Busy Bees Preschool

Inspection of Busy Bees Preschool Bluehouse Farm Community Centre, Laindon Link, Basildon, South East SS15 5UH

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children arrive eager to see their friends and greet staff enthusiastically. They develop good communication skills. Staff continually introduce new words and use them in context to help children expand their vocabulary. Children enjoy listening to stories. They freely engage with staff, responding to their questions with increasingly more complex and longer sentences. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They independently explore and engage in a wide range of activities. Children use their experiences from outside the setting and their imaginations in role play. For example, they drape material around each other to represent hairdressers' gowns. Children pretend to straighten each other's hair before using a mirror to show their 'customer' what they have done.

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The provision is good

Staff provide children with endless emotional support. They are constantly on hand to praise their efforts and perseverance. Children feel valued and behave well. Staff identify children's interests and use these in their planning to help spark children's curiosity. This helps children to make good levels of progress. The curriculum is ambitious and continually supports what children need to learn next. Staff have a good understanding of when to step back and allow children to solve problems for themselves and when to support them. This helps to motivate and engage children in their learning.

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need to do better?

n The management team and staff have addressed the actions and recommendations from the last inspection. Staff provide children with consistent guidance to help them learn to regulate and manage their own behaviour. There is a secure key-person system. Children know who to turn to should they need reassurance or support. Interactions between staff and children are warm and genuine. n The curriculum is ambitious and planned effectively to enable children to continually build on their knowledge and skills. Required assessments, such as the progress checks for children aged between two and three years, are completed. This enables staff to identify and plan good levels of support to address any emerging gaps in children's development. Consequently, children are ready for the next stage in their learning and school when the time comes. n Children learn about the importance of drinking water, especially in the hot

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need to do better?

weather. They are reminded to wear sun hats outside. Staff provide children with a healthy and nutritious breakfast and snack. However, lunchtimes are less successful in supporting children's understanding of healthy eating. Some foods offered are not as nutritious and balanced as other meals and snacks. n Partnerships with parents are well developed. Daily information sharing between staff and parents help to support continuity in children's care and learning.

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need to do better?

14 September 2023 Parents spoken to shared how happy they are with their children's development and the good progress they are making over time. n The management provide staff with regular supervisions. Daily discussions, while staff set up and then later pack away, are used to reflect on what went well and areas to improve. However, some daily routines, such as handwashing and the organisation of mealtimes, are less well organised. Staff do not effectively plan the transition between different activities to keep children consistently engaged. n The intent of the curriculum to support children's personal, social and emotional and their communication skills is evident throughout the setting. Staff make good use of children's current interests to provide spontaneous activities. For example, children and staff work together to pretend to bake a cake. Staff use actions and related language to lead the children through the steps required.

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need to do better?

Children talk excitedly about what they are doing. Once 'cooked', they proudly share their freshly baked cake with their friends and staff. This helps children to learn to work together and supports their social and personal skills. n Staff complete mandatory training and access to online courses to help develop and extend their practice and knowledge. Partnerships with other professionals help staff to tailor support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps children to make good levels of progress. n Staff build good links with local schools. 'Meet the teacher' events help staff to share information about children with the relevant teacher prior to the start of the new term. This helps to support continuity in children's learning and development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the signs and symptoms that may indicate children are at risk of harm or abuse. They update their knowledge regularly to ensure that they know how to recognise and report any concerns they may have. Staff understand the dangers posed to children through extremist behaviour, radicalisation and county lines. Staff know what they should do if they have any concerns about a colleague's conduct and how to whistle-blow if required.

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should:

n support staff to provide clear and consistent messages to children to help them learn about healthy lifestyles and choices about food n consider ways to adapt the curriculum, particularly during routine activities and mealtimes, to keep all children consistently engaged and settled.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2568275 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10260458 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 35 Name of registered person Busy Bees Pre-School Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01268418555 Date of previous inspection 4 October 2022

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Information about this early years setting

Busy Bees Preschool registered in 2019. The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. All hold early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions are from 8.05am until 11.15am and 11.30am to 2.40pm, with the option to stay for lunch between sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at pre-school. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of group activities with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability

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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

14 September 2023 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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