Busy Bees Day Nursery at Southwell

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and safe in the home-from-home environment created by staff. They settle quickly in staff's care. Children have close relationships with staff and their friends. They happily help one another tidy resources away when they have finished, working as a team to move larger resources outdoors. Children are keen to be independent from a young age. Staff praise babies as they persevere to put their own hats on in the garden. Children behave exceptionally well and follow staff's instructions. They remind each other of how staff expect them to behave including explaining they practice 'good listening'. Children know the routines of the day including lining up to wash their hands before lunch. They consistently use the words 'please' and 'thank you' when responding to each other and staff.

Children enjoy developing their hand muscles in preparation for writing, by squashing and squeezing play dough. They make choices from a variety of resources and develop a creative nature. Children confidently share their ideas with each other. They explain that their creations look like different flavoured ice creams and share stories about when they have eaten ice cream before. Children laugh and tell staff if they eat ice cream too fast, they get 'brain freeze'. They discuss with staff how that makes them feel and pull funny faces. Children are curious and ask staff questions, such as, why cold food makes their bodies feel 'chilly'. During conversations children listen carefully to staff and their friends and wait patiently for their turn to talk.

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

• The manager and staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn. They observe children and identify what they need to learn next. Staff consider the experiences children get at home when planning learning opportunities, offering familiar, and new play. They provide children with the opportunity to 'vote' for what topic they would like to look at next.
• Staff plan engaging activities based on children's interests and the knowledge and skills they want children to learn. For example, staff develop children's understanding of the world as they explore different animals and where they live. They explain new vocabulary to children including 'habitat' and help them decide which different climates the animals might live in. However, on occasions, staff do not fully extend on what some children already know and can do. Therefore, some children do not make the most progress they are capable of.
• Staff act upon any opportunity to interact with children in a way that develops their speech and language skills. For example, when young children point at pictures of animals in the environment and make a 'moo' sound for a cow, staff encourage them to spontaneously sing 'Old McDonald'.
• Staff use a vast range of vocabulary with all children and teach them new words.
• They visually show younger children, the difference between the meaning of the words 'shallow' and 'deep' in the water tray.
• Staff teach children to share from a young age. They explain to children the polite way to ask for toys and how to respect when their friends say they have not finished. Staff praise children for respecting resources in the setting including being gentle when independently reading books.
• Children demonstrate their independence during mealtimes. They pass cutlery to their friends and use it skilfully to cut, and eat, a healthy home-cooked meal. Children pour drinks with ease and copy the excellent table manners modelled by staff.
• The manager has a clear vision for the setting. She helps staff reflect on the learning opportunities they provide children. The manager has identified what staff need to work on next and started to put training in place for them. However, the quality of leadership at room leader level is not yet consistent. Although all room leaders are provided professional development opportunities, this is not yet effective at raising the quality of practice in some rooms.
• Staff's relationships with parents and carers are at the heart of the service they provide. They continually seek out and listen to parental feedback and adapt to meet each family's needs. Parents feel completely involved in children's developmental journey. They comment that the staff demonstrate an 'every child matter's approach and are truly inspiring.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed further the professional development room leaders are provided to improve the consistency of leadership skills and ability
• differentiate interactions and activities further to provide enough challenge for all children.