Bright Horizons Longfield Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and welcoming nursery. Children are happy to come in and settle quickly with staff playing alongside them. Leaders place an emphasis on supporting all children's well-being and ensuring they feel safe and ready to learn. Staff encourage children to take part and have a go, and they give them lots of positive praise.

Staff plan a curriculum that considers every child's stage of development and supports them to build on their existing knowledge and skills. They plan activities that are inclusive and can be accessed by all children. Leaders and staff ensure that planned activities are adjusted to support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to also make good progress.

Staff communicate regularly with parents and families to find out what children are interested in. They weave this into their planning to make the activities interesting and captivating for children. Staff are good at supporting children to take the learning in the direction that excites and motivates them. Children learn to focus well and to enjoy learning new skills. Staff support children to become curious learners and to ask questions to find out more.

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

• Staff are good at supporting children to learn mathematics in an age-appropriate way. For example, younger children enjoy learning colours and counting to five when using play dough. Older children are supported to draw different shapes and numbers in the sand. This helps them to gradually build on their skills and knowledge as they move through the nursery.
• Staff plan fun activities that children enjoy taking part in. However, at times, the planned learning intention is too broad and focuses on too many new skills at one time. This means that children are not consistently provided with targeted support to really embed and practise the intended skills.
• Generally, staff are good at supporting alongside children in their chosen play. They know children well and use questioning to further their skills and knowledge. However, due to some recent changes in staffing, there are some inconsistencies in staff's knowledge of children and what they need to learn next. This means that, at times, some children do not consistently benefit from the same level of teaching as others.
• Children generally behave towards each other with kindness and enjoy playing together. Staff are good at supporting children to build friendships. For example, they use a variety of turn-taking games and small-group work. Staff remind children about using 'kind hands' and use resources such as sand timers to promote sharing. If there are any disagreements between children, staff are quick to intervene. They use simple explanations and stories to support children to understand their own and their friends' feelings.
• Staff support children to regulate their own emotions. They regularly use stories and art activities to support children to understand feelings. Furthermore, staff make good use of a quiet, sensory room to support children with SEND or those who require time away. This allows children time to process their feelings and feel safe and secure in their surroundings.
• Children are developing their independence skills. Staff encourage younger children to feed themselves, while older children take pride in serving up their own lunch. Staff are good at modelling skills for younger children and allow them plenty of time to master the new skills for themselves. Older children are confident to find and put away their own resources and to hang their coats up on their peg.
• Leaders are passionate about supporting children to understand the community they live in and to have an understanding and respect for others. For example, staff regularly take children to the local care home, where they enjoy spending time socialising with others. These intergenerational experiences have shown a positive impact on children's communication and social skills.
• Leaders are proactive in communicating with parents and outside agencies that are involved in the children's care. Staff regularly give parents ideas for how to continue activities to further their child's learning at home. Leaders communicate well with other settings and specialists to ensure a continuity of care. This joined-up approach further supports children's continued learning and progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance activity planning to focus more precisely on the intended learning to offer all children more targeted support
• strengthen the systems in place for monitoring and developing staff performance to establish more consistent teaching practice.