Busy Little Bees Nursery (Hall Green) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from staff in this nurturing setting. They happily separate from their parents. Children eagerly enter the rooms to see which learning opportunities they want to get involved in. They develop strong friendships with their peers. Staff support younger children to play alongside each other, while older children play cooperatively. Staff consistently praise children and use their names to affirm their identity. This creates a sense of connection and belonging for children. They demonstrate feelings of safety and security as they confidently explore the interesting learning environment.

Children learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They spend much time outdoors and are excited to climb, ride and balance. Children are encouraged by staff to risk-assess their play, such as thinking about how fast they manoeuvre as they pedal the wheeled toys around the track. Staff take every opportunity for children to learn about healthy eating. From a very young age, children get involved in chopping and preparing fruit. Together with staff, children visit the local shops to buy ingredients for meals and snacks. This contributes positively to children trying new foods. Parents comment on how well their children eat at the setting.

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

• Leaders have made significant improvements across the provision since the previous inspection. They have worked in strong partnership with staff to develop a clear, well-sequenced curriculum. Leaders and staff have ambitious expectations of all children.
• Staff closely observe children to plan effectively for their learning. They use information about children's individual interests and motivations to provide engaging opportunities. This supports children to become focussed and highly involved in their play.
• Leadership is inspirational. Leaders work closely with staff to role-model good practice and support professional development. They offer regular, constructive feedback to staff. This supports the team to drive improvement across the setting.
• Staff report that they feel valued in their role. Regular supervision sessions support them to reflect on their performance and identify their strengths and areas for development. The team members work extremely well together to achieve their clear vision for the setting.
• Staff support even the youngest children to develop their independence and get involved in their personal care. For example, they offer just the right amount of support for children to feed themselves and wipe their hands and faces after eating.
• Older children serve their own lunch and clear away after themselves. Staff support them with simple, clear instructions and praise their developing skills. This contributes to children's confidence. They demonstrate pride in carrying out tasks for themselves.
• Staff create opportunities for children to build on their communication and language skills. They share books with children and support them to develop a wide vocabulary. However, on occasions, staff do not give children enough time to process their thoughts and respond to questions. This limits children's opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas.
• Staff offer gentle encouragement and support children to make the right choices. They understand children's emotional needs and use age-appropriate language to encourage cooperative play. Children learn to take turns with resources. For example, they are keen to share the collage materials and ensure their friends can access the glue and paint as they create penguins.
• Children enjoy music and singing. They delight in using the musical instruments, which helps to develop their awareness of rhythm and rhyme. Staff sing spontaneously during play and care routines. Children eagerly join in with familiar words and actions. Staff engage children in lively music and movement sessions, which further develop their physical skills.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. The special needs coordinator works respectfully with parents to ensure that children receive prompt support. The setting works in strong partnership with a range of external agencies and professionals. Staff develop clear targets and use skilful intervention strategies. This supports children to make the best possible progress.
• Parents comment positively on the commitment and motivation of the staff team. They share how much they enjoy the opportunity to join their children in workshops in the setting. Parents feel involved and well informed about their children's learning and development. They appreciate the detailed daily feedback and the opportunity to meet regularly with their child's key person.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their teaching skills even further so that they consistently give children time to think and respond to questions.