Busy Little Bees

Busy Little Bees, a group of three nurseries in Birmingham, partnered with MBK Early Years in early 2024 following a “Requires Improvement” Ofsted judgement at their Hall Green setting. With inspections looming for their Shirley and Handsworth Wood nurseries, owner Stefan Long recognised the urgent need for external expertise to drive sustainable improvement across the group.

MBK Early Years began with a comprehensive audit of the Hall Green setting, led by consultant Emma Beard. Observations and discussions with staff revealed inconsistencies in practice, knowledge gaps around the curriculum and the Education Inspection Framework (EIF), and a lack of  comprehensive strategic oversight. Immediate priorities included strengthening leadership accountability, improving the quality of education, and embedding better systems for staff development and supervision.

Over the following months, MBK provided targeted support through site visits, management mentoring, team observations, and regular communication with nursery managers, and senior team members Becky and Helena. Action plans were developed and reviewed regularly, and a range of bespoke training sessions including, Quality Interactions, Awe & Wonder, Preparing for Inspection, Resilience, Working with Babies and Supporting children with SEND were delivered. Team Alignment Days were also incorporated to build morale and motivation and visits to our own nurseries were included.

Termly catch-ups were given to Stefan along the way.

This tailored approach led to significant improvements: a full staff team was secured, agency use reduced, and a sense of empowerment grew across teams. The curriculum became more embedded and effective, particularly in supporting children with SEN. Helena began transitioning into a strategic Quality of Education Lead role, further enhancing internal capacity.

These efforts culminated in Handsworth Wood achieving thei “Good” in September 2024 and Hall Green securing a “Good” Ofsted judgement in December 2024—a major turnaround in under a year.  With plans now in place to replicate this success at Shirley, Busy Little Bees is well on its way to embedding long-term excellence, with MBK Early Years continuing as a trusted partner in their journey.