Busy Bees Day Nursery at Morden, Martin Way

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The new manager and staff provide a warm and welcoming environment. Children arrive eager to meet the staff and their friends and quickly settle as they explore the activities on offer and make choices in their play. Staff know the children well and support their emotional needs effectively. Since the last inspection, the manager has improved the consistency of staff attending in the rooms and, as a result, children develop close bonds with the staff and demonstrate they feel safe and secure.

Staff plan a curriculum which enables children to make good progress in their development. They provide a wide range of fun activities for children to choose from and effectively support children in their play. For example, babies enjoy exploring chalks and making different marks. Older children delight in mixing ingredients to make their own dough. Staff talk to children throughout their activities. They model good language skills, say key words slowly for children to repeat and ask questions to extend and support children's learning.

Staff are positive role models for children. They set good examples and provide clear explanations to support children's understanding of positive behaviour. As a result, children are kind and caring towards each other and behave well.

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

• The new manager has worked closely with her team to make significant improvements since the last inspection and raise the quality of care in the nursery. For example, all staff have attended safeguarding training. They now have an in-depth understanding of how to keep children safe and the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child's well-being. The nursery is safe and secure and staff are deployed effectively to ensure all children are safe and well supported.
• The manager and staff work closely with parents to ensure they are kept up to date with their children's learning. All parents have access to an online application to view their children's observations and are regularly invited to the nursery for parent meetings and events. The manager has regular meetings with parent representatives to listen to parents' views and make plans for future developments. For example, parents in the pre-school room recently requested some ideas for learning at home to help children prepare for school.
• Overall, staff have a good understanding of their curriculum. They closely monitor children's development and plan activities based around their interests and next steps in learning. Staff understand how children learn and how to support good progress. However, sometimes, staff plan activities that are too challenging for the younger children and not within their age and stage of development.
• The new manager is very passionate about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She works closely with other professionals to ensure all children get the support they need and gaps in learning are addressed. As a result, all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Since the last inspection, the manager and her team have worked hard to develop staff morale and confidence. Effective arrangements are now in place to support staff, including through supervisions, training and mentoring. Staff now feel valued in their roles and their teaching skills have improved.
• Overall, children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Staff work effectively to develop children's understanding of mathematics. For example, they provide activities for children to collect and count bears. Children are then encouraged to recognise and write their own numbers. However at times, staffs understanding of how to teach letters and sounds to older children is inconsistent, which could result in children becoming confused.
• Staff talk to children in a calm manner and support their emotional needs effectively. They teach children good manners. For example, they remind children to say please and thank you. Children learn to respect each other and their similarities and differences. Children display positive attitudes towards learning.
• Staff introduce daily routines to children to help them adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, all children enjoy playing in the well-resourced gardens and know about the importance of washing their hands before mealtimes. Children are learning to become independent, for example, during meal times, younger children learn to feed themselves and older children help to set up the tables, serve themselves and pour their own drinks.
• At times, the routines for the younger children are not organised as effectively as possible. The babies are sometimes disturbed by other children and adults walking through their room. This means that their play is disrupted. Occasionally, parents are asked to wait before they can start in the morning, which can be unsettling for babies.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the consistency of staff's understanding of how to support children's early literacy skills
• review the arrangements for younger children to reduce distractions and opportunities for children to become unsettled
• support staff working with younger children to develop their understanding of their curriculum and plan activities that are age- and stage- appropriate.