Busy Bees Day Nursery at Weston Super Mare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Children's well-being is compromised due to weaknesses in staff's management of children's behaviour. Older children do not behave in ways to keep themselves safe. For example, they pull one another as they have a disagreement over a small ball.

Staff do not have the skills to manage children's behaviour, and physical disagreements between children are at times ignored. This means children do not learn the boundaries and expectations and their behaviour disrupts their own and other children's learning. Some staff are not aware of what children already know and can do.

Therefore, they do not provide them with expe...riences and opportunities that challenge them or ignite their interests. As a result, children are not building positive attitudes to learning. Some staff do not adapt the curriculum to support children's next steps in learning and learning styles well enough.

They lack the confidence to share identified gaps in children's communication and language with parents or other professionals to ensure early help is sought. Children do not make the progress of which they are capable. Staff do not effectively supervise children at mealtimes or when children are transitioning between activities and moving through the routine of the day.

For example, children are expected to wait for long periods as they prepare for lunch. During this time, their behaviour deteriorates. Noise levels are high, and some children get upset as a result.

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

Not all staff have a good understanding of the curriculum, how to implement it and how to use assessment successfully for all children. Staff do not always have the confidence to escalate gaps in children's learning to access appropriate support, in particular to support communication and language development. Therefore, this hinders children's progress.

Staff do not support children to gain new skills. For example, staff do not build on toddlers' knowledge of mark making. Staff limit the resources available and do not challenge children's imagination.

Staff do not respect children's choices and suggest they print on all their paper rather than listening to children's choices.Staff working with toddlers do not provide good enough opportunities for children to hear new words and expand their communication skills. During a group song time, staff do not notice children's lack of engagement, the ongoing interruptions by staff and children and do not follow children's ideas as they lead their own learning.

Children become distracted and staff do not promote good listening.Staff do not promote children's health well. Children take food from other children's plates and eat food that has fallen on the floor.

Sometimes, this goes unnoticed by staff who are busy attending to other tasks, and children are not reminded of behavioural expectations.Staff do not adequately supervise children to keep them safe. Pre-school children access the bathroom unsupervised through a heavy door, which they struggle to open by themselves.

In addition, they are unable to open the door from the inside, which means they are left in the bathroom out of sight and/or hearing of staff.Staff do not receive the training, support and guidance to manage children's behaviour effectively. Staff carry pre-school children around with them or pick them up to move them rather than teaching them about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

For example, when pre-school children run around with scissors, staff do not know how to manage the behaviour but instead pick them up. They do not explain to them why it is unsafe to run around with scissors and the possible consequences. This means that unwanted behaviour is ignored and, consequently, children do not learn what is expected of them.

The experiences for babies are better. They enjoy close relationships with familiar and caring staff, who know them well. Staff know the signs when children become tired and reassure them.

They help them to self-soothe as they fall asleep. Staff work closely with parents to meet children's care needs and are kept well informed of their children's routines and care practices.As a result of a recent concern, leaders have made changes to the management team of the nursery.

They are developing more robust procedures to monitor their practice going forward to ensure they fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Leaders have ensured that managers, and those with responsibility for safeguarding, understand and implement the safeguarding policy and procedures. All staff have received training in this area so they are clear on their responsibilities to report concerns should there be a concern about a child.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve the supervision of children at mealtimes and transition times to limit the time they are waiting and to instil clear behavioural boundaries and expectations 29/11/2024 ensure staff have the necessary skills to manage children's behaviour effectively 29/11/2024 ensure staff understand and implement procedures to keep children safe and healthy, including food management and access to toilet facilities 29/11/2024 ensure staff understand and implement the curriculum consistently, especially to ensure children are challenged appropriately and their learning needs met 03/01/2025 raise the confidence of staff to act on their assessments of children, in particular to support communication and language.

03/01/2025