Busy Bees Birlingham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in this stimulating, safe environment that is rich with resources and activities to help them thrive. They make excellent progress in their learning and are exceptionally well prepared in readiness for school.

Children are extremely confident and highly motivated. Even the youngest children concentrate and become engrossed in activities. Babies have great fun on a texture crawl.

They listen to the sound that foil makes, explore bubble wrap and become excited as they hear the bubbles pop. Younger children search for shapes that are hidden in a mixture of cornflour and... water, which has been infused with parsley, sage and chives to heighten children's senses. Older children learn about the concept of floating and sinking.

They know that things that float are light and stay on top of the water and things that sink are heavy. They investigate why some objects, such as a cup, are special because they float when they are empty and sink when they are full of water. Children are kind to their friends.

They share, take turns and are respectful of others. They learn about what makes them unique and why it is good to be different. Children learn how to keep themselves safe with 'Buzz the bee'.

They have visits from a first-response paramedic who teaches them basic first aid and lets them listen to the noise a defibrillator makes.

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

The setting benefits from an extremely strong management team. The manager is proactive in making changes that will ensure children receive the very best in their care and learning.

She continually reflects and monitors how improvements she has implemented have helped to raise the quality of the provision.Staff access extensive amounts of training to continually enhance their professional development. The Busy Bees visual learning programme hosts a wealth of training.

Staff are also able to use the programme to research and plan innovative ideas for activities, which they implement to enthuse children's learning.The manager regularly monitors staff, and staff carry out peer-on-peer observations to help them enhance the quality of their practice. Staff receive support through highly effective supervision and well-being meetings.

Students are supported exceptionally well. They complete training in line with the other staff, and the manager frequently checks their knowledge and progress.Parents are fully included in their children's learning and are provided with copious ideas and suggestions to continue to support their children's learning at home.

A parents' learning area provides ideas for activities, which are changed every month. Parents are encouraged to help their children choose books and story sacks from the lending library and take home activity boxes which contain play dough, musical instruments and mark making resources. Several parents belong to the parent partnership group.

They meet every three months to share ideas and suggestions for improvements to the provision. Parents' comments are extremely positive. They say that nothing is too much of a problem for staff and that they are approachable and know their children well.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are exceptionally well supported. The special educational needs coordinator is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about her role. Additional funding is spent on resources to support children's individual learning needs.

There are highly effective procedures in place to support children when they move between rooms. Staff make sure that children are ready both developmentally and emotionally for the move. Staff ensure that children are ready when they transition to school.

They introduce a separate curriculum for the term before children move which focuses on children's independence.All children thoroughly enjoy looking at books and listen intently to stories told with intonation and expression. They know that you start to read at the beginning of the book.

Children name animals such as 'sabre tooth tiger', 'hare', 'hyena' and 'bear', and know the letter that the animal's name begins with. They join in with familiar phrases and can recall parts of the story. Older children access books that are arranged into storybooks and fact books and are learning to differentiate between them.

Children spend much time outdoors, even when the weather is inclement. They benefit from an outdoor classroom where they play in the mud kitchen, mark make with chalks, and use magnetic wands to find objects hidden in the sand.Staff talk to children about healthy eating.

Children know what foods are good for them to help them grow big and strong. They know that their teeth will not be healthy if they eat too much chocolate.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have an excellent knowledge of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is being subjected to abuse or neglect. They regularly update their knowledge through training. The manager uses random questioning and scenarios to check staff's understanding, including knowledge of wider safeguarding concerns.

Staff fully understand the procedures to follow should they need to raise a concern. They can eloquently explain the signs of abuse and how these may manifest themselves in children's play. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that all staff working with the children are safe and suitable.