Busy Bees Day Nursery at Beverley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very engaged in their learning. They show curiosity and enjoyment in their play as staff create an environment that reflects children's emerging interests. Staff are kind and praise children regularly. This helps children to feel safe and valued, and children know what is expected of their behaviour. Staff engage with children at all times. They recognise children who need extra support and swiftly respond to their needs. Staff build positive, nurturing relationships with young children. They find out information from parents about children's care routines, their likes and dislikes and how they like to be comforted. Babies are settled and explore the environment with confidence.

Staff talk to children regularly. They give them time to answer questions and repeat back what children say. This is helping children to develop a wider range of vocabulary. Managers recognise that some children need extra support with their language and communication skills. They work with parents to help children further develop their language skills. For example, they have recently introduced a lending library where parents can take books home to share with their children. This encourages a love of books and reading. The impact of this can be seen in the nursery, as children choose to sit and enjoy books independently. Staff further support this as they read stories with expression. They create wonder and awe as they read the book and pause before turning the page. They ask children what they might see. Children are excited and wait in anticipation as the adult turns the page.

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

• The curriculum is carefully planned to support children's skills across all areas of learning. In particular, children's physical development is supported well. Children develop their fine motor skills using tweezers, jigsaws and play dough. They are supported by staff as they walk up and down a curved structure, carefully balancing. Furniture is organised to provide babies with opportunities to crawl and pull themselves up. Recent feedback from parents has also been acted on to provide children with more opportunities to take risks in their physical play.
• Staff introduce children to mathematical language. They count cubes with children and count their steps as they walk outdoors. Children count beyond 10, and staff extend their knowledge by counting up to 40. Children make patterns with shapes. As children roll balls from play dough, staff introduce the word 'sphere' and talk about 3D shapes. Children say they have made a 'big ball' and a 'small ball' from play dough.
• Staff share booklets with children with their family photos on. This helps children to quickly settle. Staff support children's emotional development and understanding of feelings. They talk to children about what is expected of them and encourage them to share with their friends. However, occasionally, staff do not always implement the training they have received to support children's social skills even further.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about health. Children learn about brushing their teeth and the need to keep them clean. Staff talk to children at lunchtime about foods that are healthy.
• Staff support children to develop their independence skills. Pre-school children wash their hands before lunchtime and collect their cutlery and cup before finding their name at the table. Staff encourage children to make choices and express themselves so that they have the skills they need when they go to school.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. The special educational needs coordinator is knowledgeable and supports staff to identify emerging needs. They implement individual plans that identify what additional strategies will help children with SEND to make good progress alongside their peers.
• Parents say that they feel listened to. When parents provide feedback to managers about what they would like to happen at the nursery, this is quickly acted on. Parents say that their children are well supported and treated as individuals. They say that staff have helped them with home learning to support their children to develop their imagination skills.
• Managers and leaders evaluate practice well. They are able to identify strengths and areas of good practice. Managers use observations of staff practice to identify weaknesses. They have addressed weaknesses since the last inspection. However, supervision processes do not always link together to fully evaluate the effectiveness of training to ensure the consistency of staff practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor the effectiveness of training and how this is being implemented in practice
• strengthen existing supervision processes so that they are more tightly focused on developing the consistency of all staff practice.