Ripon nursery Busy Bees rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

Ripon nursery Busy Bees has retained its ‘good’ rating by Ofsted.

The government inspector said in a report published this week the nursery on Kearsley Road provided a “safe and nurturing environment” where “children are happy, motivated and keen to learn”.

The report said leaders “create an ambitious curriculum that staff follow and implement well” and staff “have high expectations for children’s behaviour”.

It added:

“Children behave well and are kind and considerate to their friends. Staff provide good support to help them understand how to manage their own behaviour.

“For example, they teach children who struggle with their emotions to use deep breathing strategies to help them feel calm.

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However, Ofsted said the nursery’s ample outdoor resources were “not as stimulating as indoors for children to extend their learning through play” and “occasionally, not all parents and carers are fully involved in their children’s learning”.

The inspection, which took place on July 17, was the first since 2019, which also rated the nursery as ‘good’.

Busy Bees is the UK’s largest nursery group, with almost 400 nurseries.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visited the company’s Harrogate nursery this week.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits Harrogate nursery

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited a nursery in Harrogate today.

Mr Sunak visited Busy Bees on Hornbeam Park along with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to meet parents and early years childcare providers.

The Prime Minister and Ms Keegan were shown around the nursery on Hookstone Road by centre director Sarah Saynor, alongside Busy Bees’ group chief quality officer Gill Jones.

The visit comes as the government is planning to increase funded childcare hours.

Mr Sunak joined children in painting and outdoor play activities. He also spoke with local parents about their views on the changes the government is making to early years education funding.

Mr Sunak said:

“I was delighted to visit Busy Bees Nursery at Hornbeam Park today.

“Providing high-quality, affordable childcare for families is a priority for the government, so it was fantastic to see how dedicated the Busy Bees staff are to creating a safe and nurturing environment for the children in their care.”

Gill Jones said it was a pleasure to introduce Mr Sunak and Ms Keegan to children and show them what the nursery provider does. She added:

“We are committed to giving every child the best start in life and were pleased to be able to offer further insight into the importance of helping more parents and children to access affordable quality early years education, whilst ensuring nurseries receive the support needed.”

Pictured above: (left to right) Alex Norford, Freya Skelton, Jessica Lofthouse, Toni-Joy Lavisher, Louise Ingham, Rosie James and Baby Aubrey, Rishi Sunak, Sarah Saynor, Gillian Keegan, Helen Burton, Gill Jones and Karen MacKay.

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‘Kind and caring’ staff draw Ofsted praise for Harrogate nursery

Strong leadership and a nurturing environment have earned praise from Ofsted for a Harrogate day nursery.

Busy Bees on South Drive was rated ‘good’ in all areas in a report published at the end of December.

In her report, inspector Jan Batchelor said:

“Children are greeted warmly by staff when they arrive at the nursery. They are keen to go and find their friends.

“There are plenty of cuddles and reassurance for children who are a little unsettled or new to the nursery. Throughout the day, children are treated with the utmost kindness, care and respect by the nurturing staff team.”

Ms Batchelor praised the many opportunities for learning on offer at the nursery. Both indoor and outdoor spaces were found to be supportive of development, with staff helping children to build on their knowledge and understanding in each age group.

She said there was a “good balance” between staff-led activities and time for independent play.

The inspection, which took place in November, found two areas for improvement, including giving more consistent messaging about healthy eating to ensure children understood it.

It also found children missed out on learning time when they had to wait for meals to be served or for others to take off their coats and wash their hands after being outside.

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Ms Batchelor added:

“Staff’s skilful interactions with children make learning fun and meaningful. They use their knowledge of individual children’s interests to set up effective learning opportunities.

“Staff introduce new vocabulary as children play. They question the children to help develop their thinking skills. Children are always given time to respond.

“Where children are not making as much progress as others, additional support is put in place. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are being met as effectively as possible.”

Busy Bees on South Drive – formerly known as Kindercare and still registered under that name with Ofsted – was previously rated ‘outstanding’ in its last inspection, in late 2018. However, Ofsted has since changed its inspection framework for childcare and education settings, meaning they have to meet much higher criteria in order to achieve the top rating.

Responding to the latest report, South Drive centre director Danni Catton said:

“Overall, we felt the inspection went very well and it was great to read that the report highlighted our commitment to the children’s learning and safety, and our effective partnerships with parents. Our team is committed to giving children the best start in life and we continuously strive to ensure the needs of children are being met at all times.

“We are pleased with our ‘good’ rating – we will take the inspectors’ improvements into consideration, and we will continue to work towards achieving an ‘outstanding’.”

Nurseries in Harrogate district reopen after lockdown

Children’s nurseries across the Harrogate district reopened on Monday, with new arrangements in place to ensure the safety of children, parents and staff.

Busy Bees, which has four nurseries in Harrogate and one in Ripon, confirmed that all five opened yesterday, with health and safety plans in place that address the issues raised by Covid-19.

While there was no playdough, sandpits, or water games, staff were on hand to provide outdoor play in smaller groups, with no floor markings for children’s play areas or timed toilet breaks.

A spokesperson for Busy Bees, said children were not required to play in hoops, as some schools suggested may be required and pointed out that instead:

“The focus was on dividing children into close friendship groups, limiting the number of people children come into contact with, reducing the space that they can explore and increasing the time spent outdoors.”

The safety arrangements involve temperature checks for all children and staff on arrival and throughout the day; two metres social distancing for family members at drop off and pickup times, frequent hand-washing and disinfecting of communal areas.

At all times, the aim of the nursery’s staff is to keep life as close to normal as possible for children; give cuddles if they become upset during the day and to only wear face masks for temperature checks.

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The nursery, which has kept more than 100 of its centres open throughout the  coronavirus crisis to support key worker families and vulnerable children, has looked to its colleagues in Australia, North America and in particular south-east Asia for learning, and is confident its measures protect families in its care.

Emily Brimson-Keight, head of safety at Busy Bees, said:

“We are constantly sharing ideas and looking at best practice to ensure the personal and emotional wellbeing for children and team members.”