BeBright Bunnies

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive excitedly and are eager to begin their day at this well-run nursery. The manager has devised a broad curriculum. Children learn and make good progress from the variety of well-planned activities that staff provide. Across the nursery, staff do all they can to promote children's language and communication. Staff clearly narrate what children are doing as they play with them. They consistently add new and alternative words to children's responses to their open-ended questions. Babies babble and confidently echo words spoken by their key persons.

Children explore busily indoors and outdoors. Older children enjoy doing things together. For example, outdoors they happily draw and paint collaboratively on large scrolls of paper. Children learn empathy as they begin to care for animals. They observe and help feed the pet Pekin ducks and fish. Children display a real sense of belonging. They have close trusting relationships with the adults. Babies comfortably approach their key person for cuddles. They smile affectionately during their interactions with them. Children follow the daily routines very well. They show respect for each other, the adults and the resources. Children behave well and staff have high expectations for all the children at the setting.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Children have meaningful opportunities to learn about other people and diversity. At the time of the inspection, children were learning about Chinese New Year. They create various arts and crafts linked to the celebrations. Children immerse themselves in role play in their Chinese restaurant. They pretend to wait on their friends and serve them meals of vegetables and noodles. Later, children inquisitively approach staff to learn more about the 'Year of the Rabbit'.
• Staff promote toddlers' imaginary play exceptionally well. They join in to extend children's ideas as they play. Children remain engrossed in pretend play with baby dolls. They tell staff that their babies need to eat, have their nappies changed and sleep. They confidently say 'shush' and 'don't wake the babies' to their key persons.
• Children are energetic and keen to learn. They listen to the adults, behave well and follow their instructions. Staff promote children's good physical development. Babies move from crawling to cruising around furniture. Other babies, in the early stages of walking, take confident steps. Older children learn to coordinate their movements as they step in, out and over tyres.
• Staff promote children's early maths skills effectively. They sing counting rhymes with children. Children learn to match numbers to quantities during adult-led activities. They learn to count and solve simple problems involving adding and ordering numbers correctly.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is a proactive advocate. She ensures children receive effective interventions and individualised support. She sensitively supports parents and makes timely referrals to external agencies. Therefore, all children make the best possible progress.
• Parents compliment the nursery and view it as a real community resource. They say their children develop good language skills. When asked by the inspector, parents described their children's good progress in communication as 'an explosion of words'.
• Staff encourage many aspects of older children's independence. For example, children serve their own portions at mealtimes. They manage their own respiratory hygiene and toileting needs very well. However, at times, children do not demonstrate the self-help skills they are capable of. Children wait and expect assistance with their coats and shoes. This is because staff are sometimes too quick to offer help to children.
• The manager is a passionate and supportive leader. She encourages staff to reflect on their practice and how it has an impact on children's learning. She ensures staff benefit from tailored training that helps deepen their knowledge of childcare theory and practice. This has led to further improvements in the quality of teaching and helped trainee staff build their confidence.
• Staff say they are happy in their roles and have manageable workloads. The manager considers the well-being of her staff. She offers extra incentives as rewards for their hard work and values them as a team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide further support to help children learn how to manage their personal needs, to help them develop the independence skills they are capable of.