Bright Horizons Barford Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this wonderful nursery. They demonstrate that they feel extremely safe and secure. They excitedly participate in activities that have been planned for them specifically by staff to follow their personal interests. Children are challenged in their learning as staff engage and interact in deep and purposeful conversations with them, extending their vocabulary and language. For instance, when reading books, children eagerly recall and describe elements of shared stories using vocabulary they have learned, like 'rickety' and 'tasteless'. Children display high levels of curiosity and a sense of wonder as they hunt for bugs with magnifying glasses in the outdoor garden. They excitedly describe the 'wet dirt' and 'slimy slugs' that they discover living under the stones.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are wonderfully considerate as they play and learn alongside each other, patiently waiting and taking their turn. Children are very polite and extremely confident in social situations. They consistently demonstrate high levels of independence. For instance, during mealtimes, children of all ages get involved in aspects of the routine. The youngest children in the nursery collect their own drinking cups and happily feed themselves. Older children enjoy laying the tables, pouring drinks and using tongs to serve food to their friends.

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

• Managers and leaders have a strong vision of what they want children to learn, and this is threaded throughout their play-based curriculum. They have embedded this innovative and exciting curriculum across the nursery and it supports and reflects the developmental stages and needs of children of all ages effectively. Staff adeptly use ongoing and timely assessment of children's learning to plan engaging activities and exciting learning opportunities that support all children to make outstanding progress.
• Managers and leaders have high expectations of staff. They methodically strive to improve nursery practice and outcomes for children. They identify areas of their practice to further develop or enhance. This involves a strong focus on the emotional health and well-being of children to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes.
• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who have English as an additional language, make exceptional progress in their development. Staff know how to adapt learning and play opportunities effectively to meet children's individual needs. The special educational needs coordinator is passionate about her role. She works closely with staff, parents and external professionals when required, to put in place plans to support children's development.
• Babies receive loving and affectionate care from the staff, who sensitively look after them and respond to their needs incredibly well. They develop important physical skills as they manoeuvre their way along the sandpit to search for hidden toys in the sand. Babies respond with giggles and beaming smiles as staff sing familiar songs and expertly animate stories that they read to them.
• Staff support children's language development exceptionally well. They skilfully engage children in purposeful conversations and discussions. They model and repeat new vocabulary, for instance to reinforce mathematical concepts, such as 'full', 'capacity', 'taller' and 'tallest'. Staff ask well-considered questions to encourage children to think about and describe what they see and experience. As a result, children develop an extensive vocabulary and become confident speakers who are able to express themselves and share their own thoughts and ideas.
• Staff are highly effective at promoting healthy lifestyles with children. Children learn about healthy eating and they spend large amounts of their time learning and playing outside. They extend their physical skills as they manage their own risk when climbing, manoeuvring and negotiating different obstacles.
• Staff have an excellent understanding of the skills that children need to learn before starting school. They ensure that the learning activities they plan, and the books they purposefully read, are chosen to deliver high-quality and meaningful teaching that supports the development of these skills effectively. For instance, children listen to a story about starting school. This has an important focus that supports children effectively to understand and manage their feelings and emotions.
• Staff feel highly supported by managers and leaders. They have regular supervision and receive focused targets to further develop their skills and knowledge, and support their continuous professional development. They also benefit from the excellent online training and face-to-face support that is routinely available to them.
• Extremely positive parent partnerships exist. Parents speak very highly of the nursery and the exciting and fun-filled experiences that children receive. Parents comment on the incredible progress their children are making and they say that they feel very involved in their children's learning.