Busy Bees Day Nursery at Brighton

Inspection of Busy Bees Day Nursery at Brighton 44-46 Harrington Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 6RF

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is inadequate

Not all children receive the support they need, and this significantly impacts their development, emotional well-being, and experiences at the nursery. Not all children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified and supported effectively. They do not all benefit from the extra attention, planning and monitoring that they need to close the gaps in their learning. Some children with SEND are supported well, but this is not consistent for every child.

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The provision is inadequate

Babies and two-year-old children are well supported and enjoy stimulating, cosy environments. Babies benefit from warm and loving bonds with the caring and attentive staff. They feel safe as they snuggle in for cuddles while exploring toys and listening to books. Two-year-old children talk well for their age and develop good physical skills, such as when popping bubbles and using creative equipment. They are happy, confident and eager learners.

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The provision is inadequate

Pre-school children enjoy playing outdoors and show curiosity as they explore the well-planned garden. However, indoors, activities do not consistently support their learning and staff do not have high enough expectations of what children can achieve. During the inspection, some children wandered aimlessly around the room for long periods of time and did not engage in meaningful play or activities. They did not receive the interaction they needed from staff to support their learning. As a result, some children do not develop positive attitudes to learning.

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need to do better?

n The nursery has been through an unsettled time with staff sickness and difficulty in recruiting new staff. Weaknesses in leadership over the last year have led to a significant drop in standards. The manager and staff have failed to ensure that additional support is implemented for all children with SEND. The manager does not work effectively with parents to access support from outside professionals. As a result, not all children with SEND receive the help they need to make suitable progress in their development, particularly in their communication. n There is a dedicated senior support team within the Busy Bees company and they have recently increased their support for the nursery. The assistant manager is gaining confidence in her role and benefitting from the additional support. New systems for supporting staff's professional development, such as more thorough staff supervision meetings, have begun to have a positive

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need to do better?

impact. However, staff have not been supported well over the last year and much more work needs to be done to promptly identify and improve key areas of practice. For example, some staff have poor questioning skills. They do not effectively support children's thinking skills and ability to develop their own ideas.

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need to do better?

9 December 2021 n Management have a secure understanding of most of their curriculum and know how to build on what children already know and can do. Staff working with babies and two-year-old children know the children well and, overall, plan effectively for their learning. For example, they regularly sing and read stories with babies, and commentate on their play to support early language development. Two-year-old children recognise shapes and colours during creative activities and count confidently up to five. They behave well and respond positively to staff's gentle reminders of their expectations. n Some activities are planned well in the pre-school. For example, children enjoy exploring ice in the water tray and show curiosity about how it feels. However, staff do not plan and deliver activities consistently well and do not focus enough on what they want children to learn. As a result, some activities are poor and

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need to do better?

ineffective. For example, during the inspection, pre-school children had to wait at the table for 10 minutes before they could start making play dough because staff were not organised. Too many children were then crammed around a table, jostling for position to have a go at an activity that lacked focus and was far too easy for their stage of development. Children's learning and thinking skills were not supported well. n Although most children engage well in play throughout the nursery, some children do not. Staff do not identify when some children need further support to help them engage in meaningful play and learning. As a result, some children flit quickly between play, show signs of boredom, and do not access the learning environment available. They do not receive positive learning experiences. n Staff build positive bonds with most children. However, the key-person system is not effective in meeting the individual needs of all children and supporting their

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need to do better?

social and emotional well-being. Some staff do not have an appropriate understanding of their key children and how to support their development. They do not ensure that all children receive positive interaction to support their personal and emotional development. Subsequently, some children do not develop positive attitudes to learning and do not develop appropriate social skills for their age.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Management have focused well on safeguarding and taken quick action to address recently set welfare notice requirements. They have updated their own and all staff's knowledge through online training, staff meetings and supervisions. Staff confidently know the signs to look out for that indicate that children's welfare may be at risk from abuse, including neglect and extreme views. They know how to report concerns about other staff members. The manager and staff know who to contact should they have a concern, and understand the importance of working together. They provide a safe and secure environment for children.

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Due date

improve management's understanding of how to work with parents and access support from outside agencies for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and ensure children with SEND receive the timely support they need to close the gaps in their learning 14/01/2022

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Due date

improve staff practice to quickly identify when children need additional support to help them engage in their play and learning 14/01/2022

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Due date

improve the key-person system to enable staff to meet the individual needs of all children and support their personal, social and emotional well-being effectively 14/01/2022

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Due date

improve the planning and delivery of activities to ensure that staff focus clearly on the intended learning and children benefit from meaningful learning experiences 14/01/2022

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Due date

strengthen and embed the new systems in place to support staff's professional development and focus more precisely on the key areas of improvement needed throughout the nursery. 14/01/2022

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY486757 Local authority Brighton and Hove Inspection number 10128640 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 94 Number of children on roll 77 Name of registered person Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01543 678530 Date of previous inspection 5 May 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Brighton registered in 2015. The nursery is part of the Busy Bees childcare group chain. It is open weekdays from 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round. The nursery employs 13 members of staff, 10 of whom hold relevant early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6. The setting provides funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with management and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The inspector was given a tour of the nursery by the manager and the deputy manager and carried out a learning walk to discuss the curriculum. n The manager and the inspector discussed the play activities and children's learning during the inspection and undertook a joint observation of an activity. n The views and opinions of the children, staff and parents were taken into account during the inspection. n The inspector observed children's play and assessed the impact of staff's teaching. n The inspector looked at a sample of documentation, including staff's suitability records and first-aid certificates.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

9 December 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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