Busy Bees at Sandy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy the time they spend at this warm and welcoming nursery.

They form strong relationships with staff and demonstrate that they are emotionally secure. Children show that they feel comfortable as they welcome staff's interaction in their play. They make independent choices of where and what they would like to play with.

Children benefit from a language-rich environment. Babies' attention is immediately captured as staff sing songs with such enthusiasm. They make songs come alive with props, such as soft toy animals.

This motivates babies to name animals and copy sounds. Younger children solve proble...ms and develop critical-thinking skills. They enjoy filling and emptying different-sized containers with water and use their imagination to pretend that they are washing up.

Children have a positive attitude towards learning. Older children are confident and very inquisitive individuals. They are keen to find out information, as they ask visitors and staff many questions.

Children develop good independent skills in readiness for school. They put on their own coats, eagerly help to clear away when they have finished lunch and successfully manage their own personal needs. Children express a keen interest in writing.

Staff provide them with a good level of challenge to experiment making meaningful marks using different media. Some children can write their name and know the sounds of letters.

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

The dedicated and passionate manager has implemented many positive improvements since being appointed.

She is highly reflective and has ambitious plans to develop the nursery further. The views of parents, staff and children are actively sought and thoroughly taken into consideration.Staff share the same vision for all children, regardless of their starting points.

Support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong. Additional needs for children are identified and responded to in a timely manner, using external agencies where necessary. As a result, all children make good progress, and any gaps are identified and addressed effectively.

Staff create a sequenced curriculum that incorporates children's evolving interests. They know the children they care for well and what they need to learn next to support them to make good progress. However, some staff do not always implement a highly engaging environment to fully support children's engagement.

At these times, children do not express a strong interest in the activities and experiences that staff provide. This means their learning and development needs are not consistently met.Partnership with parents is strong.

They are fully involved in every aspect of their children's life at nursery. Staff provide parents with a wealth of information to keep them fully informed of their children's progress and care they have received. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery.

They say that their children talk fondly about staff when at home. Parents appreciate the safe and nurturing approach that staff provide, helping children settle well and build strong bonds with them.Overall, children behave well.

Older children demonstrate a good understanding of their own and other's emotions. They are beginning to regulate their own behaviour and build strong friendly relationships with each other. For instance, during their chosen play, they listen and respect each other's ideas.

Babies learn to value each other's space from an early age and staff sensitively support them to share resources. Staff step in when they see younger children's unwanted behaviour. However, they do not always help children to understand the reasons why some behaviour is not appropriate towards others.

Staff support children to have a strong understanding of a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy lots of exercise and fresh air outdoors throughout the day. Older children build strength and stamina as they eagerly participate in yoga sessions.

Babies crawl through tunnels and develop good control and coordination as they handle balls.Staff supervision is effective. The manager regularly conducts observations of staff practice.

Staff benefit from visits to sister settings and complete training that is targeted at meeting the needs of individual staff and children. The manager places a high priority on supporting staff's well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager ensures that staff undertake safeguarding training and provides regular support to help staff understand their duties in relation to safeguarding. Staff are very knowledgeable about how to keep children safe. This includes the broader aspects of safeguarding, such as female genital mutilation and the 'Prevent' duty.

Staff know the signs to look out for in children and their wider families. They know what to do if they have a concern about a child's safety and well-being. Additionally, staff know what to do if they have a concern about a colleague's conduct.

The manager follows robust recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. She also conducts regular checks to ensure their ongoing suitability.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consistently provide all children with a highly stimulating environment that reflects their interests and fully supports their engagement and learning needs support children to gain a better understanding of the impact their behaviour may have on others.