Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harpenden Leyton Road

Inspection of Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harpenden Leyton Road 23 Leyton Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2HZ

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children arrive happy and are keen to come into the nursery. They are warmly welcomed by the friendly and nurturing staff. Children quickly form secure and trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. Babies who are new to the nursery, snuggle up to their key persons for comfort, while others share books with other members of staff. Older children form good friendships with their peers. Staff give them daily responsibilities as 'ambassadors'. Children are proud to welcome visitors to their nursery and talk about the health and safety checks that they carry out.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a well-planned and sequenced curriculum, which builds on what they know and can do over their time in the nursery. Staff use children's interests well and engage them in meaningful learning experiences. Toddlers enjoy taking part in creative activities based on their favourite nursery rhymes. They use words to describe what they are doing, such as 'dip'. Attentive staff acknowledge and build on toddlers' emerging language, for example, by replying 'yes you have dipped the brush in red paint'. Children thoroughly enjoy being outdoors, where they have many opportunities to be active and explore. The weekly sports session is especially popular with pre-school children. Children play cooperatively. They listen to and respect staff. Children's behaviour throughout the nursery is very good.

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need to do better?

n The strong leadership and management team has a clear vision for continual improvement. Managers observe staff regularly and give them feedback on their performance. These reflections feed into regular supervision meetings, where ongoing professional development needs are identified. This has a positive impact on staff's teaching, knowledge and skills. n Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. Those working with younger children sing nursery rhymes and share books throughout the day. Older children enjoy listening to stories and engage in meaningful conversations and discussions. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language well. They take the time to get to know some words in their home language and use these to aid communication. Staff find out what festivals children celebrate at home and plan activities around these themes. This allows children to learn about each other's families and customs.

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need to do better?

n All staff show enthusiasm and commitment to their role. Overall, they interact well with children and are skilful at responding to them during play to build on the learning they observe. However, some staff are less confident than their peers. Therefore, at times, not all children benefit from the highest quality interactions to help them to remain fully engaged in play and learning.

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need to do better?

14 November 2023 n Children are developing many skills that support their future learning at school. They are learning how to write their names, and consistently use books for pleasure and to gain information. Staff plan exciting science activities, which children thoroughly enjoy. Children have a strong understanding of cause and effect. They demonstrate this as they explain how putting two ingredients together will cause 'a reaction' and understand what this means. n Parents speak very highly of the care and education that their children receive. They state that they feel well informed about their children's development and know how to help with their learning at home. Parents use words such as 'nurtured', 'thriving' and 'loved' as they describe the experiences and care that their children receive. n Overall, staff promote children's good health effectively. The environment is clean and suitable. Children are provided with freshly prepared meals and snacks

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need to do better?

that are in line with their individual dietary needs. Most staff follow the provider's good hygiene policies and procedures, such as reminding children of the importance of washing their hands before eating. However, this is not always consistent throughout the nursery. Furthermore, at times, some staff choose to check children's nappies in the rooms rather than taking them to the bathrooms. This does not respect children's privacy. However, the manager is quick to act on these lapses in practice to make sure that all policies and procedures are followed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. They know how to identify signs of abuse or neglect, and know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child in their care. The manager ensures that staff receive regular training, and safeguarding is an agenda item at every team meeting. This means that all staff are kept fully up to date with current guidance and legislation. All staff undergo robust recruitment and vetting procedures to assess their suitability. Staff and children carry out thorough risk assessments to ensure that any hazards are removed to keep everyone safe. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children are supervised well.

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should:

n enhance the quality of staff's teaching so that all children consistently receive the highest quality interactions to inspire their play and learning n continue to ensure that the good policies relating to hygiene are fully embedded across the nursery.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 123607 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10300973 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 66 Name of registered person Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01582 762220 Date of previous inspection 4 January 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harpenden Leyton Road registered in 1997. It employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from 7.30am until 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the provider. n The inspector and manager looked around the setting and talked about how the curriculum is planned and implemented. n The inspector observed the quality of education and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. She completed two joint observations with the manager. n The manager and the inspector met to discuss the leadership and management of the setting. The inspector looked at relevant documents, including evidence of the suitability checks carried out on staff and safeguarding and complaints procedures. n The inspector spoke to a number of parents, staff and children during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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 November 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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