Busy Bees Thurstaston

Carrots grown in the garden gave preschool children something concrete to investigate in August 2023: they discussed how leaves and roots help plants grow. That hands-on experience captures the nursery's inspection-era character. At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good overall, while identifying improvements needed in curriculum sequencing and staff questioning.

Busy Bees Thurstaston cares for children aged 0 to 60 months at 106 Thurstaston Road, Thurstaston, Wirral, CH61 0HG. It has 86 places in total.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning and care. In August 2023, its everyday expression here included babies exploring stories, toddlers handling materials in a messy tray and preschool children investigating their garden harvest.

Planning in August 2023 drew on children's interests, staff observations and information from parents. Children also helped assess outdoor risks and prepare the play space, giving them an active part in learning about safety. Stories about emotions supported conversations about feelings, while sharing and taking turns formed part of learning to play together.

The teaching limitations mattered. In August 2023, staff were not consistently clear about the developmental sequence behind activities, and questions sometimes came without enough thinking time for children to answer. Engaging experiences need both a clear next step and room for a child's response.

Celebrations in August 2023 marked milestones children could recognise in their own lives. Babies had a party and cake for their first birthday, and preschool children took part in a graduation ceremony before leaving for school. These occasions gave children opportunities to acknowledge what mattered to their friends as well as themselves. For parents, they add a useful detail to the account of nursery life: personal milestones had a place alongside planned learning.

The garden activity also connected observation with explanation. In August 2023, children talked about leaves reaching towards sunlight and roots taking nourishment from soil after picking carrots. There was a concrete starting point for discussion, with the plants themselves giving children something to examine. The useful question for a family is how staff carry that interest forward into the next experience, given the inspection's concern about the sequence of learning.

At the August 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that room transitions were supported effectively through introductions, visits and handovers involving parents. Time with a new key person helped children build familiarity before a move.

Communication in August 2023 included updates about children's development and parents contributing photographs of experiences at home. This gave staff information to connect nursery learning with family life. Collection arrangements included passwords and photographs of authorised adults, and internal doors used staff-only coded locks.

An in-house cook prepared meals and snacks in August 2023, catering for individual dietary needs. Handwashing and toothbrushing also featured in children's routines.

Predictable routines were another part of care in August 2023. Staff explained boundaries and used encouragement to help children understand expected behaviour, while familiar routines helped them anticipate what would happen next. This is relevant to parents whose children find changes difficult: the organisation of the day matters alongside the activities within it.

Information sharing started before those everyday updates. In August 2023, staff gathered details from parents when children joined, then combined family information with their own observations and assessments when planning learning. Parents could contribute experiences from home, giving practitioners a fuller account of a child's interests. For families, this made communication a way to contribute to planning as well as hear about progress.

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas Day. This opening window gives families a clear boundary for organising working hours.

In August 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four.

• Teaching sequence. The August 2023 improvement points concerned the order of learning and time to answer questions. On a visit, ask staff to explain how an activity builds on what your child already knows.
• Room moves. Introductions and parent-supported handovers were part of transitions in August 2023. Discuss how your child's move to a new key person would work now.

Busy Bees Thurstaston suits families seeking weekday care across the year. Its August 2023 picture combined practical exploration, parent involvement and supported room moves, with clear teaching improvements to pursue. The garden harvest is the memorable detail: children had something real to examine and discuss.