Busy Bees Day Nursery at Camberley

Inclusion: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those who face barriers to their learning, receive the support they need to make progress. Although emerging concerns about some children's development are identified, too little is done to address them. Some plans are in place to support some children, but these are ineffective. Staff have not received sufficient training to assess children's development or to plan effectively for individual needs. In addition, leaders do not take account of targets set by key professionals, such as speech and language therapists or teachers of the deaf. For example, although staff recognise that some children would benefit from sign or language programmes, staff are unable to implement these strategies because they do not have the necessary knowledge or skills.

Leaders do not ensure that staff get to know children who speak English as an additional language (EAL) well. Staff do not adapt their teaching to help these children develop a secure grasp of English. As a result, groups of children, including those with SEND and EAL, spend long periods disengaged from purposeful learning. They do not make secure progress from their starting points.

Leaders do not facilitate consistent sharing of information with parents and other professionals to support children's development and help close gaps in their learning. For example, staff are not aware of whether external assessments have been completed or what strategies have been recommended to support children's development. This means that leaders and staff are unable to support children to reach their next stage in learning.

Curriculum and teaching: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum or teaching. They do not ensure that teaching is consistent across the nursery. Staff offer children activities, such as playing with parachutes in the garden, but they have limited knowledge of what children know and how they learn. This leads to little or no interaction from staff, and, as a result, children become bored and disinterested quickly. In addition, staff are unsure how to effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who are delayed in their physical development and report that these children make little or no progress. Overall, children spend long periods in free play with limited purposeful interaction from staff. For instance, some children spend extended periods hanging toys from windows without staff noticing or engaging with them. This does not help children to build on their existing skills and knowledge.

Leaders and staff do not carry out the required assessments for all children, such as the two-year progress check. Furthermore, they do not have effective systems in place for observing and monitoring children's progress. As a result, staff do not identify gaps in children's development quickly enough. They are unable to offer targeted support to children who need it, including those with SEND, or those who face barriers to learning. Consequently, these children do not receive the support they require and fail to make progress in vital areas, such as communication and language, and physical development.

Leaders and staff do not prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development. Inconsistent staffing arrangements mean that staff do not know children well enough to recognise when they need emotional support. This results in some children sitting quietly in parts of the room looking sad or timid, without anyone noticing. Furthermore, when children do express that they are upset, staff often minimise their feelings by telling them they are 'fine' and offering no further reassurance or comfort. This does not support children's emotional wellbeing.

Achievement: Urgent improvement

Children do not experience a broad and balanced curriculum. They are left for long periods without encouragement to engage in purposeful activities. Children's needs are not met, understood or supported. As a result, they do not make progress across all areas of learning. This also affects their ability to feel safe, secure and ready to learn.

Children who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, do not make secure progress. They do not have appropriate plans in place to help them reach their next developmental milestones. Furthermore, children do not experience a language-rich environment that supports the development of their speaking and listening skills. They have limited opportunities to hear and use new vocabulary in meaningful contexts. As a result, they do not secure a firm foundation for their next stage of learning, including school.

Children choose from the activities on offer, such as finding letters in sand or pretending to cook dinner in the role-play area. However, some children lack the confidence to join in when their more confident peers are present. This leads to some children choosing to play alone with little interaction. Some children have the physical skills they need and are encouraged to use them. For example, young babies reach and bang toys while lying down and older babies confidently crawl and toddle around exploring sand and utensils.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Urgent improvement

Staff do not support children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to engage in daily routines. During group times and transitions, children with SEND are often seen wandering around the room. Staff do not encourage them to join in or help them follow the routines of the day. They do not support children to understand what is happening next. For example, staff do not ensure that children who need support with hearing are aware when it is time to sleep. As a result, children become dysregulated and confused. Staff do not help children develop a positive attitude towards their play and learning.

Staff do not consistently support children to develop positive relationships. They are not good role models and do not demonstrate respectful interactions. For example, when staff want children to move from one activity to another, they physically move them without communication or encouragement. This does not help children learn to follow simple instructions, understand routines, or build independence.

Children are kind, and some work collaboratively and enjoy playing together. For example, older children build structures with wooden blocks, sharing ideas and passing blocks to one another as they work towards a shared goal. They develop positive relationships with their peers. Leaders have systems in place to monitor attendance and follow up any unexplained absences with telephone calls.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Children's welfare and emotional wellbeing are not consistently promoted. Leaders do not ensure that all staff understand and follow safer eating policies and procedures. For example, staff do not ensure that children always remain within sight and hearing while eating. Some staff do not understand why this is essential, and this compromises children's safety.

Leaders do not always recognise when policies and procedures are ineffective or not being implemented. The key-person system does not support children's individual needs when staff are absent. Remaining staff do not know some children well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are unaware of these children's next steps and do not provide opportunities to extend their learning. This results in a lack of consistency for children who already face barriers to learning.

Staff are often preoccupied with other tasks and are not deployed effectively to notice when children may need emotional support. For example, staff do not notice when children are upset, leaving them distressed and sat alone in the room. Children with additional needs are not always supported in ways that promote their emotional wellbeing and engagement. For example, staff do not consider pre-warning children who struggle with understanding changes in routine, such as when the lights are turned off at sleep time. This leaves some children confused during transitions.

Staff do not consistently encourage children to recognise and manage their own self-care needs. For example, staff wipe children's faces without any communication, offering no opportunity for children to understand or participate in their own personal hygiene. However, some children do have opportunities to develop independence. For instance, they pour their own drinks and gain confidence in using the toilet independently.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not identify significant weaknesses across the nursery, resulting in breaches of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage'. Staffing arrangements do not meet children's needs or ensure their safety. Leaders do not ensure staff follow safer eating guidance or safeguarding procedures. Although staff understand safeguarding issues, they do not follow correct reporting processes and lack confidence that leaders will act appropriately if they raise any concerns. This raises serious concerns about leaders' and staff's ability to keep children safe, particularly those who are disadvantaged. Children's health, safety and wellbeing are compromised.

Leaders lack the capacity to improve the provision. They have not established an ambitious curriculum or supported staff to build on what children know and can do. Required progress checks at age two are not completed for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This delays planning, target setting and referrals, meaning children do not receive timely support. Leaders have not ensured staff understand the importance of secure attachments, which negatively affects children's mental health and wellbeing.

Staff do not feel supported by leaders. Beyond mandatory training, professional development and regular supervision is limited and does not focus on improving teaching or interactions. As a result, significant weaknesses in practice go unnoticed, and children are not well prepared for their next stage of learning, including school.

Partnerships with parents are inconsistent. Although leaders offer parents' evenings, settling-in sessions and online updates, some parents do not know who their child's key person is or how to support children's learning at home. Leaders have not developed effective ways to work with parents who have concerns or raised complaints, leaving some feeling unsupported and unheard. This does not promote a culture of continuous improvement.