Busy Little Bees Nursery (Handsworth Wood)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a calm, relaxing and fun environment for children. They create a happy atmosphere along with a culture of mutual respect. Parents and children are warmly welcomed into the nursery by the friendly, approachable staff. Staff quickly develop strong relationships with children. Arrangements for settling in new children and for those moving on to the next age group are specifically tailored to each individual child. This helps children to feel safe and confident in their surroundings. Children arrive with big smiles, full of enthusiasm to begin their day.

Staff have a clear focus on developing children's independence. Babies select toys from easily accessible resources, and toddlers learn to put on their own coats. Older children serve their own lunches and manage their personal care independently. Staff teach children to use tools, such as scissors and knives, safely. Staff help children to develop a love of books. Babies cuddle up close to staff as they listen to a story. Children select books as they play. They know that print has meaning and follow the writing from left to right. Children talk to staff about the characters and objects in the books. All children make good progress from their starting points. They develop a positive attitude towards their learning.

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

• Leaders have devised a well-sequenced curriculum to support children to make good progress in the seven areas of learning. The curriculum is understood and implemented effectively across the nursery by the knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff.
• Leaders monitor staff practice and help staff to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Where staff need support, leaders provide further training.
• Staff have high expectations for all children. They monitor children's progress closely. Where children need additional help, staff provide targeted support. When needed, staff work alongside external agencies to implement plans to help children reach the potential they are capable of.
• Staff manage behaviour well. They support children to understand their emotions, learn to self-regulate and talk about how they feel. Staff help children to develop a good understanding of right and wrong and how their behaviour affects the feelings of others. Children behave well in the nursery. They show kindness towards each other. For example, children ask others if they would like to join in their play. Staff ensure that babies and children have plenty of opportunities to be outdoors. They support children to use their bodies in different ways. For example, they create games that encourage children to run and jump. Children confidently ride on wheeled toys.
• Overall, staff support children to develop effective communication skills. Staff talk to children and introduce new vocabulary. However, at times, some staff do not give children time to consider and respond to the questions they ask before giving children the answer or asking further questions in quick succession.
• Staff help to develop children's knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Throughout the nursery, staff teach children to count and recognise numbers and shapes. Staff help older children learn to recognise a group of objects without counting and to solve simple addition and subtraction problems. However, at times, some staff overly direct activities and reduce opportunities for children to build their own ideas and ways of doing things.
• Staff provide a wide range of activities and resources to promote equality and diversity. They teach children to respect the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Children are polite, respectful and sociable individuals.
• Staff are keen to ensure children's safety. They carry out risk assessments throughout the day, indoors and outdoors, to ensure that the premises and equipment are safe. Children are supervised effectively. Staff complete headcounts as children move around the nursery to ensure that all children are accounted for at all times. Staff ensure that toys and resources are appropriate for the age and abilities of the children using them. Accidents are reported, and documentation is completed as required.
• Parents are highly complimentary about the nursery. They comment on the good progress their children make and how much their children enjoy attending the nursery. Parents receive regular updates from staff about their children's learning along with ideas and suggestions on how they can support their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to build on their questioning techniques to give children time to think, solve problems and develop their language skills further
• help staff to identify when to step back during adult-led and child-initiated activities to enable children to develop their creativity and build on their own ideas and ways of doing things.