Busy Bees Day Nursery at Nottingham City Hospital

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy throughout the time they spend at this warm and welcoming nursery. Children arrive happily. Each child has their own photo on their peg, which helps them to know where to hang their coats and bags. This gives them a real sense of belonging to the nursery. Children build strong relationships with their key person and other staff. Younger babies seek out staff for comfort as visitors arrive in the room, demonstrating how safe and secure they feel with them at the nursery.

Children benefit from large, outdoor spaces that are adapted and created for each individual age range. Children are supported by enthusiastic staff as they explore the outdoor area. They delight as they look at the wide range of activities available for them. The oldest children explore a range of bicycles and tricycles. They develop their large-muscle skills as they throw, kick and catch balls with their friends. Younger children enjoy planting vegetables in the nursery allotment. They enjoy digging holes and using the watering cans.

Children throughout the nursery behave well. Staff have consistent rules in place. The nursery values are well embedded from a young age, and children are aware of staff expectations. This creates a calm, relaxed atmosphere across the setting.

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

• The highly passionate manager is dedicated to providing the best environment for children to thrive in. She has worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. She regularly reflects on the nursery provision and creates ambitious plans to develop the nursery further. Children, parents and staff are often asked to give their views, which creates a real community feel to the nursery.
• Staff are ambitious for all children, regardless of their starting points. Support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a real strength of the nursery. Staff identify additional needs quickly, accessing external agencies and creating plans to meet children's individual needs. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning and development. Parents of children with SEND highly praise the nursery and its whole team. They commend the difference they have made to both the children and the whole family.
• The nursery cook ensures children benefit from nutritious, home-cooked meals and snacks. Staff support transitions between play and mealtimes well for younger children. Older children serve their own meals in the nursery dining room. This supports children who are getting ready for school.
• Staff gather a wealth of information from parents and carers when they start at the setting. Using children's interests and gaps in their learning, staff create activities that attract children's attention. However, some staff do not always use effective teaching methods to support children's engagement and extend their learning further. This means, at times, children flit between activities, spending shorter periods at them.
• Settling-in processes meet the individual needs of all children and their families. The manager is aware of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on children and has made adaptions to support them further. The focus on developing stronger attachments with children from the beginning of their time at the nursery has had a positive impact on personal, social and emotional development for all children.
• Parent partnerships are strong, and parents are highly involved in all aspects of the nursery. Staff provide parents with a wealth of information about their child's development. They create opportunities for parents to share home observations and learning. Parents talk positively about the nursery. They say how much their children enjoy the activities available to take home. They comment on the progress that their children are making.
• Staff are well supported by the nursery manager and the team around them. They complete regular training, which they embed into the nursery routines. Staff's well-being is a high priority, and this in turn leads to a happy staff team. Staff are passionate about the nursery and express their enjoyment at working there.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the monitoring of staff practice and support them to enhance the quality of interactions and extend learning even further.