Mr Bee's North Lynn

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well supervised and cared for in a safe, secure and welcoming environment. Staff get to know the children and their families and start to build relationships from the very beginning. Children, who are new to the nursery, are offered flexible settling-in arrangements. This eases the transition from home. Children who are initially unsettled are given plenty of attention and reassurance by their key person.

Babies' individual needs are well met and their care routines are followed. Toddlers are sensitively supported when they are ready to progress with potty training. Young children are offered reassuring cuddles as they become tired and are gently soothed as they settle for a nap.

Staff model behaviour, carefully showing children how to do things for themselves. Children learn how to tidy away toys, put on and take off items of clothes and wipe their noses before putting used tissues in the bin. Even very young children are supported to be as independent as they can be, when they wash their hands at the low-level basins and help themselves to their own drinks.

All children are helped to understand about their own feelings and emotions and those of others. Even the smallest achievements are recognised and celebrated by staff who praise the children, building their self-esteem. Overall, children behave well.

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

• The experienced and well-qualified manager leads her staff team effectively. She monitors the educational programme, identifying where improvements can be made. New staff receive appropriate inductions. All staff receive supervision and benefit from a range of in-house and external training and coaching. This further enhances their skills, so that they can better meet children's individual learning needs.
• Management and staff are sensitive to the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and their families. During national restrictions, they worked hard to support families. Parents are happy with the care and education their children receive. They find staff approachable and feel well informed about their children's progress. They particularly value how easily staff share information, not only face to face but more recently, via the nursery's online application.
• Staff are well deployed. They get down to the children's level and show an interest in what children are doing. They ensure all children, including those who speak English as an additional language or are slower to speak, hear plenty of spoken language. Staff provide commentary and pose simple questions, giving children time to respond. They repeat words and phrases that children say, supporting children's correct pronunciation.
• Staff make effective use of assessment to identify any gaps in children's development. Children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are well supported. Staff provide children with additional focused activities, in small groups, to close the gaps. Where further or external support is needed, staff are swift to work in partnership with other professionals in order to give children the best opportunities to develop.
• At times, staff demonstrate strong teaching skills. During circle time, children have opportunities to speak. They confidently introduce themselves, before telling their friends what they have enjoyed playing with. Staff capture children's interest as they introduce the popular story about little pigs and a wolf. Children know to join in with actions and refrains as staff tell the story with energy and animation. Afterwards, children are motivated to carry on independently learning. One child builds their own house of bricks in the construction area while another revisits the story again, carefully turning the pages herself.
• Staff aim to pick up on teachable moments with the children, however, this is not consistently happening. For example, when older children hold their pencils in their fist to 'write' a list, staff do not think to show children how to use the correct grip. Additionally, on occasions during adult-led activities, such as exploring and examining windfall apples, staff do not successfully build on what children already know. As a result, the most-able children are not introduced to new, more challenging concepts, so that they get to know, and do, even more.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to identify and make best use of unplanned teaching opportunities as they occur, in order to consistently help children to make the best possible progress
• support all staff to use what they know about children's knowledge and skills to introduce more challenging concepts, so that children learn even more and can do even more.