Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bishops Stortford Thorley Park

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this warm and nurturing nursery. They form strong bonds with staff, which makes them feel safe and secure. Babies' individual needs are well met. They enjoy reassuring cuddles as they become tired and are gently soothed as they settle for a sleep. Older children enjoy playing with their friends and smile and laugh together as they play the traffic light game in the garden. Children's behaviour is good. They share and take turns. Children are polite and kind and say 'please' and 'thank you' when asking their friends to pass the water jug.

Children show good attitudes to learning. They have access to a range of exciting activities that are well planned and link to their individual needs and interests. For example, babies explore the texture of the flour during sensory play. They learn new words, like 'soft', as they stir and mix the flour using their hands and wooden spoons. Younger children listen to stories, such as 'The three little pigs'. Staff use intonation and expression to create anticipation at story time. When the wolf appears in the story, children call out 'oh dear!', as he huffs and puffs and blows the house down. Older children's curiosity ignites as they add fresh fruit to play dough. They ask visitors to smell the play dough and guess the fruit they have added.

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

• Children are independent and enjoy doing things for themselves. For example, toddlers persevere to put on their coat and shoes when going outdoors. Older children concentrate well when fastening their zips by themselves. Babies feed themselves using a spoon. Staff consistently praise children for their efforts and achievements. This promotes children's motivation, positive self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.
• Care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength of the nursery. The manager and the special educational needs coordinator work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children get the required levels of support they need. The manager carefully considers how to use additional funding that best supports children. For instance, they have enhanced a specific area to support children's personal, social and emotional development. This helps to ensure that all children make good progress during their time in the nursery.
• Members of the management team have created an ambitious curriculum that is shared well with staff. They have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. Staff plan interesting and engaging activities to teach the curriculum. However, staff in the pre-school room do not always make the most of opportunities that arise to extend and challenge children's learning.
• Children develop a love of reading at the nursery. Books are freely available. Children show that they understand how to handle them, turning the pages carefully and holding the books the correct way. Babies enjoy the interaction of the 'touch-and-feel' books. Older children giggle and laugh as they share books with each other and recall events from their favourite story.
• Staff support children in their communication and language development consistently throughout the nursery. Staff repeat words as children play, such as 'tap tap' as babies bang objects together. This helps children relate their actions to new language. Staff narrate what children are doing throughout the day. This supports children to develop their sentence structure and build their vocabulary.
• Partnerships with parents are very strong. Parents speak highly about the quality of care and education their children receive. They state that they get regular updates on their children's development. Parents comment that the nursery offers a home-from-home environment. They say that their children are very happy and have wonderful learning experiences during their time at the nursery.
• The management team leads the nursery with a strong sense of direction and dedication. Managers are good role models and strive for high-quality, inclusive care and learning. Staff's well-being is paramount. The management team values the staff as the most important asset of the nursery. Staff comment that they feel valued and respected, and say that they 'love working at the nursery'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff teaching skills, so that all staff are able to extend and challenge children's learning, ensuring that they all make the best possible progress.