Bright Horizons Floral Place Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The relationships between staff and children are a strength of this warm and welcoming nursery. Staff know the children in their care very well and can reflect on their progress and next steps with confidence. Children happily engage with their familiar adults, and even approach unfamiliar adults to share their activities or ask questions, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure in the setting.

Staff work together to deliver familiar routines and consistent expectations. As such, children understand what is expected of them and display highly positive behaviour. Staff support children to find solutions to problems. For example, a small group of children use chairs and wooden blocks to build a pretend train. When more children wish to join in, staff ask the children how they can include them. The children decide to fetch more chairs to make the train longer. They are praised for doing so and more children begin to participate in this shared imaginative play.

Leaders have developed a well-rounded curriculum with clear learning intentions that progress over time. Staff are skilled at incorporating children's interests into their planned learning. For example, staff notice that babies have developed an interest in climbing and have developed a climbing area in response, allowing children to develop this skill safely. As such, children demonstrate high levels of engagement and enjoyment as they choose what they wish to play with.

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

• Staff prioritise the well-being of children. They have developed the baby room to make it feel more homely. This supports the youngest children as they settle into a new environment. Interactions between staff and children are consistently warm and supportive and children are encouraged to talk about their feelings. During the inspection, staff were heard talking to children about why they were feeling sad and what could be done to help them. This nurturing approach supports children to self-regulate their feelings and behaviour in preparation for school, and beyond.
• Staff are strong models of spoken English. For example, they make flapjacks with children and model new vocabulary such as 'vanilla'. Staff use story bags and hand puppets to engage children in language-rich activities. However, there are times when staff model language and ask questions, but do not give children the time they need to respond or share their own thoughts and ideas. This has an impact on language development as children do not consistently learn to hold a two-way conversation.
• Staff have communicated with teachers from local primary schools to ensure their curriculum is successfully preparing children for school. This has led to an increased focus on promoting independence skills. For example, children butter their own crackers, pour their own water, and wash their own hands prior to eating. Staff encourage children to become 'safety spies', giving them responsibility to identify possible risks and take steps to keep themselves safe. As such, children are well prepared for their transitions to school.
• The nursery chef plays an important role within the nursery. He delivers cooking activities weekly with the children, promoting positive relationships with food. He encourages children to make healthy choices and supports those that are fussy eaters. This helps children to develop healthy habits from a young age. However, some children choose not to participate in group activities, such as cooking, and staff do not offer enough encouragement to join in. Consequently, some children miss out on quality learning experiences.
• Leaders have worked on improving parental engagement. They have introduced a range of events to involve parents in the setting. This includes inviting parents in to share their cultural backgrounds, such as, how they celebrate Hannukah at home or sharing songs in their home language. This teaches children about the world around them and supports all children to feel valued and included. Parents comment on the notable improvements in communication and on the quality and variety of activities on offer.
• Leaders have worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. They have prioritised the well-being of their staff team, offering support and coaching throughout. They have secured high quality training for staff and worked with other professionals to ensure continually improving practice. Staff comment that they feel very well supported and part of a committed team. This is evidenced by staff communicating more effectively with each other, supporting a culture in which the safety and supervision of children is of the utmost importance.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff give children time to process and respond to questions, and to share their own thoughts and ideas
• encourage and support all children to join in with adult-led activities so all can benefit from the good quality learning on offer.