Busy Bees Day Nursery at Newbury

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Newbury

Unique reference number (URN): EY233534 Address: Monks Lane, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 7TD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 17/06/2003 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have established a calm and positive environment where expectations for children's behaviour are clear and consistently understood. Staff are respectful and courteous towards children and one another. Relationships between staff and children are typically nurturing and reassuring. Staff remain close during play, helping children feel secure and ready to learn. They offer plenty of praise and encouragement, which supports children's self- esteem. Staff model kindness and gently guide children to help them learn how to get along with others. For example, they remind children that they can share the teddies during group time. This helps children develop an early understanding of how their actions impact others.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Overall, most children typically develop positive attitudes to play. Older children are supported in managing their emotions through age-appropriate approaches. For example, staff ask children what makes them feel loved, and children respond with 'hugs', helping them to understand the language of feelings. Staff also provide strategies to help children self regulate, such as simple breathing techniques they can use to calm themselves. Leaders and staff promote regular attendance and punctuality, recognising the positive impact this has on establishing routines and building strong foundations for future learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Not all children make consistently secure progress across all areas of learning, and this limits the foundational knowledge they need as they move on to the next stage of their learning. Children's skills and knowledge do not always build rapidly over time, and for some groups, especially the younger children, learning is often incidental rather than purposeful. Although they do not always make consistent or sustained progress, children show interest in activities, generally remain engaged and are willing to have a go. The impact of these weaknesses on children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is minimal, and they typically make appropriate progress in their development and learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Most children have regular opportunities to develop their physical skills outdoors and through activities, such as pouring water down drainpipes. They enjoy creative experiences, including making marks and patterns on boards with pens. Older children are beginning to develop early independence in their self care routines, such as scraping their own plates after lunch.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Relationships between staff and children are generally effective and support children's sense of belonging as well as their individual care needs. For example, staff recognise when some children struggle to engage in activities and enthusiastically show them the blue play dough they know they will enjoy. However, this is not consistent across the nursery. Some staff do not interact or talk with children as they play. As a result, not all children fully enjoy play, learning or social activities. This does not support the wellbeing of younger children or those who may face barriers to learning effectively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders and staff provide a healthy menu, and leaders promote mealtimes as opportunities to support children's social skills. However, this is not implemented consistently. For example, babies are sometimes left waiting for their lunch and become upset, while older children sit at tables with little or no interaction from staff. Despite these weaknesses, staff help children learn about healthy lifestyles, including oral hygiene. Children smile as they practise brushing fake teeth with toothbrushes and sorting foods into healthy choices. This helps them develop knowledge and understanding of healthy routines.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum affect children's learning and development, particularly for the youngest children. Staff working with younger children do not always recognise how to promote high-quality interactions that support children's communication and language effectively. Learning opportunities are not consistently ambitious or purposeful for all children. At times, younger children move around the room with little engagement for extended periods, highlighting the need for staff to adapt their teaching strategies to foster engagement and ensure effective learning for every child. Staff monitor children's progress through assessments to understand what they know and can do. However, they do not consistently differentiate learning to meet children's individual needs. For example, they do not always recognise when younger children want to climb and explore physically. As a result, children quickly become disengaged and lose focus.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff working with the older children demonstrate secure teaching skills. They adapt their teaching effectively in the moment. For example, they enthusiastically support children to develop early mathematical knowledge by helping them stack counters to match the numbers they see. Children respond with excitement, proudly calling out '9'. Staff read enthusiastically to children and encourage them to recall the storyline. They use some effective strategies, such as repeating simple words to support pronunciation.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Weaknesses in practice and teaching mean that not all children receive the support they need to reduce barriers to learning effectively. Leaders and staff generally use observation and assessment to help identify any developmental delays. However, some staff do not yet have the observational skills or knowledge required to recognise and respond to children's emerging or changing needs. They do not have a secure enough understanding of children's ages and stages of development. For example, staff working with the younger children are unsure how to adapt activities when children show signs of boredom or disengagement. As a result, younger children do not make steady progress in their development, including in their communication and language skills.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Overall, the systems to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are implemented well. Leaders have the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to make a positive difference for these children. Children benefit from individualised plans that outline specific activities to help them work towards their next steps in learning. For example, staff support children who struggle with speech sounds by modelling simple words and encouraging them to repeat these back, praising their efforts. As a result, children with SEND make appropriate progress from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have a sound understanding of the nursery and the provision it offers. However, systems for monitoring, supervision and professional development do not focus sharply enough on improving teaching or addressing weaknesses in curriculum implementation. As a result, practice remains inconsistent, and leaders are not yet driving the sustained improvement needed across the team. Leaders acknowledge that teaching skills vary across the nursery and have begun to take steps to address this, but these plans are still in their early stages and have had limited impact so far.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Weaknesses in some staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and the implementation of routines mean that children's learning is not consistently maximised across the nursery. Staff report that managers are aware of their individual needs and ensure that they feel supported in their roles. This contributes to a culture of professional development where staff feel confident to improve their practice. Leaders ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and staff maintain positive partnerships with parents. Parents appreciate the regular updates and communication they receive about their children's learning and development. They comment that staff and leaders are friendly and help children settle quickly into nursery.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Some children do not experience consistent, high-quality learning because activities are not always engaging or planned effectively. Staff do not deliver the curriculum well for all children, particularly the youngest. At present, staff interactions with some children do not consistently support their communication and language development. However, staff deliver the curriculum effectively for the oldest children. They confidently plan learning experiences based on a clear understanding of what children can do and what they need to learn next. For example, staff encourage children to focus as they use hand–eye coordination to make bracelets with beads.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Many aspects of children's daily experiences are positive. Children arrive happy, enjoy their time at nursery and generally show enthusiasm for learning. For example, babies giggle with delight as staff play 'This Little Piggy' with their toes, and others eagerly remove their socks to join in. The friendly environment helps them settle and feel relaxed. Overall, children take part in a range of experiences throughout the day. They develop their physical skills as they explore the environment and spend time outdoors each day. Babies reach and stretch as staff place items just out of reach. Older children jump and splash in puddles, build sandcastles and enjoy kicking balls. Indoors, children explore role-play areas and cosy corners where they can rest or look at books. They move confidently around the environment and make independent choices about what they would like to explore.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Key persons and leaders know children well and build secure, trusting relationships with them from the outset. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They set clear boundaries, and children respond well by playing cooperatively, sharing and taking turns. Older children enjoy spending time with friends, collaborating and chatting as they play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive targeted support throughout the day. This helps them make appropriate progress from their starting points.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

support staff to strengthen the quality of their interactions to ensure that teaching is responsive to the individual learning needs of all children and to extend children's communication and language development 05/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that the curriculum is implemented through well- planned and purposeful activities that stimulate the 05/06/2026

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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Action Completion Date

interests of all children and consistently support their wellbeing

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Action Completion Date

target staff professional development more precisely to improve the quality of teaching across the nursery, and ensure that all staff effectively deliver the curriculum intended 05/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that supervision arrangements to monitor, support and coach staff focus on ways to improve practice and foster a culture of continuous improvement 05/06/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, including those with lead responsibility for safeguarding and inclusion, staff, children and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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. Register(s): EYR, CCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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