Bright Horizons Chiswick Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident. They build strong relationships with staff, who are nurturing and caring. Staff are open in their body language as they welcome children to join each other in play. Throughout the day, children seek staff out to engage in cuddles and share what they are doing. This provides a secure foundation for future learning.

Children are active in their learning, as staff engage them in play. Staff follow their individual interests. For example, babies wash dolls in soapy water as they learn to play alongside each other. Pre-school children build their finger muscles as they explore colour with paints and pipettes. This develops children's positive attitudes towards learning.

Children are learning what is good for their bodies. Staff follow procedures to ensure that children's dietary needs are met. During mealtimes, staff engage in conversations with children about what they are eating and drinking. They explain what is good for their bodies. They say, for example, 'Milk is good for your bones' and 'Wash your hands because of germs.' This helps children to learn the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

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

• The new management team has worked together and with other professionals to build a strong staff team and develop practice within the nursery. Leaders place a high priority on the well-being of staff. For example, they have staff appreciation boards and 'employee of the month'. Staff feel supported and that their voice is heard. All staff talk about feeling supported and report that they have a good work-life balance. As a result, staff feel valued. This has a positive impact on the atmosphere for children attending the nursery.
• Leaders complete regular observations and individual meetings with staff to monitor their practice. They reflect on practice with staff to make changes if needed. However, staff do not consistently help children to understand what is happening now or next as activities move on and change throughout the day. Children can wait for periods of time, making them feel frustrated and not fully engaged.
• Children generally behave well. When they push toys on the floor or take toys from each other, staff ask them to stop. However, staff do not explain to children why they ask them not to do something, to help them develop a deeper understanding of how their behaviour impacts on others.
• Leaders work with staff to carry out their vision for the nursery. Leaders have realistic expectations for children, demonstrated through a well-thought-out, sequenced curriculum. As children progress from room to room, there is an emphasis on preparation for their next stage of learning. In the pre-school room, older children learn the key skills they need in readiness for school. Staff are clear that children do not need to be able to write their own name. However, staff support them to be able to hold a pencil correctly, when they are developmentally ready, before they start school.
• Staff know what children can do and how to support them in their next stage of their development. Staff follow children's interests. They use information from observations and assessments to plan interesting activities. Staff work closely with the special educational needs coordinator when they have concerns about children. This helps all children to make progress.
• Leaders and staff recognise the importance and benefits of building strong relationships with parents. For example, they provide verbal feedback to parents during handovers, as well as parents' evenings. In addition, they learn key words in the child's home language and share development updates through their online app.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. Younger children's communication skills develop as they sing nursery rhymes and songs. Staff model language well. Toddlers are intrigued by the name of vehicles. Staff pronounce new words for children, such as 'excavator', which children are eager to copy. This helps children to become confident speakers

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children more effectively as activities move on and change throughout the day, to fully support their learning
• develop staff practice and help children to understand how their behaviour impacts on others.