Busy Kids (NW) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and managers want children 'to have fun while they are learning'. This vision is reflected in children's smiles as they gain lots of new skills. For example, babies beam with happiness and sing tunefully as they master the physical skills needed to rock on the see-saw. Children benefit from the different learning experiences available to them. They engage in a variety of activities and thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery.

Children's personal development is promoted very well. They forge trusting relationships with all staff, which gives them a good sense of belonging. Due to the impact of COVID-19, settling-in procedures have been adapted to meet children's individual needs. Children who are new to the nursery are introduced gradually to the environment. This helps them to build confidence as they become familiar with their new friends and staff.

Children are well behaved and have a positive attitude to learning. For example, they pay close attention to staff as they walk to the local park. They use their 'listening ears' and decide when it is safe to cross the road. These meaningful experiences help children to develop important skills, that contribute to their wider development.

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

• The new leaders and managers have made lots of improvements and created a harmonious staff team. For example, physical changes have been made to the nursery to create an enabling environment for children. Staff say they feel valued and appreciate that their suggestions are taken on board.
• Healthy eating is promoted well throughout the nursery. As a result, the nursery has received a health and nutrition award from the health trust. Mealtimes are totally unrushed, which means children can eat at their own pace. Children also enjoy conversing with staff, who sit and eat with them. Staff act as good role models, which helps all children to develop their physical skills as they use the cutlery.
• Staff ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the same opportunities as their peers. They know what children are capable of achieving and adapt the curriculum to help them acquire new skills. When staff plan wider experiences for children, such as trips to the park, these are planned with great care. As a result, no child misses out on this valuable learning experience. Parents of children with SEND are delighted with the progress their children have made.
• The literacy curriculum is not consistently strong. At times, children who are unable to hold a pencil correctly are encouraged to write their names. This means they are not being supported to develop the skills they need for writing in the right order. Furthermore, staff use a mixture of cursive writing, print and capital letters. This has potential to confuse children who are beginning to recognise letters and words.
• Early years pupil premium funding is used well to support disadvantaged children. Leaders, managers and staff look carefully at what children need and then decide how to spend the funding. They have recently used funding to recruit an additional member of staff. This means disadvantaged children benefit from one-to-one support to help them catch up with their peers.
• Transitions into the nursery and within the nursery are managed very well. For example, as children move between rooms, staff work closely with each other to help children feel emotionally prepared and ready to learn. Staff also work closely with parents, which helps to support this process. However, transitions from nursery to school are not as smooth as they could be. Staff do not focus sharply enough on what skills children need to develop, to help better prepare them for their transition to school.
• Staff use knowledge from training to bring children's learning to life. Following training on phonics, they introduced 'listening walks' to help children focus on sounds. Children also enjoy listening to stories. They actively join in with familiar phrases, such as 'not by the hair of my chinny chin chin' and display an enthusiasm for learning new words.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure the literacy curriculum is carefully sequenced to help children to develop their early writing skills in the right order
• strengthen partnerships with local schools to support a smoother transition for children.