Busy Bees Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and excited to see the friendly and welcoming staff. They separate from their parents and carers with ease and settle quickly. Children form close relationships with the staff, who care for them and get to know them well. Children are confident and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They show consistently high levels engagement in the activities that staff provide and benefit from a curriculum that provides them with enriching experiences.

Children are positively influenced by the teamwork that the staff team role model. Staff have high expectations, and children behave very well. They learn to take turns and share the resources. Children are considerate towards one another and look after toys. They tidy away enthusiastically and listen attentively to instructions. Children show positive attitudes to their learning.

Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active throughout the day. They benefit from time spent outside in the fresh air, either in the garden or exploring the local environment. They have space to run and climb, practising their balance and coordination skills. Children dance and copy the actions as they explore different ways to move to music. They are learning about healthy lifestyles and discuss the benefits of healthy food with their friends and staff at the dinner table.

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

• The staff team work together to design a meaningful curriculum. Staff carefully follow children's interests. They use information from observations and assessments to plan exciting activities. Staff understand how to challenge and teach children and know what they want them to learn next. They provide a good balance of free-play activities and adult-guided experiences. However, staff do not always make the most of their interactions to fully extend older children's learning.
• Staff encourage children to develop their communication skills. For example, they get down to the children's level to chat and clearly emphasise key words within their interactions. Children are encouraged to enjoy books and hear stories. They delight in sitting together for a story time and are included in telling much loved and familiar stories.
• Staff encourage children's mathematical development effectively. Children regularly use mathematical language in their play. They confidently count and identify numbers in sequence. Staff challenge children to identify and understand the concepts of size and quantity.
• Children benefit from many opportunities to develop their independence and social skills in readiness for school. They show a can-do attitude. For example, children clear their own plates after snack and source their own tools and materials for their craft creations. Children learn to independently put on their coats and understand how to thoroughly wash their hands as part of their everyday hygiene routines.
• Staff ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support. They set individual targets to ensure children make progress that is achievable and relevant to them. Staff make effective use of additional funding to meet children's specific needs.
• Children develop a good understanding of diversity beyond their immediate family. For example, staff ensure that the environment incudes positive cultural images, books and role-play resources for the children to explore. Children gain a good sense of belonging within their local community. For instance, the playgroup has links with the local church and school, and the children participate in celebrations and events within the local village.
• Parents speak highly of the playgroup. They comment on the strong relationships between children and staff. Staff keep parents informed about their children's progress through an online learning journal. However, systems are not consistently in place for staff to share ideas with parents on how to support children's learning at home.
• Regular self-evaluation and effective teamworking contribute to a well-organised provision. There are good opportunities for staff's professional development. For example, staff access a range of training topics and share their knowledge with the team so that children consistently benefit from good teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend staff's skills to enable them to build on their interactions with older children, to further extend their learning
• enhance the support given to parents to help them understand how they can support their children's learning at home.