Busy Bees Day Nursery at Holmes Chapel

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children of all ages show that they feel confident and 'at home' in the busy nursery. Babies sit happily alongside attentive staff, or toddle away to explore the familiar toys and surroundings. Older toddlers ably follow well-established routines when they wait to wash their hands and go to find a chair at the lunch table. Staff encourage children to be curious and they become self-motivated learners. For example, pre-school children notice that rays of late afternoon sunshine are shining through the blue water container. The water moves and blue light dances on the children and the walls. Children are excited. They experience and learn about the properties of light and water. They make links in their learning when they say, 'it's like the ocean'.

Parents praise the nursery's organisation during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, staff and parents meet at the outer door when children arrive and leave. Parents know that they can enter the nursery, or communicate by telephone, if they have confidential matters to discuss. The nursery's strong partnerships with parents help to promote children's development. For example, some children felt ready to send their dummies to the 'dummy elves' during the Christmas holiday. This encouraged children's confident communication really effectively.

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

• Managers are ambitious for every member of staff's progress and achievement. They value the ideas that staff contribute to the nursery's 'focused improvement plans'. However, sometimes, managers set improvement targets that are not precise and measurable enough. Staff do not know, precisely enough, what to do to improve. This hinders their progress towards consistently excellent practice.
• Children all belong to key groups that have a key person and a 'buddy' member of staff. This helps to ensure that children always have a familiar person to go to if their key person is not there. The well-organised approach helps children to feel secure. Staff know the nursery routines and implement them consistently. This means that children know what they are expected to do. They behave well and develop self-control.
• Staff sequence children's learning effectively. This helps children to be ready for school. Babies and toddlers use feeder cups. Staff encourage older toddlers to use open cups and pre-school children dispense their own drinks of water independently. They know why it is important to take regular drinks. This helps children to form habits that promote their good health.
• Staff support children's early literacy. They readily respond when children ask to be read to. Children's obvious enjoyment of stories encourages them to read books themselves when they are ready. Staff build literacy into daily routines.
• Toddlers look for their photo and name card when they go to find their mattress at sleep time. Children learn to match and read written numerals when they park wheeled vehicles outdoors.
• Staff help children to continuously extend their vocabulary. For example, toddlers busily play with zoo animals and a variety of wooden shapes. Staff play alongside and model words and sentences. For example, they say, 'shall we put the giraffe under the bridge?' Staff's skilful interaction helps toddlers to understand and use words about position.
• Staff use what they know about children's interests and achievements to plan for their learning. Children make good progress. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or whose development gives cause for concern, have individual support plans. The plans help staff to implement advice from specialist professionals, such as speech and language therapists.
• Children play outdoors every day. However, children's time outdoors is relatively short and staff are more confident about planning learning indoors. The wild area and garden area are currently closed off. On occasion, these factors limit children's outdoor experiences and learning.
• Staff invite and welcome information from parents about events at home. For example, parents upload Christmas Day photos to the nursery's online app. The photos prompt children to remember and talk about past events. This supports their early conversation and communication skills.
• Children learn about the world. They watch and learn about the temporary traffic lights outside the nursery and incorporate traffic lights and road safety into their play. Nursery families contribute food items for a food bank. This helps children to learn to be kind and helpful to people in the wider community.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus improvement planning more clearly, so that staff know precisely what they are aiming to achieve, and the impact on the quality of children's education is measured
• support and train staff to make better use of the nursery's outdoor spaces, in order to fully promote children's learning and development.