Busy Bears (Durham) Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Managers place the emotional well-being of children and staff at the heart of everything they do. Parents value that their children's happiness is so important to the nursery.

Children demonstrate that they are happy. For example, they engage with staff happily as they wait to come down the soft-play slide. They laugh in delight as they wait for staff to say 'ready, steady, go' before sliding down.

Staff have a good understanding of their roles, overall, and are vigilant about children's safety. Overall, staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. For example, staff working with pre-school children chall...enge them to talk about shapes and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'rhombus', 'hexagon', 'corner' and 'sides'.

Managers now need to ensure that they strengthen the monitoring of staff practice to identify and address all minor inconsistencies in teaching and learning. Children behave well. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour which they consistently reinforce.

Children are aware of the routines. They cooperate, take turns and are caring towards each other.

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

Children are very happy and settled.

There are good procedures in place to help children settle quickly. Staff have thought carefully about how they can help children to manage the move to their new rooms with ease. This helps children to develop secure relationships.

Children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, older children learn how to use knives safely. They understand that they must keep their fingers away from the blade.

Children enjoy their learning. Staff plan exciting activities to enthuse and motivate children. They use their knowledge of what children need to learn next to extend their learning further.

For example, older children are excited to discover that some shapes have disappeared from a box and hunt for them with delight.Staff plan additional activities to help ensure children gain the necessary skills for their future. They consider carefully what additional activities they can provide to help children have a good start in life.

For example, they plan activities for toddlers, who are not used to stairs, to negotiate the stairs on a small slide. Funding is used effectively.Children make good progress in their development of spoken language.

Staff listen to children and comment on what they are doing. Staff working with older children use questioning effectively to help children to explain their thoughts and ideas. Babies benefit from hearing single words and simple phrases.

Staff working with two-year-old children demonstrate a very good knowledge of how they can support their development. For example, they plan activities, such as blowing bubbles, to help children strengthen the muscles in their mouth used for speech.Staff work well with the schools that children move on to.

They invite teachers to visit children in the nursery. They share information with the teachers about children's learning to help them support children's learning from the beginning.Children have very good relationships with staff and other children.

Babies snuggle into their special member of staff as they fall asleep. Toddlers enjoy a cuddle and a story when they wake up from their sleep.Parents are delighted in the nursery and speak very highly of the provision offered.

They are very well informed of where their children are in their learning and how they can support them further.The manager has clear values and policies that are implemented well. Managers evaluate their provision, overall, and seek feedback from parents to inform their evaluations.

They act on the feedback of parents. However, there are minor weaknesses in teaching and learning that have not been swiftly identified and addressed effectively to raise the quality of teaching to an even higher level. For instance, increasing opportunities for children to develop their mathematical awareness, literacy skills and reviewing the organisation of group activities to ensure all children are focused and engaged.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good understanding of how to protect children from harm. They know how to identify and report their concerns about children to keep them safe.

Managers ensure all staff attend training and their safeguarding knowledge is up to date. All staff have a good understanding of wider safeguarding issues. Recruitment procedures are strong.

Thorough checks, as well as ongoing supervision, help to ensure that all staff are suitable for their roles.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the monitoring of staff practice to assist managers in swiftly identifying and addressing areas where teaching could be improved. This includes increasing opportunities for children to develop their mathematical awareness and literacy skills and reviewing the organisation of group activities to ensure all children are focused and engaged.