Bright Horizons Canterbury Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff promote children's happiness at this welcoming, inclusive and safe setting. Children enjoy sharing their 'family books' with their friends, talking about who is important to them. This supports children's emotional well-being. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. They ensure children receive targeted support to help them make the best possible progress. For example, children who need support to manage their own behaviour, have now made good friends. This develops children's personal and social skills well. Children's behaviour is good. Children immediately run over to help their friends when their trike takes a tumble. They develop positive attitudes to learning and strong social skills.

Staff develop a curriculum which is based on children's individual needs, interests and next steps. Staff skilfully support children's developing language skills. Children delight in joining in with favourite stories. Babies listen intently as staff sing rhymes and songs. Staff have high expectations for children. They plan interesting and motivating activities. For example, staff encourage children to make their own pumpkins out of play dough. They describe the different lines and marks on the pumpkin and talk about how they can make their own. This supports children's critical thinking skills well.

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

• Leaders and managers are passionate and proactive. They have ambitious plans for the future of the setting. They ensure that they access a range of external support to help children and families. For example, they host the local health visitor clinic weekly so that families can access support, advice and guidance swiftly. This helps ensure children's needs are effectively met, including those with SEND.
• Staff promote children's personal development well. They ensure there is an effective key-person buddy system in place to support the sharing of information about children. For example, staff liaise well with other settings that children attend. This provides good continuity and consistency for children.
• Staff provide a range of stimulating and engaging activities. For example, younger children delight in exploring paint and plastic animals based on their recent interests. Staff are good role models. They help children to use words to describe how the paint feels. Children grow in confidence and build on their communication skills effectively.
• Children with SEND are well supported. Staff use children's individual care plans to tailor the curriculum to meet their needs. Leaders and managers use funding effectively to purchase new resources to support children's engagement. For example, children remain engaged exploring different wooden shapes, which supports their problem-solving skills.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Parents receive good communication about how their children are doing. They appreciate the nurturing environment in the baby room. They travel significant distances to ensure their children can attend. Parents report that their children have made progress in their communication, language, social and emotional development. They enjoy using the lending library to share books at home with their children.
• Staff are well supported in their roles. Leaders and managers ensure staff have access to a wide range of training so they continually develop their knowledge and skills. New staff receive an effective induction. Staff say they appreciate the focus on their well-being and say they love their jobs. They talk positively of the daily 'huddles' to check in with them.
• Staff ensure the curriculum is well matched to the ages and stages of the children they care for. Older children sustain high levels of interest in learning about road safety when riding their bikes. Younger children eagerly get ready to go outside to catch the bubbles, talking about how high they go. However, at times, adults do things for children that they could do themselves. For example, staff put children's coats and aprons on for them and wipe their noses and hands. This impacts on children further developing their independence skills.
• Children benefit from a language-rich environment that staff have worked hard to develop. Children enjoy exploring objects hidden in the pumpkin gloop, taking turns to see what they can find. Staff support them well, encouraging them to count how many things they have found. This effectively supports children's developing mathematical skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise when to encourage children to do things for themselves, to further enhance their independence skills.