Busy Bees Day Nursery at Oxford Littlemore

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

During the COVID-19 pandemic national lockdown, the nursery closed and children attended other nearby settings within the company. For the children who could not attend, staff remained in contact and provided home learning opportunities for them, including a video recording of the staff. The team remain focused on supporting children's social development and emotional well-being, especially for those children who had limited experiences during the pandemic.

Children demonstrate that they are very happy at this warm and welcoming nursery. They confidently leave their parents at the front door and quickly settle into the nursery ...routine. Children are enthusiastic and curious.

Children play exceptionally well together. For example, they support each other on the outdoor balancing beam, encouraging their friends to take another step. Children have continuous access to outdoor play and benefit from regular opportunities to be active.

They are highly skilled at managing minor conflicts for themselves and have an excellent understanding of how their behaviour has an impact on other children's feelings. The manager and staff have extremely high expectations for the children and have developed an ambitious curriculum, building on what children know and can do. As a result, all children are making good progress.

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

The inspirational new manager leads with a strong sense of direction and motivates the team to continually improve. Staff receive extensive recognition for their hard work and are valued and respected. The manager and staff review the provision regularly to identify areas for improvement.

For example, the outside area for the babies was a hard surface and this was recently changed to artificial grass, so that the babies and toddlers could crawl freely and safely.Strong partnerships have been formed with agencies to ensure that staff and children receive the best possible support. As teachers were unable to visit children starting school, the manager arranged for the children to talk to them on the telephone with the support of their key person.

This unique practice provided children with the opportunity to speak with their teachers and eased the transition into school. Although parents do not normally come into the nursery, children's room moves have been managed extremely well. Parents join their child on the settling visits and are also able to view photos of the practice.

This means that children settle easily into their new surroundings.Children receiving funding and those with special education needs and/or disabilities are supported to reach their full potential. Staff have a good understanding of children's needs to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes.

Children demonstrate high levels of focus and self-control. They have an excellent understanding of expectations for behaviour. They queue patiently for the bathroom and happily sing as they wait for their lunch.

The children's committee operates successfully, taking responsibility for ensuring that everyone has their cutlery and drinks at mealtimes. Children share ideas with the manager, such as including dinosaurs in the recently created construction area.Children do yoga sessions and are keen to choose which position they would like to model.

Staff give clear instructions and respect the children's different abilities and encourage them well. However, on other occasions, staff do not always plan activities that meet all the children's needs.Hygiene practices are good.

Children use the tissue stations effectively and staff talk to the children respectfully and explain why washing hands is so important. When children use the hand drier for the first time, staff praise them saying, 'I know that you were worried about it before, but you have your happy faces on and that makes me happy too.' Partnerships with parents are highly effective.

Parents know what their children are learning. Children extend their knowledge at home by borrowing books from the recently established lending library. The children also take the nursery hamster home at weekends and record their adventures and activities in his diary.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager provides all staff with training and regular updates about child protection. Staff confidently fulfil their role to protect children from harm.

They know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. Robust recruitment processes ensure the suitability of staff working with children. Staff have a good understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the risks to children of being exposed to extremist views.

They confidently describe the action they would take if they had concerns about a staff member's practice. Staff have recently undertaken further training on choking to help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to support staff to plan activities and experiences to further meet the learning needs of all children.