Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chingford

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show a positive attitude to their learning. They actively engage in a wide range of learning opportunities. Children show high levels of concentration as they engage in the activities. For example, during singing time, toddlers participate using actions, joining in or choosing the next song from a visual song book. This supports children's language development and listening skills.

The well-organised environment promotes children's natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Staff successfully plan opportunities to extend children's play. For example, they provide buckets, sieves and water animals when children are fascinated by a steady drip of rain from the roof. Staff further extend children's interests by encouraging them to enjoy splashing in the newly formed puddle.

Staff are always on hand to help children to manage their behaviour and emotions. They guide them effectively towards sharing, playing nicely with their friends and understanding their feelings. There is a dedicated area for each room, which has been carefully created to develop children's emotional intelligence at an age-appropriate level. Staff and children use these areas effectively when children need support or guidance throughout the day.

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

• Staff support children to develop their independence skills well. They teach children to perform their own self-care routines, such as wiping their noses, putting on their coats and pouring their drinks. These opportunities help children to build their self-confidence and prepare them well for the next stage of their learning journey.
• Staff are kind and caring. They meet children's individual needs well. Staff support children effectively when they move between the rooms. For example, they provide opportunities for children's key persons to transition with them until they settle.
• Leaders and managers have effective procedures in place to ensure that all staff strictly follow children's dietary requirements. Children benefit from a healthy and nutritious diet throughout the day. This supports their good health and well-being.
• Staff are happy and supportive, which helps children to build trusting relationships with them. Babies form secure attachments with staff and enjoy the cuddles and warmth that staff give them throughout the day.
• Children who speak English as an additional language receive a warm welcome and accept effective support to learn words in English. These children also have opportunities to hear and use their home languages to ensure that they feel included and valued. Staff have high expectations for all children and create appropriate next steps in learning for their key children based on their current developmental needs.
• The leadership and management of the nursery is strong. Overall, the leadership team has effective arrangements to monitor the quality of the provision and provide targeted improvements plans. For example, the manager is currently focusing on enhancing parent partnerships and has a clear system to support her vision. Managers, along with the staff, are highly motivated and work very well together. This creates a harmonious and positive atmosphere that supports children to settle and feel secure.
• Children have direct access to a covered outside area from all rooms. However, staff do not consistently plan for babies to benefit from learning and playing outdoors. This means that babies are not provided with the same high-quality teaching and learning opportunities outside as they receive indoors.
• Staff feel extremely well supported emotionally by managers. They feel comfortable to approach managers about any problems or concerns. This is due to the effective systems in place, such as regular one-to-one meetings between managers and staff. However, managers have not identified areas of training for individual staff. Therefore, not all staff members provide the same high-quality education for children.
• Children enjoy accessing the well-planned curriculum that has been specifically tailored to meet the needs and interests of each child. Staff have good knowledge of their key children and plan enticing and suitably challenging experiences for the children to take part in.
• Staff plan a wide range of activities in each room to cover all seven areas of learning. For example, during a floating and sinking experiment, children have opportunities to develop their numeracy skills and early reading knowledge. This is further extended in their outdoor provision and revisited by older children during their free play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan more opportunities for babies to benefit from high-quality teaching and learning while playing outdoors
• identify areas of training for staff to ensure that high-quality teaching is consistent throughout the staff team.