Busy Bees Pre-School

Busy Bees Pre-School

Unique reference number (URN): EY281439 Address: St. Annes Community Centre, Warrys Close, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire, SO45 3QR Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 16/02/2004 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Busy Bees Pre-School Committee

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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

Staff have high expectations and children behave well. They typically consider children's ages and stages of development when planning the inclusive environment. Children show positive attitudes to their learning and participate in activities. They learn to share and take turns, which are priorities in the pre-school. This helps children to build their collaboration and negotiation skills. Children play independently and alongside each other.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff generally encourage children to understand and manage their feelings and emotions through everyday activities. For example, staff typically use carefully chosen books which enable children to talk about how they feel and to learn more about how feelings impact on their behaviours. Leaders understand the importance of children attending regularly and follow up any absences. They work effectively with parents and carers to overcome any challenges.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Clear routines typically help children to feel safe and secure as they know what is coming 'now and next'. Staff generally work in partnership with parents to agree strategies to use with children who face barriers to their learning, to help manage their behaviour. This shared approach helps to ensure that children understand the expectations at home and in pre- school.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff effectively promote and support children's welfare and wellbeing. They typically create a safe and welcoming space inside and out. Staff generally plan a range of activities to support children's development. They embed hygiene practices and children are familiar with routines to wash their hands before food and after using the toilet. Key persons chat to children as they change their nappies, involving them in the intimate care routine.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Mealtimes are a social experience. Staff generally work with parents and carers to help them provide healthy lunch boxes for their children, including fruit for snack time. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, form secure attachments with their key persons.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff generally know their children well and have warm, positive relationships with them. They offer cuddles and reassurances when children are upset. Staff typically support children to understand personal safety, such as not standing on the chairs, when they come inside from outdoor play. This helps to promote children's wellbeing and the importance of safety.

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Achievement Needs attention

Weaknesses in leadership and governance have an impact on children's achievement. The new curriculum is in its initial stages, and it is too soon to show impact. Children who face barriers to their learning do not always make the progress they could as leaders do not chase up individual targets from external professionals to inform their planning. This does not ensure all children make consistent progress in their learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children make some progress in their communication and language development from their starting points. They enjoy listening to stories and joining in with familiar songs. They make the noises of the farm animals as they sing 'Old Macdonald'. However, due to children not hearing the correct formation of words repeated back to them, they do not consistently learn to speak effectively. Children show positive attitudes to learning when they play alongside each other. They are growing in their independence skills. Children take turns and share the toys and resources.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Since the last inspection, leaders and staff have engaged support from the local authority to help them plan an appropriate inclusive curriculum. This simple system, designed with the current children in mind, is now in place. There are plans to develop this further, including placing more focus on the specific areas of learning. However, it is still in its infancy, and the impact is not yet known.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Overall, staff support children's language and communication skills well and include all children in the activities. They read stories and sing with children. However, they do not consistently model correct pronunciation back to children. This does not further develop children's vocabulary during general conversations.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff interact well with children. They extend their mathematical knowledge and skills through general activities and discussions. For example, during a play-dough activity, staff talk with children about the number of legs on a spider. Later, while looking at a reference book in the book corner, staff use the opportunity to recall how they had discussed this at the play-dough activity. They encourage children to count the legs on the photo of a spider in the book, and they excitedly count from 1 to 8. Children demonstrate a growing knowledge of colours and proudly share this with the staff.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that staff have the appropriate support and training to enable them to fully meet the needs of all children consistently. For example, staff do not receive regular supervision sessions to identify their training needs. There is confusion regarding who is the named special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator. Leaders do not follow up missed appointments or notes from professionals' visits to ensure that they can fully support children's learning and development in a timely manner. Since the last inspection, there has been some progress in accessing support for children who face barriers to their learning. Staff are now working with professionals to implement some targets for children. Staff use strategies, such as 'now and next' boards, to help children with limited communication and language skills to understand the pre-school's routine.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Staff work well with parents and carers to support children's learning and development at home. For example, they give parents ideas on how to help children to regulate their emotions. Parents value the support they receive. Leaders generally use funding effectively to purchase equipment and resources to support children's turn-taking. However, this has not always been given high enough priority, as recent purchases have not yet arrived, and it is almost the end of the term.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders do not have effective oversight of the pre-school, which has an impact on the provision. They have not kept up to date with changes in early years education. For example, they were unaware of the new inspection framework until they were notified of the inspection. This does not ensure they are knowledgeable about the inspection process. Leaders have made minimal progress on the actions since the last inspection. They have accepted help from the local authority to support planning, and this is in its initial stages. This is beginning to be embedded into the daily routines and activities for the pre-school. Staff understand how this impacts on their key children, with regard to planning their next steps in learning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff report that their wellbeing is positive and their workloads are manageable, but they have not received regular supervision sessions to support them in their roles. They have been proactive and found out about the changes to early years inspection through other avenues. Staff have independently accessed behaviour training via different routes.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has 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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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

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

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

Weaknesses in leadership and governance mean that there has not been sufficient progress to fully address the actions raised at the last inspection. There has been a lack of monitoring by those responsible for governance. Consequently, children who face barriers to their learning do not consistently receive the support they need in a timely manner. Staff also do not receive the support they need to discuss their professional development and wellbeing. However, staff are proactive and have sought additional training to support them in their roles.

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

Children arrive happy and separate from their parents and carers with ease. They enter the pre-school building and immediately head to their chosen activity from the range of available toys and resources. There is a low number of children currently attending the pre-school. As a result, children receive more one-to-one care, and they benefit from individual time with their key persons during storytelling and planned activities. This helps to develop children's emotional wellbeing and security as they build warm relationships with their key persons.

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

Children play alongside each other and behave well. They enjoy playing in the role-play area. Children confidently count how many baby dolls they have, demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of early mathematics. They talk about the colours of the wooden fruit and show curiosity when they find an orange banana. Children correctly state that bananas are not orange, as they continue with their play. Children enjoy the access they have to the outside area. They skilfully roll the balls to knock over the skittles, and staff intervene sensitively when children do not quite hit the target. Staff praise children when they have another go and their ball knocks the skittles down.

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

Children enjoy listening to stories and joining in with familiar songs. This helps to develop their communication and language skills. Sometimes, during general conversations, staff do

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About this setting

Unique reference number (URN): EY281439 not consistently support children to pronounce words correctly. This means that children do not consistently learn and fine-tune their growing vocabulary.

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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

leaders should improve oversight of provision to ensure new legislation is known and embedded in practice 15/07/2026

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Action Completion Date

leaders should ensure staff receive support to focus on their professional development, the needs of children and their roles and responsibilities 15/07/2026

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Action Completion Date

leaders should ensure they effectively monitor and coordinate arrangements to support children with SEND 15/07/2026

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Action Completion Date

leaders should ensure staff promote children's communication and language skills at every opportunity 15/07/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and children 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.

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Address:

St. Annes Community Centre Warrys Close, Hythe Southampton Hampshire SO45 3QR

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Busy Bees Pre-School Committee

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:15 - 12:15

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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

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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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