Busy Bees Day Nursery at Thames Ditton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Throughout the nursery, children demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning. They enjoy interactions with each other, and they approach staff with confidence. Babies communicate to staff through eye contact, babbling and pointing with their hands. Staff respond by showing an interest in what they are trying to say. Some babies are unsettled when they first arrive, so staff spend time reading stories and singing to them. As a result, they develop good bonds with staff, which helps them to settle.

Older children have regular opportunities to move between the inside and outside spaces. Staff deploy themselves to supervise the children in the different areas. In the garden, children enjoy a group activity of moving in different ways while playing instruments. Staff encourage children to jump and spin around. They notice the effect that these movements have on their bodies, such as making them breathe faster. This supports their physical development and raises their awareness of health.

Younger children are keen to share what they know. During a group activity, staff read 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea'. Children are eager to describe what is happening and what will happen next. Staff extend this activity by giving children a selection of apples and bananas to eat. They talk about the different colours of the apples. Staff ask questions about the food in the story, and children understand which foods are good for them. Staff are able to use this information to assess what children know. This also encourages children to make healthy choices.

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

• Since the previous inspection, leaders have implemented effective systems to identify and manage risks promptly. Staff are aware of their responsibility to ensure that the nursery is safe, and this is embedded in the daily routines. This helps to keep the nursery environment safe for everyone. Children help staff to check the outside areas to ensure that they are safe to use. This supports their understanding of risks and how to manage them.
• Leaders have carefully considered how to maintain good standards of hygiene in the nursery. In the baby room, staff put pictures on each bottle to help babies recognise which one is theirs. This helps to prevent babies from sharing bottles. In the toddler room, staff implement hygiene routines that children enjoy following. Staff encourage them to be independent in their self-care, such as washing their hands before they eat and wiping their faces after lunch. Children are keen to set up the table for lunch. When they accidentally drop forks on the floor, staff replace them with clean ones. This demonstrates that staff understand how to implement good hygiene routines.
• Staff have good knowledge of their key children. They gather information before children start, and they use this to support them with their transition to nursery. Staff build on this information to plan for their learning and development. They track children's progress, which enables them to identify when they need additional support. They promptly communicate this to parents so that strategies are put in place to ensure that children continue to make good progress.
• The manager celebrates the uniqueness of everyone at the nursery. She encourages staff and families to share information about their cultural heritage, which is added to the display in the hallway. Staff bring in traditional Thai clothing for the children to dress up in, and they dance to traditional Thai music. Parents and people from the local residential home regularly visit children at the nursery. They talk to children about the work that they do and read stories to them. This gives children an understanding of society and helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Parents are happy that their children are learning and developing well in their nursery environment. They express their gratitude to the staff and feel their children are safe. However, leaders have not communicated effectively with parents on how they can access their child's next steps. This means that parents are not fully aware of how to support their child's learning at home.
• Staff report that they enjoy working at the setting, and they feel supported by leaders. They have regular supervision sessions that identify further training and development for staff. This encourages staff to improve their practice, which helps to raise the quality of the teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• share information with parents about what children need to learn next so that learning can continue at home.