Bushy Leaze Early Years Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Bushy Leaze Early Years Centre is full of happy children who learn well. They arrive bursting with excitement to see staff and their friends and to discover their learning for the day.

As sessions begin, children settle quickly into their daily routines. They enjoy joining in with familiar nursery rhymes and songs. Staff take the time to get to know them and their lives beyond school.

Families are encouraged to contribute 'wow moment' leaves to the 'learning trees' and to use the online platform to share their children's interests and achievements.

Children behave exceptionally well. This is because staff model kindness and empathy, and children replicate the...se values in their interactions.

Children are actively encouraged to consider the impact of their actions and emotions, alongside those of their friends. This helps even the youngest children to regulate and talk about their feelings. Children feel safe and well looked after in this caring environment.

There is a warm welcome extended to all families at Bushy Leaze. Leaders commit to far-reaching and extensive support through their 'family support team'. This is highly valued by all for the positive relationships it builds.

One parent summed up the views of many when they said, 'This centre really changes lives.'

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have strengthened the curriculum since the last inspection and utilised support from the local authority well. In most areas of learning, staff have increased clarity about what children need to learn.

They check carefully how well children are learning and use this information to shape individual children's next steps. There is a clear focus on preparing children for their next educational stage. This is particularly strong in terms of developing children's communication and language skills.

Staff model using whole sentences and encourage children to articulate their learning using the right vocabulary. Children are supported to be confident when joining in with conversations, knowing they will be listened to when they express their views.

Children have many well-considered opportunities to encounter number and shape activities in the learning environment.

Older children can count and use numbers beyond the expectations of the curriculum. Staff incorporate mathematical language into many wider activities. For example, when children are playing with building blocks or climbing, they are encouraged to compare shapes and to use appropriate language to describe movement and position.

Frequent story and singing times benefit children's literacy skills. They enjoy joining in with the refrains in familiar books and rhymes. They know the basic structure of a book, and how to start at the front and turn the pages as they move through it.

Most children recognise their name in written form. They use this knowledge to move their name when it is their turn to have a snack or to show they are ready for 'family time'. However, children are not provided with enough opportunities to develop their early writing skills through mark making.

There is not enough clarity about what is expected at different ages in terms of mark making and what children should be able to do by the time they leave the centre.

Children show high levels of independence and resilience. They know where to find resources to support their learning and will readily ask for help if needed.

Children collaborate and work together. They take turns and share equipment in a considerate way, requiring minimal adult intervention. For example, the highly popular water activities allow children to work together to create ponds for their ducks and to explore the use of sand to create dams.

These activities also help children to understand the world around them and to be inquisitive. They have a growing understanding about life cycles after watching their caterpillars become butterflies and seeing chicks hatch from eggs.

The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength.

Teaching in 'Dragonflies' provides highly effective specialised support, alongside the use of expertise from external agencies. Across the whole centre, children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of nursery life. They experience the same curriculum ambition, tailored appropriately so that they can access it.

Parents are highly complimentary about this provision and about how well their views are included.

Children benefit from learning about their local community. They delight in meeting visitors from the fire service and the police.

Walks around the town help them to understand what the area has to offer. They enjoy visiting the library and watching the diggers on a nearby construction site. School leaders and governors use parental surveys well to find out what matters to families and what children experience in their daily lives.

There is a shared ambition for all children to leave Bushy Leaze with a willingness to 'have a try' at anything.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

This school has a strong safeguarding culture because leaders encourage professional curiosity.

Training for staff is frequent and relevant to the school's context. This means that staff are knowledgeable about how to identify and report any concerns. When appropriate, leaders report these concerns to external agencies and utilise the strength within their family support team.

They show diligence in checking that the right support is secured for families who need it. Children develop strong relationships with staff and willingly share any worries they may have. Governors understand their statutory responsibilities and routinely check the effectiveness of the school's procedures.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders do not have enough clarity about the curriculum progression for developing children's early writing skills. This means that children do not have suitable opportunities for mark making and therefore do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that mark-making activities are progressively built into the curriculum to allow children to be ready for their next educational stage.

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