Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bishops Stortford St Michaels Mead

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed into this nurturing environment. An inviting reception area supports children to transition smoothly into the nursery. Staff get to know the children well, with a focus on building strong attachments. This is evident through robust settling-in routines, helping children to feel safe and secure. Children have an immense sense of belonging. Babies eagerly find photos of themselves, and older children proudly show visitors their family books, which help them to understand what makes them unique.

Staff plan a broad and ambitious curriculum tailored to support children's development across all areas of learning. For example, activities, such as litter picking, and visits to the local park help children build on their understanding of the world around them. The staff team works cohesively to meet children's needs, creating a warm, inclusive atmosphere that children thrive in.

Staff act as positive role models, which helps children to behave exceptionally well. They encourage children to make democratic choices through their pre-school council and activities, such as show and tell, give children a strong voice. Children thrive in their roles of 'super helpers', where they are given responsibilities to look after the environment and help staff with tasks. Children show an immense amount of pride as they carry out these tasks, demonstrating their very high levels of confidence and self-esteem.

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

• There is a focus on communication and language, which underpins all aspects of the curriculum across the nursery. Staff understand the importance of modelling language, along with repetition. Babies confidently babble to staff and respond positively as they use songs to introduce new words. Single words, such as 'scoop', are repeated to help children learn new words, and older children use a range of complex language, helping them to be confident communicators.
• Staff provide a range of interesting activities for children. For example, they develop a good understanding of mathematical concepts, such as 'longer' and 'shorter', as they compare measurements with their feet. Sometimes, groups are too large and the intentions for activities are not always clear. This results in some older children becoming disengaged, and they do not fully benefit from the meaningful learning.
• Children are encouraged to develop their independence through self-care tasks, such as wiping their noses and faces after meals. They demonstrate their abilities during lunchtime as they competently serve their own food and pour their own drinks. This fully supports children to build on the skills they need in preparation for the next stage of their education.
• Children have a love for books throughout the nursery. Staff ensure that they provide a literacy-rich environment, linking books to many of the children's activities. They support children to use books to broaden their knowledge. Story times are engaging. Staff read with animation and use props to bring stories to life. They use effective questioning to deepen children's understanding and encourage enquiry.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The nursery works closely with a range of professionals and parents to ensure that the needs of children with SEND are fully met. Strategies, such as use of a sensory room and self-regulation baskets, help children to manage their emotions. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Parent partnerships are well established. Parents are actively involved in their children's learning through initiatives such as home learning bags and a lending library. They attend a range of events and are kept up to date with their children's learning via development summaries and handovers. Parents speak highly of the nursery, noting that staff are incredibly caring and dedicated and provide a wonderful environment for their children.
• Leaders support the staff well, providing regular supervision to develop their already good knowledge and skills. They are highly reflective and use a range of strategies to evaluate the nursery, which includes, parent and staff surveys. Views are considered and actioned on to ensure that families receive the highest quality service, and children receive the very best outcomes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the implementation of group activities for older children so that they fully benefit from the meaningful learning.