Bright Horizons Long Road Day Nursery And Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in this friendly and welcoming setting. They build strong bonds with staff, who are responsive to their needs and know them well. Staff provide a tailored settling-in procedure to help children become familiar with staff and the daily routine prior to them starting. Key persons remain close by to offer reassuring cuddles. As such, children settle quickly and demonstrate that they are confident as they explore the environment.

Children learn from a young age to do things for themselves. They demonstrate resilience and a positive attitude to learning. Staff provide consistent praise and encouragement, which helps children to persist. Staff sequence learning particularly well to help children master their skills over time. For instance, during mealtimes, babies develop their feeding skills as staff gently support their independence with spoon feeding. Older children self-serve their meals and master the use of cutlery while eating. They become independent in their self-care. For instance, staff introduce mirrors to help children as they wipe their faces after eating and encourage children to dress independently when going outdoors.

Children behave well. Staff are excellent role models and assist children as they learn to take turns and share. Children demonstrate good manners as they use 'please' and 'thank you' when making requests. Children listen to staff and follow instructions well. They build good friendships and play cooperatively.

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

• Partnerships with parents are a key strength. Staff provide parents with a wide range of resources to support their children's learning at home. Fun days out are planned to provide valuable opportunities for staff, parents and children to come together. Parents receive regular information about their child's development, as well as daily feedback about children's care routines. Parents speak extremely highly of the setting and the wide range of experiences children access. They describe staff as 'caring' and 'nurturing' and are thrilled with the progress their children make.
• Staff morale is high, with effective teamwork in place. Leaders place a high focus on staff well-being and maintain an 'open door' policy. Staff benefit from a wide range of resources to promote their emotional well-being, including a staff room that has been updated to create a relaxed space with a library of books and activities for staff to access. Staff share how much they enjoy their work and confirm that they feel valued and are well supported in their role.
• Leaders and managers are dedicated and passionate about providing the best possible care for children. They have clear plans to develop staff practice. New staff receive a thorough induction process. They benefit from regular meetings with leaders and managers as they become familiar with the setting. Regular supervision meetings and access to training promotes staff's positive attitudes toward continuous professional development.
• Songs and stories are an integral part of the setting. Staff use books to promote children's play ideas and link these to activities across the setting. They capture children's interests as they read. For instance, babies eagerly turn pages while staff point to pictures and name the sounds the animals make. Older children vote for their chosen story and parents regularly visit to read stories in their home language. This helps to embed children's language and literacy skills.
• Children enjoy exploring a wide range of sensory activities. Staff use these opportunities effectively to promote children's communication and language skills. For instance, they label parts of a pumpkin as children explore. They ask children to describe textures and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'sticky' and 'stringy'. Older children learn words such as 'ignite' and 'extinguish' as they enter discussions with staff about fires following a fire drill.
• Staff plan enjoyable opportunities that build on what children know and can do. They plan for children's individual next steps in their learning, knowing what they want to teach them next and why. This enables children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to strengthen their knowledge. However, occasionally, staff do not use all opportunities to follow children's lead and extend their learning when children offer information to them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise more opportunities to extend children's learning further, particularly when they offer information during activities.