Busy Bees Day Nursery at Burton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish at this nursery. Parents are welcomed as they come into the nursery to drop off their children. Staff are on hand to warmly greet children. This ensures children settle quickly into the routines of the nursery.

Staff interactions are caring towards children. This ensures they feel safe and secure to freely explore their environment. Staff know children's interests and use these to plan activities. Children show excitement as they play with different types of trucks. They talk about using the roller truck to roll out the sand so they can make it flat. Children enjoy dabbing paint on paper. They talk happily to each other about the colours they have mixed. Children value the large outdoor play area. They pick up pretend bugs with tweezers and then decide to go on a bug hunt. Younger children experience water play. They are fascinated as they fill and empty and watch the water as it trickles down.

Staff are good role models for children. They play alongside children and embed the setting's behaviour rules. Children are reminded to do good listening when they engage in conversations with their friends and know about having 'kind hands' as they play. This helps children to behave extremely well.

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

• Leaders and staff are passionate about the care and learning they provide for children. They have designed an ambitious curriculum, which is called 'Be Curious'. This is well sequenced and ensures all children make good progress in their learning and development.
• Children foster a love of books and singing. They enjoy looking at books, turning pages one by one. Staff use actions to the story, such as 'run, run as fast as you can'. This immerses children into the story. Children sing along to nursery rhymes. They select the next rhyme from a song bag. Staff use signs to represent words in rhymes. Older children hear books read to them about insects. Furthermore, children are encouraged to read books at home by taking books from the nursery lending library. As a result, children make progress in early reading skills.
• Staff know how babies learn and implement this well. For example, they know that babies are curious, so staff enhance their sensory experiences. Younger children are given opportunities to actively explore for themselves. However, transitions for younger children moving into their next room are not effective. Staff do not always know the next steps for their new key children. This does not ensure children's development is communicated effectively between key persons.
• Parents report their children are happy at this nursery and say nothing is too much trouble. They like the app system the nursery has set up for them to use at home. This helps to see what their children have been doing during the day. However, they do not receive information on how to support their children's next steps in their learning at home. That said, parents speak highly of the nursery and the care and safety their children receive.
• Children are developing their fine and gross motor skills. Babies use push along frames. Younger children pull along trikes and run along foam mats. Older children insert pieces into puzzles. Furthermore, children are eager to write freely along with their friends. This ensures children are developing their physical skills well.
• Children benefit from healthy and nutritious meals cooked by the in-house cook. The staff work together with the cook to put systems in place to ensure children with allergies and food preferences are safely catered for. Children scoop carrots and broccoli onto their plates and pour water into cups. In addition, children empty their own cups and plates when they have finished. This helps children to develop independent skills, and prepare them for school.
• Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) demonstrate that they have in-depth knowledge to meet children's individual needs. They are dedicated and work well with parents to ensure children get the support they need from other agencies. This means children with SEND make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the transition processes for younger children moving rooms to ensure their development is communicated effectively between key persons
• continue to build on the already good partnership with parents, so that they know how to support their children's next steps in their learning at home.