Busy Bees QE

Children helping friends find their cutlery and using stories to talk about feelings gave Busy Bees QE a clear character at its April 2022 inspection: Ofsted rated it Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes and personal development. Independence mattered too. Babies fetched their own beakers, while older children poured drinks for themselves.

At 160 Metchley Lane, Birmingham, B15 2TX, the nursery has capacity for 133 children and accepts ages from 2 to 60 months. That is the whole nursery’s capacity, not the size of an individual group.

In April 2022, the early years foundation stage was expressed through practical experiences: toddlers filled and emptied cups during water play, practising pouring and coordination, while children explored feelings through the Colour Monster story. Older children used a voting station to express how they felt. Emotional learning had tangible tools.

The nursery council gave older children a part in decisions in April 2022, including introducing simple sign language to support communication. Children also recreated the 11C Birmingham bus route with boxes and photographs of community locations. Familiar places became material for imaginative play, connecting nursery activities with experiences beyond it.

There was a teaching limitation in April 2022. Staff sometimes moved learning forward before establishing how much children understood, including during an activity about a flower’s life cycle. More probing questions were the required improvement.

At the April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, strong relationships with key persons and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through visual prompts and collaboration with families and professionals.

In April 2022, chatterboxes helped staff learn about children’s preferences: families filled boxes at home with things that interested their child, then practitioners explored the contents with them. This gave room transitions a personal starting point. Songs in babies’ home languages also brought familiar language into their care.

Family circumstances shaped activities in April 2022. A pretend baby clinic helped children whose mothers were expecting babies explore that change through play. Communication between home and nursery therefore influenced what children experienced during their day.

Busy Bees QE opens Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm. It operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. Families planning regular weekday childcare need to allow for those breaks.

• Questioning during activities. In April 2022, staff needed to establish children’s understanding more consistently before extending an activity. During a visit, ask how practitioners now use questions to decide what a child should explore next.
• Moving between rooms. Chatterboxes and key-person relationships supported transitions in April 2022. Ask how your child’s interests and familiar routines would be carried into a room move.

Busy Bees QE suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year who value practical independence and children having a voice in nursery life. Its April 2022 strengths were illustrated by everyday actions, from pouring drinks to contributing through the nursery council. The improvement in questioning is the useful counterweight: children’s enthusiasm needs adults who establish what they understand before building on it.