communicators as they engage in discussions with adults and their peers. In addition, children who speak English as an additional language become skilled in their bilingualism and they continue to benefit from hearing their home languages, as staff use voice machines to play back phrases in the other languages they use.

Children are supported well in their transitions to new rooms and are well prepared for school. They are confident, sociable and independent. Older children show great imagination as they re-enact favourite stories, and show care and concern for their peers.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders monitor children's attendance carefully and promote a high level of engagement with the setting by highlighting to families the fun activities that children take part in. For example, these include visiting the local care home and enjoying visits from the fire service. Routines are becoming increasingly well embedded, such as self-serving food at mealtimes. Although this sometimes results in some waiting, children show they can manage this patiently. Children enjoy being 'helpers'. For instance, they help staff to clean and set the tables before lunch.

Children of all ages have positive and secure attachments with their key persons. They behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Staff provide a calm, purposeful and harmonious environment, which encourages children to stay engaged in activities and show curiosity. Children are keen to share their achievements and invite visitors into their play.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a safe, welcoming setting for all children. There is a lovely calm environment in each of the baby rooms, with a stable-staff team that helps the youngest children to feel secure. Staff are gentle, caring and provide lots of reassurance. They implement sleeping and feeding routines that support babies' individual needs.

Staff focus well on supporting children to navigate any changes in their home lives, which may cause periods of uncertainty. For example, many children are experiencing new siblings coming into their lives, so staff help them to understand what babies need and how they can be cared for. Staff support children to recognise, express, and manage their emotions, and staff provide consistent praise. For instance, as preschool children practise their graduation song, staff clap and say 'well done'.

Children learn about healthy lifestyles, as they help to clean the tables before they eat and enjoy nutritious meals. They understand the importance of routines, such as handwashing. Children of all ages have many opportunities for physical activity. Babies have opportunities to crawl through tunnels and climb up steps. There is plenty of space outside for children to run and test their skills on wheeled toys.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have worked hard to make positive changes since the last inspection. Managers are working well together to tackle the areas identified for improvement. There has been a positive change in staffing, with less movement between rooms and a more stable key-person system. The quality of teaching is improving, especially staff's modelling of language. Staff's questioning techniques are developing overall, but their interactions could benefit from more focused work so that they make the most of opportunities to extend children's learning.

Staff comment on their positive wellbeing and the support they receive from the management team. They have regular opportunities for training that are relevant to their work. For example, staff who work with babies have specific training on caring for this more-vulnerable age group. Staff who work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who speak English as an additional language, also attend focused training, which helps them to better support children's needs.

Parents comment positively on the care and learning provided by the staff. They say that their children walk through the door each morning with complete confidence and happiness. They feel that their children's language and vocabulary has improved greatly, and comment that their children love talking about the adults who care for them, showing how important they are to them.