Busy Bees Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed by a friendly and nurturing staff team. They happily come straight into a well-organised and safe environment. New children are supported to say 'goodbye' and settle quickly to play. Children have many opportunities to freely explore the resources and join with their friends to play. Children have good relationships with staff. They enjoy engaging in and initiating conversations with them as they use their imagination in the role-play area.

The manager works closely with the staff team to set clear learning intentions based on children's starting points and needs. Staff have clear expectations for all children and adjust the environment and activities to ensure they meet them. For example, they create small, quiet areas with resources to support children with sensory needs. They roll balls down tubes or explore activity boards, twisting and turning cogs. Children enjoy exploring different areas.

Children behave well. Staff have clear expectations about behaviour and consistently support children to work together, take turns and use manners. For example, children take turns to use the binoculars when looking for birds in the garden. Staff offer constant praise and encouragement, which supports children's self-esteem. As a result, the pre-school is a happy place.

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

• The manager reflects on the practice within the pre-school. She has a very good knowledge and understanding of the pre-school's strengths and areas for development. Currently, an area of focus is to extend children's communication and language skills further, such as by inviting parents to join story and song times alongside their children. The manager has established a strong staff team, and staff comment that they feel well supported. New staff members have fewer key children while they settle into the routines of the pre-school.
• Staff are proactive in supporting children's literacy skills and love of books. They share the book 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' and support children to create a 'tea party' for the tiger. Staff read the story again while the children work together to prepare the tea party. They encourage children to talk about what sized chair the tiger would need, and they say, 'A big one; not small like mine,' and discuss how many cakes he would need.
• Children are keen to explore outdoors and independently put on their coats. They make the most of being outside and talk together about what they can see and hear. For example, the children excitedly talk about the day they found frogs in the sandpit. The children explore textures using crayon rubbed on paper, adding 'it's bumpy' or 'it's rough'. Staff ensure that children have daily opportunities for physical development. For example, children walk on balancing beams and jump through hoops.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They model language and narrate activities to extend children's understanding of language. Older children readily share their knowledge of the weather during 'hello time'. For example, they share what weather conditions are needed for a rainbow to form. However, at times, staff do not consistently encourage the younger children to participate so that their language and communication skills are fully enhanced throughout the day.
• Children use mathematical language during their play and learning. For example, children enjoy building enclosures with large blocks. They talk about 'smaller' and 'bigger' croissants when serving their friends in the bakery and the length of the spider's legs. Staff count bugs with the younger children and sing number songs with them. As a result, children become confident to use mathematical language in their play.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a good knowledge of children and gives good support to staff to provide personalised plans for children. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.
• Children know the routines well, and staff use visuals to help children successfully manage transitions. However, the organisation of routines is not always used effectively to keep children actively learning as part of the curriculum. For example, children spend a long time queueing and waiting to take turns to wash their hands for snack or to find their coats to go outside.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff support and help them understand how to encourage younger children's participation in group activities to help develop their communication and language
• review the organisation of routine activities so that children are consistently engaged in meaningful learning and do not spend extended periods of time waiting.