Bright Horizons Sutton Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery. They settle quickly and access a wide range of activities and resources, indoors and outdoors. For example, babies enjoy using the low-level climbing frame in their room, supporting their physical skills successfully. Older children delight in dressing up as nurses and princesses, which promotes their creativity and imagination. Outdoors, children explore their natural environment as they hunt for minibeasts and bugs. There are also many enjoyable opportunities for children to test their agility while using ride-on toys. Children show they feel safe and secure.

Children respond well to staff's high expectations for their learning. For example, they concentrate well during a planned activity which involves learning about numbers and colours. Children, particularly babies, love listening to stories being read to them. They respond well to cuddles and close contact with staff, making them feel reassured. Children gain good levels of social confidence. They smile, approach and talk to visitors about their play. Children's behaviour is good. They know how to share and take turns. Children are learning about the language of feelings and are able to express when they feel happy or sad. They have positive attitudes and are motivated to learn.

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

• The manager is a reflective practitioner. She welcomes the support and guidance of other professionals to help evaluate the quality of the provision. The manager is currently exploring other ways to communicate with parents to support children's learning further.
• The manager monitors staff practice and offers regular meetings to provide valuable opportunities to discuss their performance. Staff find they are well supported by the manager. Following training, they have gained confidence in identifying children's additional learning needs. This contributes to the good quality of education that children receive.
• Staff observe and monitor children's learning regularly. They plan an ambitious curriculum for all children, including those who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff give priority to children's language development. They talk to children, describe their actions and repeat new words to develop their vocabulary. Consequently, children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff work well with other professionals to support children and their families. However, the information gathered from the professionals is not shared quickly enough with all staff. This prevents some staff from fully promoting continuity in children's education and care.
• Staff provide children with a welcoming and inclusive environment. However, there are some occasions when they do not organise the daily routines as effectively as possible. As a result, children wait for long periods and become restless. This is particularly evident when staff prepare children for change, such as for outdoor play or at mealtimes.
• Children develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. They enjoy nutritious snacks and meals, which are prepared on site. Children's individual dietary needs are managed well to ensure they remain healthy. In addition, children engage in various play activities to enhance their physical development. Children know the importance of personal hygiene routines. For example, the older children demonstrate their understanding of these as they wash their hands independently before handling food.
• Parents give positive verbal feedback about the service they and their children receive. They appreciate the information shared online about what their children are learning and how they can support them at home. Parents also praise the warm welcome they get when they drop off and collect their children. The close partnership between parents and staff benefits children's education and personal development effectively.
• Staff promote positive behaviour at the nursery. They talk to children respectfully and encourage them to play well together.
• Since the last inspection, staff have improved how they incorporate mathematics into the curriculum. They support children with counting and identifying basic shapes. As a result, children, particularly the older ones, are able to count from one to 10 and beyond.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the current arrangements for sharing information collected from other professionals to fully promote continuity in children's education and care
• review the organisation of the daily routines to ensure children remain focused and engaged.