Busy Bees at Eastleigh

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education is sometimes variable. Some staff do not fully understand how to promote children's learning and development. This includes how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language.

Nevertheless, staff are kind and caring. Children are mainly happy and settled. Staff sensitively support children who are not as well settled, giving them comfort and reassurance.

Staff who work regularly with the children have a good understanding of their interests and use these well. For example, they encourage less-confident children to... participate in activities using their favourite toys. Staff teach children about safe behaviours, such as promoting pre-school children's understanding of using the stairs safely.

Children make choices from a good range of toys and activities. Staff respect and support children's decisions. Toddlers and babies who are confident walkers have times when they can choose to play indoors or outdoors.

Children build their large physical skills well. For example, pre-school children develop balance and coordination when completing an obstacle course. Overall, children engage in play and activities well.

Babies enjoy playing with sensory resources, while toddlers have fun singing. Children develop some suitable skills. For example, babies learn to feed themselves.

All children generally receive appropriate support for their language and early literacy skills, such as by singing rhymes and reading books.

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

The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of required information, and within the expected notification timescale. This includes changes to the managers of the nursery and information about significant events.

Children are cared for in a secure area within the premises, where access is restricted. However, the immediate entrance area and office are, at times, not fully secure. This means that there is a potential risk of unauthorised persons gaining access to records and information that may be confidential.

The current manager has identified areas for improvement. She has implemented an action plan to help to promote improvements, and she has identified some refresher training for staff. The manager is beginning to complete staff supervision processes to help her to understand areas where staff need additional support and guidance.

Some staff, including those who are special educational needs coordinators, understand their roles to support children with SEND appropriately. However, staff organisation means that children are sometimes not supported by consistent staff. Furthermore, not all staff fully understand how to support children's specific needs.

For example, they do not consistently implement expected approaches.In the absence of key persons, other staff covering the role do not always have a good understanding of children's needs. This includes lacking an awareness of children's next steps in learning and the support that children who speak English as an additional language need.

Not all staff have a sufficient knowledge of some children's needs in order to promote their learning and development effectively.Staff's knowledge of the curriculum varies. Some staff have a strong understanding of the learning intentions and implement these well.

However, other staff lack a confident understanding of the curriculum, and not all staff implement consistently good teaching. For example, staff recognise that they want children to develop independence. However, they do not encourage children to build on these skills well enough, such as by encouraging toddlers to use cutlery rather than their fingers when eating.

Children begin to learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, staff talk to older children about which foods are good for them, and children know that they wash their hands 'to get rid of germs'.Children understand the expectations for behaviour.

For example, pre-school children wait patiently for their friends. Staff positively praise children, which promotes children's confidence and self-esteem well.Most staff model language well to children.

For instance, staff in the baby room provide interactive story times with resources that are linked to a familiar story for babies to explore. They repeat words and encourage babies to say these. In the older children's rooms, some staff extend children's language effectively.

This was observed during role play in the pre-school room. Staff introduced additional vocabulary and spoke clearly to children, to help them to hear the correct pronunciation of words.The manager understands the importance of working in partnership with parents and other professionals.

There are links established with other settings and professionals, which help with the sharing of relevant information about children's needs. Feedback from new parents using the nursery highlights that there is good communication with them and a supportive settling-in process.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that access to the premises is managed effectively to keep information and records secure and confidential.07/03/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that their needs are consistently met nensure that staff have a good knowledge and understanding of their key-person role to support children at a consistently good level, including children's next steps in learning and knowledge of other languages spoken by them strengthen staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum learning intentions to provide consistently good teaching and learning experiences for children build on staff's understanding of promoting children's independence and early self-care skills.