Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bristol Bradley Stoke

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. They engage in a wealth of experiences across the curriculum, which build on their interests, knowledge and what they need to learn next successfully. Children gain good independence skills. Older children serve their meals and pour their own drinks, while younger children confidently remove socks and shoes when it is time for them to have a sleep.

Children have a positive attitude to learning. They engage well in self-chosen activities. For example, toddlers persevere to fix the road track together. They show good coordination as they push vehicles along the road, between the lines. Staff celebrate children's achievements with them, such as new words spoken. They constantly praise children, supporting them to gain high levels of self-esteem.

Older children thoroughly enjoy playing with the wooden ladybirds. While some children count the spots and match them successfully, others challenge themselves to match the spots with numerals. Toddlers balance on planks, seeking a member of staff's hand for support when needed. As they build confidence, they travel along the planks, jumping off at the end independently and learning how to keep themselves safe. Children use their imaginations well. For example, older children manipulate the play dough around their toy dogs and create stories, such as how their dogs are cold and wrapped in a blanket. Toddlers thoroughly enjoy exploring the mud kitchen, creating 'ice creams'. Staff interactions encourage children to think about the different flavours and how they can serve the ice cream. Staff help children link their ideas with experiences they may have had at home well to support their understanding.

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

• The new management team has a good overview of what works well in the nursery and what needs to improve. Managers have supported staff effectively and morale is high. Staff build an individualised curriculum that helps children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language, to make good progress. For example, staff use visual cues, sign language and now and next boards successfully to include children and help them to understand daily routines. However, on occasion, staff do not prepare some group activities as well as they could to ensure that older children remain interested and engaged in their learning.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively, promptly identifying any gaps in children's learning. Staff successfully support children's language acquisition, in particular the younger children. Staff provide continuous narration to help babies and young children hear new words. For example, staff commentate throughout a bubble exploration activity and engage children in songs. Young children are excited to learn, crawling over to join the activity. They show curiosity about the bubbles' movements, waving them goodbye or popping them.
• The learning environment is well designed, supporting children's interests and encouraging independent choices. Staff use the 'pre-school council' well to listen to children's ideas on how to improve the environment. Children lead their play. Staff support them effectively with positive interactions. They know when to observe and let children explore the wide range of well-considered resources independently.
• Children behave well and share nicely. When disputes arise, staff help children to negotiate and resolve issues successfully. There are good opportunities for children to name emotions and express themselves. Children learn to self-regulate when they become overwhelmed. For example, they engage in yoga activities or take themselves to the cosy areas to sit quietly and read.
• There is a highly effective key-person system. Staff know their children well and take time to get to know them, gaining valuable information from parents when children start and throughout their time at the nursery. Children form extremely close bonds with familiar adults. Babies and young children receive hugs and reassurance when they are upset or tired. Staff meet children's care needs successfully, as they have secure knowledge of children's individual needs, routines and allergies.
• There are strong partnerships with parents. Parents value the effective key-person system that ensures that children are safe, well cared for and settled. Staff engage parents well, for example, to provide family photos for the youngest children to help them feel secure and reassured. Staff ensure that parents receive good information on their children's learning and how to support them at home.
• Staff engage well in opportunities to reflect on their practice and to enhance their professional skills. On occasion, some staff, including agency staff, are not given the direction they need to enable smooth transitions between activities and to engage children fully in learning opportunities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide clear guidance to staff, including agency staff, to continue to raise the quality of teaching and interactions
• better prepare small-group times to sustain children's attention and for them to be fully engaged in their learning.