Bright Futures Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and well cared for at this warm and friendly setting. Staff and children create meaningful relationships with one another. Children who have recently started to attend are quick to settle, as they receive plenty of cuddles and reassurance from the loving staff throughout the day.

Children are confident in their play and direct their own learning. They decide what they want to play with and whether they would like to be indoors or outdoors. Staff carefully plan activities around the children's prior interests. This supports children to stay motivated and engage in their play for longer periods.

Staff research what the children's likes and dislikes are. They are knowledgeable about what the children know and can do already. The staff go to great lengths to acquire this information before the children start to attend the setting. They send out parent questionnaires and invite parents to visit the setting from the start. This helps children to have a smooth transition from home to nursery. Staff support all children well. They promptly complete early assessments and referrals for children if they have any concerns. Staff work effectively with external agencies to ensure that the children make the best possible progress.

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

• Leadership of the provision is strong. The well-established management team works well with the other staff. They are committed to achieving high standards and positive outcomes for all children. The manager has a clear curriculum, which staff skilfully adapt to meet the needs of individual children.
• Staff plan engaging activities to meet the needs of the children. For instance, children enjoy building towers with toy bricks and shaving foam. Staff extend children's learning as they encourage them to learn mathematical concepts through their play. For example, staff ask children to count the number of bricks and they help them work out how many more bricks they will need to make their tower higher.
• Staff skilfully support children well in their communication and language. Older children instigate and hold conversations with their peers and adults. Babies link action words to objects, such as saying 'drink' when they offer a cup to an adult. Toddlers copy words and phrases that they hear staff say. They know the sounds that different animals make.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active and they enjoy their time outside. Children practise jumping and climbing as they use slides, the see-saw and push-along toys. Staff help children to develop their independence skills and know how to stay safe. Babies and toddlers choose freely from toys, resources and books that are accessible on low-level storage units and shelves.
• Older children carefully use and cut vegetables using play knives, while having a picnic in the garden.
• Staff comment that they feel well supported by the management team. The managers have high regard for the staff members' emotional well-being and review this during supervision meetings. Staff receive and complete mandatory training. However, the manager does not ensure that some staff's professional development is focused sufficiently on improving their teaching skills. This does not help children to maximise their learning to the highest level.
• Children's behaviour is good. They form respectful relationships with staff and their peers. Staff remind them daily of the nursery's 'golden rules' during group circle time, and children show an understanding of these.
• Children are supported well to develop a love of books. They listen attentively as staff enthusiastically read stories to them. Staff provide cosy reading areas, where children handle books with care. Older children practise writing letters. However, on occasion, staff do not pronounce the correct sounds of letters. This is not always complementary to what children will go on to learn in their literacy at school.
• Parents are happy with the setting. They comment that their children have settled in well. They know what their children are doing throughout the day and are happy with their development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• promote older children's literacy skills appropriately, with particular regard to delivering phonics activities
• provide staff with more frequent opportunities for professional development to support children's learning even further and raise the quality of teaching.