Bright Horizons Spitalfields Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and friendly nursery, where children are safe and emotionally secure. Children enter with enthusiasm on arrival; they know the routine of the day and are confident and attentive learners. Staff enable children to share a wide range of interesting activities to explore, learn and enhance their skills at their own pace. They aim to widen children's current experiences to support their learning, and children can initiate their own play. Stimulating resources are easily accessible to enable children to make choices and select what they are interested in.

Children use good manners and share well with each other. They listen carefully to instructions from staff and enjoy taking part in a number of activities. This includes activities that enhance their early communication and language and mathematical skills. Children can confidently count and recognise numbers as they measure their towers in the construction area. They eagerly explain what they are doing and add words to the description when talking to staff and visitors. Children thoroughly enjoy story time with staff, who repeat new words and sing songs with actions. Children delight as they show that they are confident and familiar with the actions and eagerly repeat the movements to bring the song to life. Children enthusiastically explore sensory play, including treasure baskets.

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

• Staff know the children well and follow their interests when planning activities effectively. Key persons use initial assessments of children to ensure they know what the children need to learn next.
• Children develop independence from an early age. They use their personal skills successfully when serving themselves at mealtimes. Children and staff sit together in a sociable group as they enjoy the nutritious food offered. They are confident when putting their coats on, which they are taught to do self-sufficiently. They learn to take care of their own safety, as they are taught how to carry resources safely in the construction area and outdoors. They learn to show respect and kindness to each other and develop early friendships.
• Parents are complimentary about the care their children receive. They say that information is shared with them about the progress their children are making and that their children show at home all the things they are learning and enjoying at nursery. However, they are not all clear about recent changes in the management structure and staffing team, including to their child's key person.
• The new manager, deputy manager and staff are focused on continually improving the quality of what is provided for children. There are plans in place to continue to support staff effectively with a programme of supervision and professional development to help them build on their skills. Staff have a good understanding of how to promote children's learning. Overall, they interact well with children, supporting their learning effectively. Occasionally, staff do not follow children's lead in their play. At these times, they do not fully enhance children's self-chosen play, to help build on and extend their learning.
• Staff complete assessments on children's progress to help identify children who may need extra support. They work closely with outside agencies for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The provider and manager continually review this to make sure that support for staff is available so that children are receiving consistent reinforcement and support for their progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen interactions with the children during their spontaneous play, to further enhance their learning experiences
• continue to improve the existing good systems for communication, to further enhance effective information sharing with all parents.