Busy Bees Uttoxeter

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff offer children lots of love and cuddles where needed. They quickly respond to children if they become unsettled. This helps children to form strong and warm relationships with the staff who care for them. Children explain that they like to attend nursery. Babies enjoy exploring musical toys and sensory equipment. They also develop the muscles in their legs as they practise a range of movements, inside and outside, including crawling, pulling themselves up, walking, running and attempting to kick balls. The curriculum across the nursery is rich and varied. Children maintain high levels of engagement as they play. Consequently, all children make continued progress in their development.

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

• Leaders use a range of methods to oversee the overall running of the nursery. They have identified areas for continuous improvement. However, some of these plans are in their early stages, including the use of supervision sessions. Consequently, most staff do not have a clear enough understanding about how their practice and teaching could improve further. This does not fully support them to be effective in their role. Despite this, staff enjoy working at the nursery. They support each other.
• Leaders have strong knowledge of child development. They use this to help develop an ambitious curriculum for children of all ages. Staff use children's interests alongside their assessments and observations of the children well. This helps them to plan a range of stimulating and exciting learning experiences. This supports all children to thrive at the nursery.
• Leaders place focus on supporting children's communication and language development. Older children are provided with lots of opportunities to express themselves as they talk about items they have brought in. Staff also skilfully share stories with children. The children confidently share their knowledge as they recall what they remember about the stories. However, there is scope to improve babies' and younger children's early communication skills. This is because there are times when children attempt to babble, make sounds and say words, but staff do not remove children's dummies.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the early help they require. Staff carry out regular observations of the children. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals. This helps them to develop plans and set targets or next steps for children to achieve.
• Staff work well alongside parents, grandparents and carers. They regularly gather and share key information about the children. Staff keep parents informed about their child's day and progress. Parents feel well supported by staff and leaders. They say that their children love to attend the nursery.
• Leaders place high focus on children's personal development. Settling-in procedures and transition arrangements are tailored to meet children's individual needs. Children have lots of opportunities to build on their independence. For example, older children confidently help to clear the table after meals.
• Leaders take steps to maintain the required staffing and qualification requirements. Staff deploy themselves well to ensure children are supervised effectively. Staff are suitably trained in paediatric first aid. Leaders have taken steps to improve staff knowledge of accident procedures to follow. Leaders have robust procedures to check the suitability of staff who work or come into contact with children.
• Leaders place focus on supporting children's health. There are clear procedures for the steps to take if children become ill at the nursery. This helps to prevent the spread of infectious illnesses. Children are provided with a range of balanced meals, which take into account their needs. All children have lots of opportunities to get physical outside. Staff support children to clean their hands and noses and to change clothes throughout the day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the use of supervision sessions to ensure all staff receive the full support and coaching they require to help them be even more effective in their role
• strengthen the strategies to help build on children's early communication and language skills.