Bright Horizons Weybridge Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and staff have the children's best interests at the heart of everything they do. The manager understands that for children to be ready to learn well they first need to feel safe, secure and welcome. The attention to detail in making sure children have a positive experience of starting nursery, and then coming every day, is highly successful in ensuring this. Children see their interests and experiences reflected back to them in displays. They know they will be greeted by staff who know them well. This helps them approach their time at nursery with positivity and excitement.Children understand what is expected of them, because staff are consistent in their approach. Children learn well to cooperate with routines, listen to staff and show consideration towards others. Children behave appropriately for their age.

The manager and staff want the best for all children. The strong focus on children's personal and social skills ensures children gain a positive attitude towards learning. Children are supported very well to develop their confidence and resilience, in preparation for starting school. Children hear, and are encouraged to use, the language they need to communicate their needs and views. The curriculum is carefully planned to meet the different ages of the children as they progress through the nursery. This enables staff to build successfully on children's existing skills and knowledge, to ensure learning is well embedded.

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

• The manager is a real asset to the nursery. She is passionate about her role and is a highly effective leader. Staff feel well supported in their roles. The positive working environment impacts on the children too. They see staff enjoying their roles and happy to be at nursery. This adds to the positive and welcoming environment.
• Overall, staff plan very well for children's learning. They clearly identify what they want children to learn next. Staff successfully plan and deliver activities that help children remember, long term, what has been taught. For example, younger children can confidently retell familiar stories, talking about the characters and remembering repeated refrains. This is because staff focus on particular stories and give children lots of opportunities to listen to the story, act it out in their play and talk to staff about it.
• Staff want learning to be fun for children. Occasionally, in their enthusiasm to ensure this, staff over complicate activities, such as by adding more resources or asking children to try and do too many different things at one time. This detracts some children from the main focus that staff have identified for the activity, meaning that teaching is less effective at these times.
• Staff focus their teaching for older children on the skills and knowledge they most need in preparation for the move to school. As well as developing children's confidence and independence, staff focus well on the skills that children need most for later reading and writing. This means children do not miss out on the vital skills they need to access more formal teaching in this aspect when they start school.
• Staff want children to develop a positive attitude towards following a healthy lifestyle. Meals and snacks are nutritious and varied. Children have access to fresh air every day. Staff provide children with resources and activities to encourage their large-muscle development. However, they do not always respond swiftly when children show they need help to develop some skills in this area. This aspect of the curriculum is less well planned than that for some other areas of learning.
• Babies receive a very positive first experience of being cared for away from home. Staff mirror babies' routines from home, working closely with parents to enable this. This approach supports a smooth transition for babies. Staff offer plenty of smiles, cuddles and reassurance, resulting in happy, settled and trusting babies. Toddlers receive lots of practical help to ensure they are ready for the move to the 'big rooms'. For example, they learn to climb stairs safely.
• Parents speak very positively about the nursery. Many recommend it to friends because their children have had such a positive experience. Staff develop respectful and professional partnerships with parents. There are effective two-way flows of information that enable staff to meet children's needs well. They are also used effectively to keep parents well informed about their children's learning, enabling parents to further support learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the delivery of some activities, to best enable children to focus well on the main intended learning
• develop staff confidence in planning and delivering the curriculum to support children's gross motor skills.