Busy Bees Day Nursery at Stowmarket

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children settle quickly, as friendly staff greet them individually on arrival to this bright, welcoming setting.

They develop positive bonds with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe in their care. Children are eager to join in with activities that reflect their interests, and they demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. For example, they explore trays of natural materials and animal toys.

They name the different creatures and scoop sand to create 'nests' for the crocodile toys. Children have ample opportunities to be physically active. They practise lots of physical skills as they pedal, climb, jump, run and ba...lance using a range of equipment.

Children pedal their friends around on a tandem tricycle and practise keeping themselves safe as they climb to the top of the triangular climbing frame and jump onto squashy mats. Children demonstrate an interest in the natural world as they notice ladybirds and spiders. Staff teach children to handle them carefully, so as not to hurt them.

However, at times, the quality of teaching is variable, and some staff do not understand how to implement the ambitious and challenging curriculum to help children make as much progress as possible.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to staff, including the leadership team. The manager has reflected on areas she wants to improve, such as the organisation of the toddler rooms and support for home learning.

However, these changes have yet to be implemented and are not always linked to incisive evaluation of the service, which identifies areas to improve that will have the most impact on children.Staff do not currently receive regular supervision meetings or coaching to improve their practice. They do not always know the purpose of activities, what role they play in promoting children's learning or how their teaching skills can be improved.

This results in variable practice across the setting. However, staff do access mandatory training, such as safeguarding or first aid, which helps them to keep children in their care safe.Older children are imaginative and use a variety of resources creatively.

In the garden, they gather up guttering and metal stands to make a run for balls. Children demonstrate good teamwork as they put the items together and take turns testing them out. They later add a 'roof', using tiles from the construction area, and a bowl at the end to make catching the balls easier.

Although the number of staff to meet the statutory ratio requirements is sufficient, there are times when children's needs are not consistently met. This is often because staff need to carry out routine tasks, such as helping children to sleep or preparing to serve meals, which takes them away from the main group for extended periods. At times, this is due to the organisation of spaces where some children are playing while others struggle to get to sleep alongside them.

As a result, transition times can be chaotic, with children becoming unsettled, and the remaining staff are not always able to support all children's emotional and learning needs in a timely manner.Staff use their knowledge of their key children's development to identify their next steps in learning. For instance, in the pre-school room, staff use skilful questioning to help individual children learn about numbers, colours and the wider world.

Staff share information about children's care with parents via an electronic application daily. This includes details of children's nappy changes, diet and sleep times. Children enjoy a variety of healthy meals and snacks prepared by the setting's chef.

Staff ensure that children's individual dietary needs and preferences are met. They supervise children closely at mealtimes to ensure that children do not access foods that pose a risk to them.Parents praise the 'passionate, professional staff' and comment how much their children enjoy attending the setting.

They appreciate the information staff provide on children's experiences and the range of activities children access, particularly outdoors.Children develop a love of stories. Babies and toddlers enjoy exploring sound books with buttons, and older children begin to retell key parts of familiar stories.

They remember the importance of different items, such as a magic wand. Staff deliver stories enthusiastically, using interesting props to capture children's attention. They use different voices and emphasise key words with gestures to help children understand novel words.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff know the signs that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. They understand how to identify and report concerns appropriately.

Staff are aware of the setting's whistle-blowing policy and know what action to take if they are concerned about the practice of a colleague. The manager ensures that staff keep their knowledge up to date and access regular training to refresh their understanding. When appointing new staff, the manager follows thorough recruitment processes to check that staff are suitable to fulfil their roles.

She also checks the ongoing suitability of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date implement effective supervision for all staff, which includes targeted coaching and professional development opportunities, to nurture staff and raise the quality of education to a consistently good level 31/08/2023 review and improve the organisation of spaces and deployment of staff to respond to children's needs more effectively.24/08/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nevaluate the quality of the setting rigorously to identify targeted areas for improvement, addressing these promptly and monitoring their impact on children's learning.