Bright Horizons Reigate Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. For instance, they thoroughly enjoy the sensory experience of mixing herbs and spices into play dough. Children engage in positive interactions with each other as they eagerly share the herbs with their friends. They use their imagination by pretending they are making 'bread'. Children apply their mathematical knowledge as they count the number of pieces they have made. This shows that children develop well across all areas of learning. Staff encourage children to explore the different smells, textures and appearance of the herbs and spices. This helps children to extend their vocabulary.

Staff successfully meet children's needs. They help new babies settle in quickly, due to the attentive care that they give them. Babies readily explore the resources within the room and check in with staff when they need reassurance. Staff recognise when children are ready to have a sleep and they respond promptly. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive exceptional support from staff. The staff have a strong and thorough knowledge of their individual needs. They use this information to implement effective strategies to help all children make good progress.

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

• The nursery has a strong leadership team, who work well together to continually identify areas for improvement. They seek regular feedback from parents, which helps to inform their evaluation of the nursery. The leadership team are currently redeveloping space within the toddler room to provide them with new experiences. This shows that they strive to provide high-quality care to help children to reach their full potential.
• The leadership team has a clear vision of what they want children to learn during their time at nursery. Staff implement this in their daily practice. There is a strong focus on children's well-being to help them feel safe and secure. This enables children to strengthen relationships with their peers and staff and enhances their engagement in learning.
• Staff talk confidently about their key children. They have a clear intention regarding what they want children to learn, which builds on what they know and can do. Staff work in partnership with parents and other agencies to support children with specific concerns. However, sometimes staff do not share ideas with parents on how they can extend their child's learning at home to help them reach their individual learning goals. This does not fully support continuity in care and learning.
• Parents are complimentary about the nursery and staff. They appreciate the warm and safe environment that staff provide for their children. Parents explain that their children have access to a wide range of experiences that support their personal development, such as yoga, Spanish lessons, the lending library and messy play activities. This helps to prepare them for their future learning.
• Staff have developed a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum that reflects the individual needs of all children. They seek input from the children when planning activities. For instance, children are able to vote for how their day is organised. This enables them to be included in their own learning and development. This also enriches their awareness of democracy and supports them to become resilient when the outcome of the vote is different to what they wanted. This provides children with an understanding of British values, which helps children to develop key skills to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Children take turns to be the 'safety superhero' for the day. Staff give them specific responsibilities, such as helping risk assess the garden and reminding their friends to drink their water. This gives children opportunities to develop their independence skills, which prepares them for when they start school. Staff encourage children to self-regulate their own experiences. For instance, they understand that when the aprons in the sand area have all gone, they need to wait their turn before they can have a go. Children develop high levels of confidence, independence and extremely good manners as they know what is expected of them.
• Staff deploy themselves effectively to ensure that children are well supervised. They are quick to respond when they see children climbing on the nursery furniture. Staff encourage them to assess the dangers for themselves. This helps children to develop a deeper understanding of how to manage their own risks.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance home learning further, so parents can support their children with their individual learning goals.