Busy Bees Day Nursery at Ashford Eureka Park

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are well cared for by attentive staff. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide children with nutritious food and their dietary needs are well met.

Babies form close bonds with the nurturing and attentive staff, who provide a calm, safe and welcoming environment. Staff follow babies' home routines to help children feel secure and settled. This contributes to continuity of care.

Pre-school children are confident to express their ideas, such as when playing in their construction site. For example, they cordon off areas, telling their friends it is too danger...ous to enter. They talk about the importance of wearing high-visibility jackets, so they can be seen and stay safe.

Staff help toddlers and pre-school children to resolve any disagreements that they have. This contributes to them learning how to behave well and to respect each other. Younger children communicate their needs and wishes well.

Staff respond effectively to them and help to extend on their language. For instance, they read stories, sing songs and children join in with actions of favourite nursery rhymes. Some staff use sign language to help support children who use this form of communication to express their thoughts.

Staff support children who are bilingual. For instance, books in home languages are used to help children make connections in their learning.

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

The management team and the new manager have an ambitious vision for providing high-quality, inclusive care and education.

They have reflected on practice and have recruited additional staff to help meet children's needs. They have clear action plans for continuous improvements to benefit the children. For example, they intend to enhance the already good organisation of children's mealtimes.

The new manager has implemented changes within the nursery. For example, room managers now take more responsibility to help identify staff's training needs. These are then discussed in management meetings, and professional development is implemented and supported.

For instance, all staff are attending sign language training to help enhance their communication skills with children even more.The key-person system is effective and children's changing needs are discussed with parents. Consequently, staff develop good relationships with children and they know them well.

They share information about children's interests and needs with their colleagues. This helps to ensure continuity of care and learning.Staff caring for older children provide a range of activities, such as letter templates where children enjoy drawing around letters that are important to them.

However, these activities are not always focused enough to ensure that challenges for older and most-able children are provided.The well-qualified staff provide very good support for children with SEND. They work closely with their parents and other professionals involved in their care and development.

Staff use the knowledge gained to implement targeted plans to help children make good progress from their starting points.Toddlers enjoy snuggling up to staff after their sleep to listen to stories and they join in with songs. Staff caring for them have reviewed the layout of the indoor learning environment.

This has had a positive impact on children's emotional well-being and their participation in activities. For instance, they now explore the home areas more and have easier access to books. This helps to support children's imagination.

Children have ample opportunities to enjoy fresh air. Older children enjoy purposeful running games and younger children learn how to successfully use wheeled toys. However, the outdoor area for younger children is not always stimulating or interesting enough to support all areas of learning.

Parents speak highly about the staff and the care that they provide for their children. They say that they like that children's dietary needs are very well met and that all the staff know about these. Parents also say that their thoughts and ideas are listened to, such as older children having more opportunities for outdoor play.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team ensures that staff are well trained in safeguarding. They have a secure understanding about how to protect children from harm.

Staff and managers know the procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child's welfare or colleagues caring for them. Leaders swiftly address any concerns and implement changes to help ensure that children are safe. The management team follows clear recruitment, induction and ongoing supervision procedures to help ensure the suitability of staff.

It ensures ratios are always maintained and children are supervised to help ensure their safety. Staff implement the correct procedures for recording any accidents and inform parents.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nidentify where activities can be extended and enriched even more to provide older and the most able children with a greater level of challenge review and enhance the learning opportunities in the outdoor environment for younger children, particularly for those who prefer learning outdoors.