Bright Horizons Church Crookham Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending the nursery and receive a warm welcome from the staff in their rooms. There is a range of activities and resources accessible for them. Younger children seek comfort and attention from staff, who encourage them to explore differently textured resources, read books with staff and experiment by rolling balls that make different sounds. Toddlers show their increasing independence and happily go to explore the 'home' play resources, books and other resources stored on low-level storage units. Pre-school children confidently enter their rooms and hang their coats and bags up. They eagerly share with staff any news they have, such as their like of sharks and that they have a shark watch.

Role play is a favourite of children in each room. They enjoy re-enacting things they have seen at home or while out. For example, children put on aprons and select a cook book to choose what to cook. They refer to the recipe to see what ingredients they need for their 'triple chocolate cupcakes'. They then pretend to pour and mix the ingredients before putting them in the play oven to cook. Children look in through the oven door to see if the cakes are ready and take them out when done. Children behave well, and staff give them praise and guidance to support this. From an early age, children learn the importance of sharing and taking turns.

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

• Leaders and managers have a clear focus on how they would like to develop the nursery provision and build up their core staff. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on staffing and qualification levels. In-house apprenticeships are in place to support staff to gain a qualification while working in the nursery.
• Management place a strong focus on staff well-being. They continually engage with staff to provide appropriate support, and leave food and care products in the staff room to boost their sense of belonging and well-being. Staff report that they are happy in their roles and have good opportunities for ongoing professional development.
• Staff listen to children and encourage them to talk about what they are doing. They introduce new words, such as 'high', 'low', 'damp', 'muffins' and 'dragons', to build on children's communication and language skills. Children love outdoor play and can freely choose to spend time inside or outside in the garden.
• Children learn about healthy lifestyles and enjoy a range of freshly cooked meals, fruit and vegetables. They sit together to eat and develop their independence skills as they choose their food and serve themselves, even from an early age. This helps children build on their personal, physical and social skills.
• Staff working with older children place a high priority on developing the skills these children need in readiness for their move on to school. Children are learning to occupy themselves, concentrate on activities and complete their own personal independence tasks. Children learn how to negotiate and work together to achieve an activity, such as writing in the sand, completing the marble run or completing artwork for Chinese New Year. Babies develop their mobility and enjoy standing at tables to dab paint on paper taped there. Toddlers enjoy sharing stories with staff, exploring the climbing equipment outside and sitting playing with toys on the floor.
• Partnership with parents is good. Staff actively seek information from parents, particularly when settling children in or when emerging needs are identified. Parents provide feedback via an online application, in person or at parents' meetings. They report how pleased they are with the care that their children receive.
• Children with identified or emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive very good support from staff and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Staff learn some key words in children's home languages and use pictures and signing, such as Makaton, to support their communication. Activities embrace the cultural diversity of children attending the setting. This promotes children's awareness of the similarities and differences within the local community and the wider world.
• Staff in all rooms organise activities to address the next steps of learning they identify for individual children. However, at times, the organisation of staffing and activities leads to activities not being fully thought through and planned to ensure that children can participate fully and gain the intended knowledge and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of staff and activities to ensure that children can participate fully and gain the intended knowledge and skills.