Busy Bees Day Nursery at Burntwood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are warm and nurturing towards children who attend this nursery. They form strong attachments with them, which helps them to settle quickly when they first start. They comfort children when they are upset and respond well to their personal needs. Children are placed to sleep safely and given cuddles and reassurance when they awake.

The nursery curriculum focuses on supporting all children to become confident, independent, and curious about learning. Staff plan activities for children based on their interests and previous experiences. For example, staff find out what children have been doing at home with their families and include this knowledge into the experiences they offer children at nursery. This gives children a chance to practise new things they have learned so that learning is consolidated.

Children behave well. Staff remind them of what is expected of them and teach them to be kind to their friends. For example, when children want to join in play with others, staff support them to find ways to include each other in their chosen activities. They praise children when they show kindness to their friends. Children follow routines and become engaged in the learning opportunities available to them.

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

• Staff understand the nursery curriculum. They know how children's learning develops in sequence and plan for this as they move from one room to the next. They recognise what children need to learn to become confident and independent learners. Staff know children well and accurately identify what progress they are making and what they need to learn next. This helps children to make good progress.
• Overall, staff build on children's communication and language skills and talk to them about what they are doing. They ask children questions and provide suggestions to extend their learning. However, staff often ask children closed questions, which limits opportunities to extend their language even further and develop their thinking skills.
• Children become independent. As soon as they can walk, they are introduced to changing facilities where they can use steps to reach the changing mat. They learn to serve themselves at mealtimes and put their own shoes on when they wake from sleeping. As a result, children become self-sufficient, and ready for their next stage of learning.
• Children make choices in their play. They show interest in the activities on offer. Staff deploy themselves in areas where children choose to be. Generally, staff interact well with children to support their learning during play, however, interactions and learning opportunities are inconsistent across the nursery. Some staff sometimes adopt a more supervisory role and, therefore, do not always take advantage of the teaching opportunities available to them. That said, children are happy and show confidence in their environment.
• Children develop their early mathematical knowledge. Staff help them to count in sequence and learn about different shapes. For example, staff talk to children about the different properties of shapes to help them to distinguish them from one another.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff identify where there are delays in children's development and act swiftly to provide support for them. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with staff to devise support plans, which focus on ensuring children make good progress. She models strategies to staff and works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure the right support is in place. This helps all children to make progress.
• Parents and carers are valued at this nursery. Leaders are dedicated to developing strong relationships with them. Parents comment that their children are making good progress, which they attribute to the nursery. They say that staff are friendly and inform them daily about how their children have been. They are supported to develop their children's learning even further at home and are reassured that their children are happy and settled.
• Leaders are committed to the ongoing professional development of staff. They hold learning lunch opportunities and host regular meetings and training events for staff. Staff feel well supported by managers and receive regular supervision meetings to discuss their roles and responsibilities. Staff receive feedback on their performance, and training opportunities are offered to address where improvements may be required. This helps staff to continually improve their own knowledge and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen consistency of staff's interactions to extend children's learning during play activities
• promote children's language and communication skills further by supporting staff to use more open-ended questions.