Gee’s Little Bee’s

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are safe and secure in this welcoming and stimulating nursery.

They build strong bonds with the friendly staff and quickly settle into the nursery's routines. Children play safely. For example, they learn to concentrate and look carefully while moving their ride-on vehicles safely around the imaginative outdoor track.

This helps to build on children's understanding of road safety that they develop on their regular walks around the locality. Children are happy, inquisitive and eager to learn. They respond well to staff's high expectations and good planning, overall.

Children make good progress in all a...spects of their learning. For example, they learn to appreciate the colours and changes of the seasons as they search for autumnal leaves and fruit hidden in cereals or water. Children strengthen their mathematical skills and enrich their vocabulary as they sort and count the objects they find.

Staff help children to become confident, independent and well behaved. Children listen carefully to instructions and play their part in keeping the nursery tidy and safe. They help to decide what snack and meals they would like, and consistently say 'please' and 'thank you' as they follow the staff's good examples.

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

The manager is ambitious and enterprising. She has a clear vision for the development of the nursery, which is shared by her staff. The manager works well with staff, parents and other education professionals to establish and develop all aspects of the nursery provision.

Staff feel valued and their morale is high. They understand their roles and take positive steps to enhance their skills, for example by attending further training. The manager supports and challenges staff to help all children achieve their potential.

Overall, staff plan well to help children develop their communication skills and encourage a love of reading. They work closely with parents to identify their children's ability when they first start. Staff use this information to plan for children's future learning.

They focus well on helping babies and children to understand and communicate their thoughts and ideas to others. For example, staff help children to explain the sensations they feel as they stroke different fabrics in a storybook or put their hands in wet and dry substances. Staff speak clearly and read stories well.

However, sometimes staff use too simple a vocabulary during activities and do not introduce children to more exciting and memorable words.Staff strongly promote children's well-being and healthy living. The cook prepares well-planned nourishing meals and snacks, in consultation with staff and children.

Staff help children to understand the importance of eating healthily. They successfully support children's toilet training and general hygiene awareness, including washing their hands thoroughly and cleaning their teeth regularly.Children enjoy many opportunities to run, walk and ride wheeled vehicles.

They develop their coordination skills as they pick up small objects with tweezers. Children use paint sticks, crayons and chalks as they draw dinosaurs. However, staff do not consistently encourage and challenge babies who are new to walking to fully extend their confidence and skill.

For example, they do not plan consistent opportunities to help babies to reach for different levels to support and pull themselves along.Children are very well behaved. Staff work closely with parents to follow the babies' home routines for playing, eating and resting.

This helps babies to develop their independence and sense of security. Children learn to work together and take turns. For example, they look for apples in the water play or wait for their snacks and meals.

Parents hold the nursery in high regard and feel that the manager and her staff know their children very well. They value the support offered to them. Parents appreciate the positive steps that staff take to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic on children's learning and to keep everyone safe.

They also appreciate the regular communication through many different media and welcome the activities that the nursery provides for their children to do at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The safeguarding lead makes sure that staff receive the training they need to keep their knowledge up to date.

She regularly sets further challenges and tests staff's knowledge to deepen their understanding. Staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures and the nursery's policies. They are vigilant.

Staff know the signs that indicate a child may be at risk of abuse and neglect. They are clear on the action to take if they have a concern about a child's welfare.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus staff's professional development on helping them to identify and promote a rich and useful vocabulary through all areas of children's learning strengthen staff's planning to encourage and challenge babies' physical development as they learn to walk and control their movements.