Busy Bees Day Nursery at Mill Hill

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress and thrive. Staff take time to get to know the children well, and interventions are swiftly put in place to narrow the gap in learning. Children are assessed during their settling-in period and up to six weeks, to establish their starting points in which to identify next steps. Ongoing assessments identify where children, including those who are disadvantaged, need further support. Leaders and staff work with professionals to help reduce the barriers to learning. For example, staff work with the local authority inclusion team and the teacher of the deaf to gather strategies to support children's next steps. Some staff have accessed specialist training to support children who have SEND and help them reach their full potential.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have an action plan to strengthen the curriculum and teaching in all rooms. They have a good understanding of what they want to teach and how this will be delivered consistently to ensure that children learn in sequence with high-quality teaching. Progress has swiftly been made so that staff have a greater understanding of consistent and purposeful teaching. The curriculum is varied and offers children a wide range of learning opportunities. Leaders are working towards an ambitious curriculum that considers every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders are overseeing that the curriculum is taught well with clear intentions. As yet, high-quality teaching is yet to be embedded.

Children learn about mathematics from a young age. Babies hear counting and older children learn how to compare numbers with objects. For example, children are asked to count animals and then link with the number cards. Staff extend children's knowledge and ask them to hold up their fingers to the number identified. Children are excited as they confidently share their enjoyment of numbers.

Leaders and staff encourage parents to share family photos. This is how children learn about what makes them unique and about those around them who may be similar but different.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children enjoy daily play outside, which contributes to their good health. Children fill and pour water from containers which helps to strengthen their hand muscles. Children explore weights and measures accurately, as they consider whether objects are heavy or light. Children demonstrate delight in their achievements and the praise that is given. Children access learning which is age- and stage-appropriate. This helps them to build knowledge and learning over time, so that they can move to the next stage of learning with confidence. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making good progress from their starting points.

Children benefit from carefully planned activities to meet their needs and interests. For example, when children are settling in, resources are readily available to soothe children and engage them in learning. Leaders swiftly adapt the environment to meet the individual needs of every child.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations of how children should behave. Staff are positive role models who lead by example. For example, during mealtimes, staff are calm and talk to children with interest. Staff talk to children at eye level and are respectful to their needs. This helps children gain a positive attitude to their learning and feel valued. Staff ensure that any poor behaviour is swiftly addressed. Staff have routines which children know and understand well. For example, before mealtimes, all children wash their hands, many without prompting. After lunch, young children have a sleep. Some children independently take their shoes off and place them in a basket before lying on their sleep mat. This reduces the likelihood of cross contamination and promotes good hygiene practice. Staff are effective in building trusting relationships with children and families. This helps in understanding the individual needs of children and supporting the emotional needs of every child as they transition through each room.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders ensure that all children's welfare and wellbeing, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is key to their success. The key-person system is effective in fostering children's emotional health, through positive relationships with parents and a nurturing approach to care and teaching. Children respond well to this approach and generally settle in quickly to nursery. Leaders provide children with nutritious and varied meals to support healthy choices. Children enjoy the varied menu and use lunchtime as a social event where staff and children talk and interact. Mealtimes are now consistently monitored to ensure that any choking incidents are prevented. Staff do not allow children to leave the table before checking that children do not have food in their mouth. Safety is also prioritised at sleep time, where hygiene practice is followed by all children, and sleeping areas are a calm and quiet space to rest. Leaders and staff recognise the importance of children expressing their emotions. For example, when children are settling in, staff prepare and gain an understanding of individual interests. This helps to secure children's emotional wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Recent changes in leadership have led to swift, demonstrable steps to put things right, following welfare requirement notices that have recently been served. Leaders ensure that staff knowledge in safeguarding is robust to include procedures to follow when a child arrives at nursery with an existing injury. Leaders now ensure that safeguarding is prioritised to ensure the safety of children, this includes whistleblowing procedures. Leaders ensure that daily assessments, in particular to the outside areas, are implemented to keep children safe during play. Leaders have effective oversight to ensure that staff are deployed in each room. This helps to support the good health of all children and ensure that during mealtimes, children are supervised to prevent any choking incidents. Sleep routines are now consistent to ensure that good hygiene practice is always followed. Leaders are working with staff to quickly identify their strengths and where further support is needed. This is to embed consistent and high-quality teaching which has been identified as an area of improvement by leaders. Staff are valuing this approach and are working as a team to provide a nurturing learning environment for all children. Leaders are quickly getting to know parents and establishing partnerships so that positive relationships can be developed between nursery and home. However, this is yet to be embedded to strengthen family engagement.