Busy Bees Day Nursery at Ashford Eureka Park

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well supported and build strong attachments to their key persons. They seek them out when they need support. This results in children feeling safe and secure. Staff implement an effective curriculum that builds on what children need to know for their next stage in learning, such as before they move rooms in the nursery or go on to school. For example, at mealtimes, younger children learn to use spoons, moving on to spoons and forks and then knives and forks in the pre-school rooms. These small steps help children become confident and build on what they know and can do.

Staff place a high priority on supporting and developing children's language. They teach them words and their meanings to help children understand and use them in their play. For example, younger children learn words such as 'carrot'. Older children talk about the name of their hometown and what continent they live in. This helps build children's vocabulary.

Children behave well. They are polite and kind to their friends. If there are minor disagreements, staff support children to resolve them. When too many children want to play on the bikes, staff create a list so children can see who is next. This helps children know what is expected from them.

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

• Staff observe and track children's progress from the start. They use the information gained to ensure that children are making progress in their development. If children are identified as needing extra support, staff swiftly intervene to ensure that they receive the additional help they need. All children, including children with special educational need and/or disabilities, are making good progress from their starting points.
• Children develop a love of books. A range of books is available that children can freely choose from. Staff also implement a 'book of the week'. They read the book daily to ensure that children are familiar with the story. Staff plan activities around the story to embed learning. For example, children draw pictures from the story. These are displayed, along with a picture of the book, so children can retell the story.
• Children build a positive attitude to learning. Staff generally support them to have a go before helping them. For example, children are encouraged to put their own shoes and coats on before going outside. Staff talk through the process to support children to achieve what they set out to do. This helps children build resilience.
• Children enjoy healthy nutritious meals that are prepared on site. Staff are mindful of children's allergies and cultural backgrounds when planning food.
• Children eat a range of fruits and vegetables with each meal, such as broccoli and bananas. This helps them develop healthy choices around food.
• All staff have a good understanding of all areas of learning. Overall, they successfully help children develop the skills they need. For example, staff encourage children to be independent. Children pour their own drinks and scrape their plates after eating. However, sometimes staff step in too quickly to complete tasks for children that they could learn to do themselves. When children have made a picture, staff automatically write their name without asking children to attempt to write it themselves. This doesn't consistently support children to develop and practise new skills.
• The leadership and management team has a clear vision for the future and is continually developing the facilities it offers. Staff undertake regular training to ensure that they maintain the high standard of teaching. Staff feel well supported by the management team. They feel they have manageable workloads and report high well-being.
• Partnership with parents is good. Parents are extremely happy with the service the nursery provides. They report their children have made good progress since starting. Staff regularly share updates and photos of children's learning. This keeps parents informed on how their children are developing. The nursery shares ideas on how parents can continue the learning at home. This helps consistency in learning between home and the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on opportunities for children to practise their mark-making and early-writing skills.