Busy Bees Day Nursery at Warton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's emotional well-being. Bespoke settling-in sessions are carefully tailored to children's needs, and key persons are allocated in accordance with children's preferences. This helps children to settle quickly and contributes towards the special bonds that they form with their key person. Children are very happy and settled at the nursery. They clearly understand the expectations for behaviour. For example, babies willingly swap resources with their peers during water play. Younger children are careful not to bump into others when riding a bike outdoors.

Leaders and staff create an ambitious curriculum that focuses on what children know and enjoy. Babies explore materials, such as water, using their senses. They listen to stories that they enjoy and recall the sounds that a monkey makes when looking at the pictures. Younger children develop good balance when riding a bike. They negotiate space successfully and demonstrate an understanding of different mathematical concepts, such as speed. Older children are imaginative. They have a good understanding of different occupations and build with a purpose in mind. For example, older children use bricks, stones and logs to create their own 'house'. They mix materials, such as soil and grass, to form 'cement'. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) show confidence to take controlled risks. They thoroughly enjoy jumping off low-level equipment and do so safely.

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

• Leaders have significantly reduced the amount of paperwork that staff complete to enable them to spend more quality time with the children. This is contributing towards staff's excellent knowledge of each child and is used well to shape children's ongoing learning experiences.
• The kind and caring staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They teach children to use their 'kind hands' and 'kind feet' during play. Children quickly learn what is expected of them. For example, at lunchtime, they wait patiently for others to finish eating before they get up from the table.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. Staff skilfully support babies who are learning English as an additional language. During play with water, staff introduce new words for babies to hear and say, including in their home languages. This helps babies to build on their increasing range of vocabulary. However, during a bug hunt, staff working with older children do not consistently encourage them to think for themselves. Additionally, staff do not support children to use more complex language, for example to describe the features of objects. This does not help all children to extend their good communication and language skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff are looking at safe ways to welcome parents back in to the nursery following the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions. Staff exchange information with parents about children's care, learning and progress. They signpost parents to a range of 'magical experiences that inspire learning', to build on children's skills at home. Parents say that, 'Children receive the care and experiences that help them to grow and flourish'.
• Staff encourage children to develop a love for books and reading. They select books that they know children will enjoy. Babies take interest in the illustrations and help to turn the pages. Older children show confidence to join in with the repeated phrases from familiar stories that they enjoy.
• Children with SEND receive the early help and support that they need. Staff work together with parents and other professionals to identify and target support, to help close any gaps in children's learning. Children with SEND willingly engage in the wider range of small-group sessions that staff provide. They are developing increasing confidence to engage with their peers and to seek comfort and support from any member of staff across the nursery.
• Staff make good use of any funding. They source books and resources that are carefully linked to children's specific family circumstances. This is helping to broaden children's awareness of diversity, including what connects them to and distinguishes them from others. Children are genuinely respectful individuals.
• Leaders ensure that staff undergo regular supervision sessions to monitor their performance. However, the targets set at each supervision meeting do not precisely identify what it is that staff need to do to enhance their teaching practice further. This does not help to raise outcomes for children to the very highest levels.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend ways for older children to develop their creative thinking skills and use more complex language, to help them make the very best possible progress in their communication and language development
• strengthen the established performance management systems and identify precise targets that focus intently on enhancing staff's good teaching practice, to help raise outcomes for children to an outstanding level.