Busy Bees Day Nursery at Letchworth

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at nursery.

They have warm and affectionate attachments to staff and demonstrate they feel emotionally secure. Managers and staff work closely with parents, schools and local agencies to provide children with any additional support they need. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning and gain the skills they need for the next stage of their learning.

Children have a love of books. They listen well to stories and confidently speculate about the characters and how the story ends. Staff encourage children to extend th...eir ideas, for example, as they make different animal homes inspired by the 'The Gruffalo'.

Older children learn to make marks in practical ways. They tick off the risk assessment check list to identify safe areas of the nursery. In discussion with staff, children further their understanding of hazards and what to do about them.

The youngest children are lovingly nurtured by kind and attentive staff, who know and understand their care needs very well. Babies sleep when they need to and have cuddles with their special person to reassure them. All children are encouraged to develop their independence.

For example, toddlers help themselves to tissues to clean their noses, while older children gather their coats and boots for outdoor play.

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

Partnerships with parents are exceptionally good. Managers and staff have implemented varied, effective ways to share information and involve parents in their children's learning.

For instance, home-learning books provide parents with detailed accounts of children's experiences at nursery and offer good advice on activities to do at home. Parents clearly appreciate the close links they have with staff. They say that the quality of the care their children receive is 'fantastic'.

The manager's concern for the welfare of her team is commendable. She provides staff with strong support and offers regular supervision meetings. The manager takes time to get to know her staff as individuals and shows she values their skills and contributions.

Staff, in return, have positive attitudes and are highly motivated to ensure that children receive the care and learning they need.Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children enjoy fresh, wholesome meals that are nutritionally well balanced.

They have daily opportunities to be physically active indoors and outside. Children take part in activities that help them to understand how their bodies work. For example, they look at x-ray images and listen to their hearts beating during exercise.

Children enjoy a broad variety of sensory activities. They dig in damp sand to look for 'fossils' and manipulate dough with their fingers. Children handle seeds from a pumpkin and practise new words, such as 'slimy'.

Staff skilfully build on children's mathematical knowledge as they encourage them to compare the size and weight of the different pumpkins. Babies and younger children delight in chasing bubbles and catching them in their hands.Staff have a good understanding of children's interests and take account of these when planning and providing activities.

They develop children's language skills well through conversations, songs and rhymes. At times, there is a tendency for staff to miss opportunities to extend children's learning further. This is especially during small-group activities, which are sometimes not swiftly adapted or tailored for the differing needs of children taking part.

Staff use assessment effectively to monitor children's progress and plan for the next steps in their learning. They are quick to pick up any concerns in children's development. Staff are very well trained in providing strong and effective support for children with SEND.

They work well with other agencies and undertake training, such as learning sign language, to enhance their skills.Children have good opportunities to learn about cultures, religions and lifestyles outside of their own experiences. Staff introduce items of interest they find on their travels, such as a copy of 'Water Lilies' by Monet.

Children observe the painting, learn about its history and attempt to recreate the picture for themselves. Parents provide their own artefacts, such as dolls and decorations used during Diwali.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff understand their responsibilities to protect children. They undertake regular safeguarding training to update their knowledge. Staff are familiar with the procedures to follow if they have concerns that a child is at risk of abuse or neglect.

Managers are aware of their duties should they have any concerns about a member of staff. There are thorough recruitment procedures to make sure that people working with children are suitable to do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus professional development on strengthening staff's knowledge of high-quality teaching, to help them to skilfully adapt activities and continuously extend children's learning.