Busy Bears Nursery Ltd

Busy Bears Nursery Ltd
Unique reference number (URN): 2526909
Address: 40 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, B14 7RA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 09/07/2019
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Busy Bears Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 20 May 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
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.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children make steady progress from their starting points. All children fully access the
curriculum, allowing them to develop the skills they need. Children learn to communicate
effectively with others. Babies gesture and point to pictures in stories, and older children
start to ask questions about characters and become curious in their play. They learn to
express their emotions and manage their feelings with support from staff. Children have lots
of opportunities to develop their physical skills. They build strength in their core muscles as
they learn to balance and climb. They lift and transport items around the outdoor area, and
develop their coordination as they use smaller tools for creative work. Children who are
getting ready for school follow a particularly focused programme. They learn to be
increasingly independent, developing the skills they will need to be independent learners.
They follow routines and learn to dress themselves. Children increasingly do things for
themselves, such as fastening zips on their coats. They gain the confidence and skills they
need for their transitions to school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders promote an inclusive environment where all children develop a sense of belonging.
They promote regular attendance and follow up persistent absences from nursery. Children
are keen to learn, and display excitement at the activities being offered. They focus and pay
attention when engaging in play. This helps them to develop new skills and maintain
concentration. Children show pride in their achievements and are keen to quickly hang their
creations on their pegs ready to take home and show parents and carers.
Staff develop secure relationships with children. Babies show they feel safe and settled as
they approach staff for cuddles and comfort when they are upset. Staff respond warmly,
which helps children to settle quickly. Children behave well. The nursery is busy at times;
however, children demonstrate that they understand behaviour expectations as they share
and negotiate during their play. Staff give gentle reminders of the rules when needed. This
helps children to become confident and emotionally secure. Routines in the nursery are
generally well-established. Children are supported to follow hygiene practices and
understand when they need to sit at tables for meals. However, there are times when
children do not fully understand what they need to do and routines become a little disjointed.
For example, when coming in from outdoors, some children run through the areas of the
room that have been set up ready for children to sleep in, rather than get ready to wash their
hands before lunch. Staff need to provide additional support at these times to prevent
unwanted behaviour.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children develop secure attachments with their key person. Parents are involved in their
children's care, with regards to understanding children's routines and feeding arrangements.
Routines for babies are flexible, ensuring children eat and sleep in line with the usual
patterns they experience at home. Children are provided with nutritious and healthy meals

that reflect the latest nutrition guidance. They spend time outdoors daily, ensuring they are
being physically active, and learning to keep their bodies healthy. Children learn how to
manage their own feelings which supports them to make friends with others. Children are
accepting of one another and learn about each other's differences. This ensures that
children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included.
Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. However, during some parts
of the day, particularly during transition times, staff do not consistently implement nursery
policies. For example, on occasion, there are minor delays when completing checks on
children who sleep. Additionally, staff do not always ensure children have the right cutlery
when eating, and older children are sometimes not reminded to wash their hands after using
the toilet. Leaders step in and intervene at these times to support staff and remind them of
expectations, so that there is no impact on children's wellbeing.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
The curriculum is well designed to meet children's emerging needs. Teaching is sequenced
across the nursery to ensure children develop and build on their existing skills. Leaders
have ensured natural and real materials form part of children's learning. This is evident in
children's play and learning both indoors and out. Staff are skilled at teaching children the
things they need to learn. Staff model how to use woodwork tools in a safe and well
supervised area. Staff stay close to children as they develop their skills using drills and
hammers. Children develop their concentration and coordination through these activities.
They show high levels of enjoyment and engagement and express their enthusiasm to take
part. Younger children are given more suitable materials to begin to develop the skills they
will need to use real tools. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
receive more targeted support to enable them to take part in these more complex activities.
Staff set up activities that require children to think about what is happening and how they
can solve problems, to help them develop concentration and perseverance. They provide
opportunities for children to experiment with magnets and water, learning about properties
and volume. Children freely incorporate mathematics into their own learning as they add
other materials to fill containers and count resources. Babies have opportunities to move
around and develop their physical skills. Staff position furniture suitably to encourage them
to stand and then eventually walk. Staff provide sensory activities for babies to explore. This
helps them to learn about the feel of different materials and notice aspects such as texture
and sound. There is sometimes a lack of organisation of some activities that restricts
children's learning at times. Staff have to spend time reacting to cleaning tasks, rather than
teaching children. Therefore, children's learning is not fully maximised.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff identify any gap in children's development early on. They act quickly and
involve parents in conversations about support for children. They use assessment to monitor
children's development and update their learning targets regularly. Staff ensure activities are
inclusive and can be accessed by all children. They make adaptations to allow children to
fully access the learning opportunities on offer. For example, children who are hard of

hearing, are placed closer to staff during group activities to ensure they can hear what is
being taught.
Leaders liaise with other professionals and have a good knowledge of what other agencies
are involved with children. They discuss support plans with parents and other professionals
and include their advice to ensure the right support is in place. Staff have suitable training
and knowledge to understand and support children's needs effectively. Funding is used
appropriately on training and resources. Leaders consider the needs of children and
purchase resources that support them to make progress in their learning.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a clear oversight of the nursery. They identify areas that need to be improved
and devise plans to address these. For example, leaders plan for staff to visit other
nurseries and observe practice. This will support staff to strengthen their own practice and
deliver high-quality learning for children. Leaders are given focused responsibilities. This
ensures that all staff have the support they need, and areas for improvement can be acted
upon quickly. Leaders meet with staff regularly and discuss their personal development
needs. Staff attend training that supports their knowledge and skills to improve. This results
in improved learning experiences for children. Leaders monitor the impact of staff training
and spend time in rooms, role modelling expected practice. They recognise that there are
changes that can be made to some aspects of the daily routine to improve outcomes for
children. Leaders support staff in the moment to change their practice if it does not meet
their expected standard, however, there is scope to strengthen support for staff so that they
implement nursery policies and procedures consistently. Staff comment that they feel
supported and their wellbeing is promoted.
Positive partnerships with parents are fostered across the nursery. Parents and carers
comment that they are happy with the care children receive. They see their children making
progress and appreciate the clear communication they receive daily. They say they have
good relationships with children's key persons and children are happy to attend.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children experience a warm and nurturing environment, where they feel happy and safe.
They form positive relationships with staff and demonstrate high levels of engagement in
their learning. The curriculum is heavily outdoor focused, which means children have plenty
of opportunities to be physically active and learn new skills in the outdoor environment. The
well-thought-out design of the outdoor area offers opportunities for children to be curious
and explore their natural surroundings. Children develop independence and confidence as
they navigate space and different materials. They balance on large wooden beams and
develop their imagination as they mix mud with leaves and water in containers. They learn
to work together and make friendships with one another. Children with special educational
needs and/or disabilities are fully included in the curriculum. Staff understand their needs
well. This helps them to be prepared for when they move to their next stage of education.
Children show increasing levels of confidence as they move through the nursery. They
generally follow routines well, with support from staff. They learn to manage their emotions
and develop a sense of belonging. Children settle quickly as staff get to know them well.
Staff gather information from parents about children's routines and developmental needs
before they start at the nursery. This means they can plan appropriate care and learning
experiences for them. Leaders encourage regular attendance so that children begin to form
positive habits before they go to school.

Inspector:
Christine Ward
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2526909
Address:
40 Vicarage Road
Kings Heath
Birmingham
West Midlands
B14 7RA
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 09/07/2019
Registered person: Busy Bears Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Birmingham
Next steps
Leaders should continue to support staff to fully understand and consistently implement
nursery policies and practices, especially in relation to meal preparation and sleeping
arrangements.
Leaders should review the organisation of activities and routines so that children fully
benefit from the learning experiences on offer and their needs are consistently met.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, special educational needs coordinator,
parents and carers during the 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

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 20 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
48
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
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.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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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