Bright Horizons Bromley Day Nursery And Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders, managers and staff create a safe, secure and nurturing play environment, where children develop a strong sense of belonging. Staff are deployed effectively and get down to children's level as they interact warmly with them throughout the day. Children enjoy good and trusting relationships with their key persons. They show that they feel safe and emotionally secure in their care.

Leaders and managers devise a curriculum that challenges all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn new skills. Staff encourage children's learning equally well throughout the different age groups and all children make good progress. Babies and toddlers develop good personal, social and emotional skills and an increasing ability to move around and explore. Older children learn to do things for themselves and enjoy trying and mastering new experiences. Children with SEND join in well and confidently seek support from staff to enhance their play experiences. Staff help all children to develop keen attitudes towards their learning.

Staff are good role models and encourage children to behave in positive ways. They supervise children closely, to keep them safe as they play. They take time to explain why certain rules are in place, so that children learn to play safely and amicably together.

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

• Staff implement the curriculum aims well for all children. They sequence children's learning from their unique starting points to help them learn and remember new skills over time. Staff monitor children's progress to quickly identify and close any gaps in their learning.
• The provider uses additional funding appropriately to ensure disadvantaged children do not fall behind in their learning. Staff liaise with other professionals to ensure that children with SEND receive the right care and support to help them progress well in all areas of learning.
• Staff plan and provide interesting activities that children show they enjoy. They supervise children well and interact with them to support their play. However, sometimes, such as when children show curiosity in dripping water, or vehicles outside, staff do not readily respond to their emerging interests. When this happens, staff do not deepen children's learning as well as they do at other times.
• Staff encourage children's communication and language skills effectively. They regularly use signs and gestures, narrate children's play and ask interesting questions. Babies enjoy repeating animal sounds as staff read stories with puppets. Older children learn words, such as 'waterfall' and 'dripping', as they explore water. Children are confident communicators.
• Staff praise children regularly for their achievements and good behaviour and teach them to be kind and respectful towards others. They recognise when some behaviours can be attributed to children's individual needs. Staff offer good support, calm spaces and sensory experiences, which help children to regulate their emotions.
• Staff provide children with many learning experiences that prepare them for their future learning. However, occasionally, including when noise levels rise, they do not help older children to maintain their focus. At such times, children are unable to concentrate as well as they do in most other activities.
• Staff support children's good health in different ways. They encourage children to eat well, to be independent with hygiene routines, such as handwashing, and to engage in plenty of physical play. All children gain a good awareness of being healthy.
• Staff work hard to ensure that children experience smooth transitions through the different age groups within the setting. Children who are new to the setting, settle quickly and become familiar with staff and their surroundings. Older children are confident and self-assured and enjoy their learning.
• Leaders and managers are reflective and meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage. They provide staff with ongoing opportunities for supervision sessions, training and support, to support their well-being and to improve their practice. The team works together to keep children safe, healthy and well educated.
• Managers and staff provide parents and carers with a good range of information about the setting and their children's progress. They encourage parents to extend their children's learning at home and to contribute their ideas to help improve the quality of provision for children. Parents report positively about their children's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use all opportunities to extend children's emerging interests in their play, to further encourage their learning
• find ways to help older children to focus and concentrate more during their activities, in readiness for their future learning and school.