Busy Bees Day Nursery at Farnborough IQ

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children behave well.

They form close relationships with their key person and happily separate from their parents. Children adapt well to changes in arrival and departure routines, which now take place outside the front of the nursery to keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Children remember what they learn.

For example, they talk about pictures of rainbows they have made and explain that the pictures are for 'the doctors who help us'. Older children thoroughly enjoy conducting simple experiments. For instance, they pour milk and water onto coloured sweets and learn and use new words to descri...be the changes they see.

Children are highly motivated to explore indoors and outdoors. Younger children learn about how things grow, for example when planting and watering flowers. Babies use their imagination.

They collect leaves and flowers in the nursery garden, which they put into saucepans and pretend to make soup. The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is very good. Staff work closely with parents and other agencies to support and reduce gaps in children's learning and development.

They make sure that information is shared in a timely way so they receive funding to provide one-to-one support for children who need it.

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

Staff provide children with a wide range of activities, which they use to motivate children and move them on in their development. They help older children to develop a good understanding of the world.

For instance, children make newspapers, learn about famous artists and make and post birthday cards to 'Queen Elizabeth'.Staff are excellent role models for children and manage children's behaviour consistently and fairly. They provide opportunities for older children to use a 'pasta reward jar'.

Children confidently explain how this works. They say, 'if you are helpful you can put a piece of pasta in the jar and when it is full you get a surprise'. Younger children independently share the resources.

For instance, when they finish painting they pass the paint brush to their friends.Managers have a sound knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They make ongoing improvements to the children's care and learning and provide staff with good training opportunities.

The provider fully supports staff professional development. Currently, five nursery staff are completing a level 3 childcare diploma. However, managers do not always coach and support staff to implement every aspect of the curriculum effectively.

In particular, to provide younger children with a calm, well-organised environment before lunchtime and to support older children to learn about technology and how things work.Staff work very well in partnership with parents to identify children's individual interests and needs. Staff know their key children well and have significantly improved their communication with parents, to discuss and agree what children are going to learn next.

They use this information to successfully gain children's involvement in activities and to help them develop the skills they need for future learning. Parents are very happy about the care and education their children receive.Staff care for babies well.

They fully support their physical development. For instance, they give babies scarves to hold in their hands and wave around while listening to music and taking part in baby yoga. They wrap zoo animals in paper which babies pull apart and discover the animals inside.

Children gain the independence they need for the future. Staff focus strongly on developing children's personal independence. For instance, children quickly learn to use the toilet, put on their coats and use items at hygiene stations.

Staff support children's language development very well. They ask questions that encourage children to think and respond and become confident talkers. Staff engage in detailed conversations with children.

For example, about the stick insects kept in a tank in 'the learning room' and pictures they decide to draw of the COVID-19 virus. Staff have improved how they support children who are learning English as an additional language.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and managers ensure that safeguarding is an important part of everyday life in the setting. Staff complete safeguarding training that includes wider issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty. They know what to do if they are concerned that children may be at risk of harm and work closely with other agencies to keep children safe.

They involve children in risk assessments and help them to learn how to stay safe. For example, children wear hard hats, high-visibility vests and use a check list with pictures to make sure the nursery gates are closed, bins are emptied and any broken toys are reported to staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: coach and support staff to implement all aspects of the curriculum effectively, in particular, to provide younger children with a calm learning environment at all times and to extend the opportunities for older children to learn about technology and how things work.