Busy Bees Day Nursery at Solihull Discoveryland

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happily. Their parents take them to their room and help to settle them in. This helps children to feel secure from the onset. Staff are kind and friendly. They greet children joyfully and build warm relationships that support children's emotional well-being.

Children thrive because staff have high expectations for their learning. They carefully plan interesting and challenging activities that support every child's learning. Children are eager to get involved. Younger children use their hands to make marks as they explore paint. They develop their coordination skills as they learn how to stack and balance blocks. Staff promote their early mathematical skills as they count the number of blocks they use. Older children practise how to use a knife and fork as they play with dough. They use toothbrushes to clean dirt off a dinosaurs teeth. Staff extend children's knowledge by engaging them in discussions about how often they need to brush their teeth and children share their experiences of visiting the dentist.

Children develop their independence from an early age. Younger children know how to help themselves to a drink from the water station, whereas older children pour their own drinks when they want to. Children collect their own belongings and persevere to put on their own jackets.

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

• The newly appointed manager is passionate about providing children with high-quality early education. They have established secure foundations for the curriculum which they are continuing to support staff to build on. Staff provide children with a breadth of activities and experiences, which are designed to give children knowledge and skills in readiness for the next stage in their learning.
• Staff know children very well. They complete regular observations and assessments of children to find out what they know and can do. Staff use this information to plan exciting activities that support children to achieve what they need to learn next. This means that all children make good progress in their learning and development.
• Staff continuously expose children to a broad range of language. Children love listening to stories staff read to them. Staff constantly talk to children and sing songs and rhymes. Older children thrive as they join in. However, staff who work with younger children do not always allow them time to practise using the words they are exposed to so that they build on their language skills at the earliest opportunity.
• Staff and managers have high regard for children's good health. Children learn how and when to wash their own hands. They benefit from healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. Managers provide useful information for parents to further promote children's oral health and hygiene at home.
• There is a designated coordinator to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work closely with staff and parents if delays are identified in children's development to provide swift intervention. The coordinator knows how to access additional support from other professionals if children need this. As a result, children who have SEND are supported to reach their potential.
• Children's behaviour is good. This is because staff consistently reinforce their expectations to children. For example, children receive 'speeding tickets' as a reminder to slow down when moving around the nursery. Younger children are praised for sharing resources, which supports them to develop respectful relationships with their peers.
• Children thoroughly enjoy the broad range of exciting activities and experiences staff provide. They develop a highly positive attitude towards their learning. Older children recall the names of fruits they are familiar with. Babies delight as they use mirrors to develop an understanding of themselves. However, staff do not always recognise when children are deeply engaged in their learning. On occasions, they unnecessarily disrupt children's play and learning to take them away from an activity or to gain their attention.
• Managers are committed to providing staff with the skills they need to fulfil their roles. Staff receive regular supervision opportunities to discuss their performance and any issues they may have. They access an extensive training programme which helps to build on their continued professional development. Managers use self-evaluation well to identify how to further improve all staff's practice and teaching skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to minimise disruptions by recognising when children are deeply engaged in their play and learning
• provide younger children with more opportunities to practise their speaking and communication skills.