Busy Bees Day Nursery at Oxford Littlemore

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff demonstrate a commitment to inclusive practice. They work well together as a team, and they are professional and responsive to the needs of each other. Leaders maintain a warm and welcoming environment for all children and their families. Staff know their key children well. They ensure that they work closely with parents and carers so that each child's individual needs, routines and circumstances are securely met. Partnerships with any external agencies are effective in ensuring that children and their families receive the support they need.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training and updates so they can support children with additional learning needs or potential special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. As a result, these children make positive progress, and any gaps in their development are addressed quickly. Staff help children who speak English as an additional language by learning key words from parents and using their home languages alongside English within their daily routines. They also use resources that enable children to listen to songs in their home languages, which helps them feel included and develop a sense of belonging.

The setting is welcoming and provides resources that reflect children's similarities and differences, helping to promote diversity and inclusion. Leaders use additional funding, including early years pupil premium funding, effectively to meet the individual needs of children.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a welcoming environment that encourages children to explore and learn. Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of the setting's curriculum intent. They plan and provide activities that support sequenced learning and build on children's next steps. Staff promote children's communication and language effectively. They introduce new vocabulary through daily conversations, group activities, stories and songs. Staff provide activities that skilfully incorporate mathematical concepts, which helps children to learn about numbers, shape, space and measure. For example, babies receive support in their active exploration as they learn to build a tower using different-sized blocks. All children have opportunities to be outdoors and physically active. Younger children excitedly kick balls to each other. Older children develop new physical skills as they skilfully balance on beams and jump into hoops.

Staff understand their role to plan effectively for children with additional needs and special educational needs and/or disabilities. They identify and support children whose development is not at expected levels, ensuring that appropriate strategies are in place to help them make progress. Staff plan activities that help children to understand and manage their emotions. For example, when children struggle to share with a rolling pin, staff offer clear solutions, such as taking turns. Staff help children from a young age to develop key skills for future learning, including listening and attention, through group activities and storytelling.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with gaps in their learning, make steady and some effective progress in their learning and development. Children are confident in making choices about their play, such as toddlers deciding whether to play indoors or outdoors. Throughout the setting, children develop their speech and language effectively. They enjoy listening to stories and singing songs, which helps to develop their attention and listening skills. Toddlers recall familiar phrases from books during their play, such as when acting out shopping scenarios, linking what they know about fruits and health to stories they have heard. Pre-school children use stories and props to make connections. They express their thoughts and ideas confidently.

Children develop important skills for the future, including independence. Pre-school children pour their own drinks and learn practical skills, such as putting on their coats before going outside. Babies, with staff's support, begin to feed themselves, while toddlers start managing aspects of self-care, such as using tissues and washing their hands independently. These experiences help children to build confidence, independence and essential life skills. However, there are some minor inconsistencies in staff's adaptation of teaching, which means that a small number of children are not always purposefully engaged. This means that, at times, children are not engaged consistently purposefully in their play.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff praise and encourage children well, which helps to build their self esteem. Children's behaviour is positive overall. They are polite, curious with visitors and friendly with their peers. Staff communicate clear expectations and support children to develop skills, such as taking turns and cooperating with others. For example, staff talk to children about sharing and help them to resolve disagreements when they occur. Staff adjust what they expect from children based on their age, development and individual needs. They ensure that the guidance and behaviour expectations they give are fair and achievable. However, at times, practice in the pre-school room is not consistent in supporting children to develop early skills in self-regulation and understanding how their actions affect others. Also, there are occasional minor inconsistencies in staff's interactions, which do not consistently promote high levels of engagement in learning for some children.

Children are happy and confident in the nursery. They develop positive and trusting relationships with staff. For example, babies seek comfort from familiar adults as needed when they are tired or upset. Staff work closely with parents to gain a thorough understanding of each child's routines, interests and stage of development before they start. Leaders monitor children's attendance and follow up absences appropriately. This helps to promote children's wellbeing and supports families in establishing consistent routines that encourage regular attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff know their key children well and understand their individual needs. Children show that staff are important to them, seeking cuddles and enjoying the attention offered. Staff build positive relationships with parents and carers through professional and friendly communication. They gather detailed information about children's interests, needs and routines when they start and update this regularly. These steps help children to feel safe, secure and well cared for and reduce barriers to their learning.

Children's emotional wellbeing is supported through deep and trusting relationships with staff. Staff use stories and everyday conversations to help children recognise and express their emotions. Settling-in arrangements and transitions throughout the nursery are managed effectively, helping children to feel safe and secure. Staff ensure that care practices are tailored to meet individual needs. For example, in the pre-school room, staff provide activities to promote oral health, which helps children to practise their brushing skills. Babies' weaning needs are met through carefully planned routines that reflect their individual stages of development, while toddlers are supported to drift peacefully to sleep through calm, responsive care and consistent sleep practices.

Staff encourage children to develop an understanding of their physical development, personal safety and health. For example, staff remind children not to climb on wooden blocks used for construction. They remind and promote good hygiene consistently through handwashing and mealtime routines. All children enjoy outdoor play, where staff support toddlers to develop their large physical skills by completing obstacle courses and negotiating balancing bars and steps. Pre-school children extend their learning outdoors, such as when they create dinosaur footprints and laugh as they chase their friends around the garden. Younger babies that are new to walking receive support by staff as they negotiate spaces. Mealtimes are well organised, with staff supervising closely and considering individual needs to promote independence.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders maintain effective oversight of the setting, enabling them to evaluate improvements and implement plans that enhance education and care. During the inspection, they demonstrated awareness of staff's wellbeing by adjusting staffing to better support the pre-school room. Staff confirm they are well supported, feel happy and that the leadership team is supportive. They have many opportunities to enhance their learning and skills and have access to training that develops their skills. Leaders are actively supporting staff in curriculum training, which has increased their confidence. However, some staff have not yet fully embedded the leaders' high expectations and vision for practice, particularly in relation to mealtimes in the pre-school room.

There are effective partnerships with parents and carers and professionals, which in turn support children's development well. Staff and leaders communicate effectively with parents, who speak positively about their experiences and the leadership team. Leaders are knowledgeable about safeguarding processes, and they embed the nursery policies consistently, such as not allowing any person entering the nursery to use their mobile phones in the setting and maintaining accurate adult-to-child ratios. All policies are accessible to parents, and records show that complaints are managed and followed accordingly. Arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. While leaders have clear policies, these are not always implemented consistently by staff.