Busy Bees Day Nursery at Edgbaston

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children delight in spending time at this welcoming nursery. They enjoy exploring the exciting environment, and confidently make choices about what they want to play with. Children play in groups, chatting with each other. They seek out each other's company. Babies toddle around and happily play together, sharing toys. Staff are always nearby to offer support. Children quickly build secure relationships with staff and each other.

Children enjoy imaginative play, and staff are enthusiastic as they join them. Babies play with dolls, pretending to have a picnic, and staff describe the 'juicy peach' and 'crunchy apple'. Older children squeal as they pretend to be pirates, using their maps and telescopes to hunt for treasure. There is lots of joy here. Children are developing a love for learning.

Children benefit from spending plenty of time in the fantastic outdoor area. Babies have their own dedicated space where they roll trucks in sand, splash in water and relax on blankets. Older children enjoy planting seeds, building dens, and exploring the natural woodland area. Children go outdoors in all weathers, wearing waterproofs and wellington boots when it rains. They are learning to appreciate the outdoors and keep themselves healthy.

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

• Staff are skilful in setting up the environment, and they provide appealing resources for the children. Children are inspired by the environment. All children display exceptionally high levels of motivation and engagement. For example, children work together to investigate a coconut in the play kitchen. They inspect the surface, and they knock the shell with a hammer, noticing how hard it is. Children are becoming curious, competent learners.
• Staff make good use of assessment to plan for individual children's needs. They plan activities that follow the interests of the children. Children who speak English as an additional language are quickly included because staff take time to get to know some words in their home languages and include these in planning. Children make good progress from their starting points. However, staff do not always take the opportunity to extend higher level skills to challenge the most-able children.
• Children learn about people and communities as the management team and staff value the diversity of the local area and the children who attend. Children create 'marvellous me' boxes with their families, which include photographs, toys, books and items that are important to them. They proudly share their boxes with staff and their friends. Children are becoming aware of their identities and their unique selves.
• Staff have very high expectations of children's behaviour. When children struggle to manage their behaviour, staff respond in a nurturing, understanding way. They take time to listen and respond to children's needs. Staff model respectful behaviour and good manners. They talk to the children about feelings, and children consistently display empathy for others. Children's behaviour is impeccable.
• Staff use mealtimes to support children's self-help skills. Tables are set with tablecloths, napkins, ceramic plates and metal knives and forks. Children concentrate as they use the cutlery and pour their own water from the child-sized jugs. Children benefit from a balanced menu that has variety and lots of fruit and vegetables. Children are developing independence and learning about healthy eating.
• Leaders and managers are passionate about providing the very best for the children in their care. They consider the views of parents and children to reflect on quality and make plans for improvements. They support the staff team well and prioritise time to look after their well-being. In addition, staff access a range of training and development opportunities to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff often stay employed here for many years because there are such high levels of job satisfaction.
• Parents are extremely pleased with the nursery. They comment about the warmth of the staff and the way that they have been welcomed and included. They value the daily feedback from staff and the online portal for sharing information. Parents say that their children have become more active and confident at home. They say the nursery is a 'really special place'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop the curriculum to add even more challenge for the most-able children to maximise readiness for future learning.