Honey Bees Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy when attending the setting. They come in and settle immediately. There is an effective key-person system in place. Staff are passionate, caring and nurturing. They validate children's feelings when they are upset and show affection. Children form good attachments with their key person. They look for their key person to play, and for comfort and praise when they have achieved a task. Children are content and ready to learn.

Staff implement a good curriculum. Children experience a broad range of activities. Staff provide children with good opportunities to develop their language, imaginations and problem-solving skills. Children use guttering to design their own water channelling system. They move guttering up and down to change the height and slope. Children roll balls down and explore the channelling possibilities. Staff teach children rich language, such as 'gradient', 'distance' and 'length'. They encourage children to work together to problem solve and learn about balance.

Staff role model good behaviour. Children copy staff and say 'please' and 'thank you' when asking for help. They ask if they can have more fruit and wait for staff to reply before getting more. Staff provide activities to encourage children to share and take turns. Children wait for their turn and share resources with their friends. Staff recognise children's good behaviour and praise them. Children demonstrate a good attitude to experiences. Their behaviour is positive.

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

• The curriculum supports children's early mathematics skills well. Staff use play experiences to encourage children to develop their mathematical vocabulary. For example, they incorporate early numbers and counting everyday objects into children's play. Staff talk about size and quantity during snack time and children's physical play.
• At times, staff do not always consistently challenge older children during adult-led and focused activities. For example, children join in exploring and weighing resources. However, as the play goes on, they become distracted, and leave the activity. The activity was to easy for older children.
• Staff focus children's learning around their interests. For example, children make fishing rods and collect different-sized sticks. Staff support younger children with hand-over-hand guidance to use scissors. Older children support their friends to cut string. Staff teach children how to tie knots. They engage children in conversations about what they might catch and what lives in water. Children develop social skills and learn new vocabulary, such as 'carp', 'length' and 'float'.
• Children have exciting opportunities for outside play. They play with large hoops and balls. Children climb through and over hoops. Staff teach children to move their body and spin the hoops keeping them up. Children learn to throw balls into a basketball net. Staff use larger balls for younger children. They give children verbal guidance on how to throw and catch. Children excitingly play football together. They build strength and develop coordination and balance.
• Staff are extremely skilled in the early identification of children's needs. They gather information about children when they start to enable a smooth transition to the setting. Staff complete thorough assessments to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They work closely with partner agencies and parents to meet children's individual needs. Staff implement strategies to develop children's early communication. They use sign and props to communicate with non-verbal children. All children, including children with SEND, make good progress.
• Staff use additional funding well. They purchase items such as sign language resources and outside activities. This allows all children, including those with SEND, to access the whole curriculum and develop their social skills.
• Staff work well with parents. They share information with parents through an online platform, a parents notice board and a termly newsletter. Staff share information on what children are learning and how parents can continue their child's learning in the home. This includes support and advice on how to keep their child safe in the home and community. Parents state that communication sharing is good and accessible for both parents.
• Children develop their small hand muscles and coordination. Young children make marks using large pieces of chalk. Older children use crayons and stencils. Children use scoops and dig in the soil. They transfer leaves, twigs, and soil to diggers. However, on occasion, staff do not always engage children in meaningful play. This means that at times, children move quickly from one activity to another and lose interest.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to ensure that adult-led activities provide appropriate challenge to all children
• support children more consistently during child-led play to help them to remain engaged in their learning.