Bright Horizons Gaynes Park Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the nursery happy and smiling and ready to play and learn. Young babies are offered interesting play activities and resources, which helps to encourage them to explore the world around them. Staff provide a well-organised environment, and toddlers make their own choices and access toys easily. Staff extend children's interests. For example, babies show an interest in puppets, so they are offered a variety, which helps support their learning and development. Babies increase their movement as they move across the toddle boxes. This helps to support their confidence and self-esteem.

Pre-school children enjoy making self-portraits, which helps them to learn about their own facial features and identity. Children develop their fine motor skills and creativity as they handle writing tools. All children enjoy outdoor play. They take safe challenges and risks as they run, walk and ride wheeled toys. They develop an awareness of nature and engage with each other. Children listen eagerly to stories and they are helped to develop words and language. They are aware of and listen to different sounds during stories, all of which helps to support their literacy skills. Children pour and splash water as they enjoy washing activities. They share and take turns and develop the small muscles in their hands.

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

• Leaders carry out thorough recruitment and vetting procedures and undertake twice-yearly checks on staff's suitability.
• Staff support children's safety and ensure that daily risk assessments are completed and any hazards removed.
• Leaders work well together to make improvements, to support the care and education of children. Refurbishments to the nursery have improved the appearance and the learning space indoors and outdoors.
• Staff take part in regular supervision meetings to help make plans for future training. They discus any concerns or worries and how to improve their practice.
• Children have good attachments with the staff, who have developed trusting, caring and affectionate relationships with the children.
• Children are well behaved. However, at times during large-group activities, staff struggle to manage children's behaviour. Therefore, children do not listen and respond, which leads to children not sharing or taking turns.
• Staff support children to settle at the nursery well. However, staff do not always offer consistent interactions on children's first day of settling in.
• Staff show a secure understanding of the curriculum, and activities and resources reflect the areas of learning, indoors and outdoors. Children are engaged in play and learning in all group rooms.
• Partnerships with parents are strong and parents speak highly of staff. They report that the family app is useful in updating them about their child's progress and development. Parents are offered ways to support their child's continued learning at home.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. Staff undertake relevant training to improve their skills and understanding, to be able to support children's varying needs.
• Leaders use additional funding to offer more staff support for children who need extra help and for resources, which helps meet the needs of all children.
• Leaders and staff work well with external agencies, schools and others settings, sharing relevant information to support children's care and education.
• Staff ensure that daily routines meet the care needs of children. Children are encouraged to use the toilet independently and they learn about the importance of hygiene routines.
• Children enjoy different celebrations, which helps to promote their awareness of others. They enjoyed the recent Mother's Day tea and made cards for their mothers. This helped to encourage all parents and carers to come along and join in the festivities.
• Children use glue to create pictures with various materials. They develop skills in using their hands and an understanding of the sequence of gluing. Children show creativity, imagination and patience.
• Staff have reviewed mealtimes to ensure children are supervised effectively. For example, younger children sit with two staff members in a group of six, and older children sit in a group of eight. This rolling mealtime continues until all children have eaten. Therefore, children can continue to play without disruption.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children consistently to manage their behaviour during activities so that they understand the boundaries of behaviour
• ensure strategies for settling new children into the nursery are strengthened to ensure a smooth transition between home and the nursery.