Busy Bees Day Nursery at Cheadle Kingsway

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily arrive at this welcoming nursery. Staff greet every child individually and take time to hold meaningful conversations with parents and carers. Children demonstrate their awareness of the nursery's routines as they confidently hang up their coats and store belongings from home. They proudly point out their family photos on the wall, demonstrating that they feel happy and secure. Staff meet children's care needs very well. Staff cuddle younger children and gently rock them to sleep. This reflects routines from home, creating consistency of care for children. Children have built close attachments with staff. They invite them into their play and look for support and reassurance when needed.

Staff are positive role models. They demonstrate the behaviours they expect from children. For example, staff show children how to use resources and share ideas. Children's behaviour is good. Staff work together to plan a curriculum that offers a range of experiences to spark children's interests. Younger children enjoy feeling different textures in sensory play. Older children use magnifying glasses to find bugs, and they look at reference books to find out more information about bugs and insects. Children show high levels of motivation to learn and develop positive attitudes that will benefit them in the next stage of their learning.

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

• The curriculum for physical development is ambitious. Children develop their strength as they climb up over obstacles and balance on tyres in the outdoor area. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their coordination as they climb up steps and crawl through tunnels. They giggle as they learn to kick balls, and they throw bean bags with precision. This gives children the opportunity to develop their physical skills, stamina and dexterity. This approach helps to prepare children for future learning as they begin to understand their own bodies.
• Staff quickly identify if a child may need some extra support. They work closely with parents to support both children and their families. Staff engage with a range of professionals and use suggested strategies to help children make progress. In addition, they ensure that additional funding is used to support children's learning effectively. Staff work in partnership with local schools, which supports transitions when starting school.
• Staff mostly support children to develop their communication skills. For example, staff model new words to children as they play and extend children's language. However, staff do not always allow children time to respond to their questions. They fill the silence with more questions. These strategies do not help children to consistently engage in meaningful back-and-forth interactions.
• Children enjoy their time at the setting and eagerly explore the activities on offer. They giggle as they join in with dances and rhymes. They show impressive levels of focus and determination as they master new movements. However, there are some occasions when staff do not ensure that all children know when an activity is about to begin. For example, some children do not realise story time has started as staff do not give enough warning. The arrival of more children to the story time interrupts the learning and engagement of the children who are already enjoying the exciting story. As a result, not all children gain the intended skills and knowledge.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their knowledge about the local community. They invite visitors, such as dentists and nurses, to help children learn about people who help them. Staff create opportunities for children to celebrate some cultural events. However, the planned curriculum does not always support children effectively to learn about and reflect on their differences and understand what makes them unique. This does not fully prepare children for the diverse world around them.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are complimentary about the care that their children receive. Staff involve parents in children's assessments and share meaningful information to keep parents fully informed about their child's day. Staff share activity ideas for children to complete at home. This helps to provide a consistent approach to learning for children across the nursery and at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to fully embed strategies to develop children's communication and language skills
• enhance transitions between activities to ensure children are able to fully benefit from the learning on offer
• develop opportunities for children to learn about and celebrate their differences and understand how they are unique, to prepare them for the diverse world in modern Britain