Bright Horizons Richmond Queen's Road Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children joyfully arrive at this welcoming nursery. They settle in quickly when they first start and develop positive and trusting relationships with their key person and other staff. Children are happy and safe in the setting. They are always ready to learn and explore. Children show a positive approach to their learning, and staff have high expectations of them. All children develop a range of skills that prepare them for the next stage of learning. They present a high level of concentration as they engage in their favourite activities. For example, toddlers enjoy painting, and pre-school children create and excitedly talk about a detailed map of their 'dinosaur land'.

Children are active and regularly learn in the fresh air. Toddlers enjoy hill climbing, balancing and going through the tunnels. Other children test their physical abilities on the climbing frame. Children learn to respect and value each other's differences. They behave well and receive praise from staff for sharing and using their 'kind hands'. Children develop a high level of independence and follow good hygiene routines. They use their imagination as they explore and talk about the smell of herbs they use for their pretend meals and play dough. Children who speak English as an additional language benefit from hearing their home language from staff as they play. This helps them to build on their communication and language skills.

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

• The new manager has made significant changes to improve the overall quality of the provision. She leads her staff team with enthusiasm and places a high focus on their well-being. The manager motivates her staff team to carry out their roles effectively. Staff feel very supported in their roles, including through guidance, training and supervisions. However, some less-experienced staff need greater support to build on their knowledge and skills, in order to provide high-quality learning experiences for children.
• The manager develops close partnerships with parents. She ensures they are informed about their child's learning journey every step of the way. For example, parents attend regular meetings to discuss their child's learning and their next steps. This helps to provide consistency in children's learning and prepares them well for when they move on, including within the nursery.
• Parents speak highly of the new manager and appreciate her innovative ways of effective information sharing. They are now able to enter the nursery following the COVID-19 pandemic and enjoy attending events, such as 'stay and play' sessions.
• The manager develops shared communication with staff from other settings that children attend. This helps to deliver consistency in children's care and learning.
• Staff know children well. They monitor children's progress from the start and
• Inspection report: Bright Horizons Richmond Queen's Road Day Nursery and Preschool 2 12 October 2022 carry out regular assessments of their learning. Staff implement a high-quality curriculum. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, progress well from their starting points.
• Staff consider children's interests and abilities as they plan a range of motivating learning experiences. However, on occasions, staff miss the opportunities to extend and challenge children in their learning. For example, during the science experiment, although children join in with excitement, staff do not help them to understand why some items sink and some float in different amounts of water.
• Staff are kind and caring. They meet children's individual needs well. Staff communicate effectively with one another, to support children when they move between the rooms.
• Staff hold meaningful conversations with children during play. Children confidently discuss where different animals live. They identify the names of colours and learn to count in sequence.
• Toddlers enjoy nursery rhymes and join in with actions. All children develop a love for books and listen to the stories with excitement. Pre-school children can identify their names and make marks freely. This supports their early literacy skills in preparation for school.
• Leaders and managers have effective procedures in place to ensure that all staff strictly follow children's dietary requirements. Children benefit from a healthy and nutritious diet throughout the day. This supports their good health and well-being.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on current support for staff to ensure those with less experience receive the help they need to enhance their skills and provide high-quality learning experiences for children
• use opportunities as they arise to provide appropriate challenges for children to build on their learning.
• Inspection report: Bright Horizons Richmond Queen's Road Day Nursery and Preschool 3 12 October 2022