Bright Horizons Whetstone Day Nursery and Preschool

Inclusion: Needs attention

Leaders have not yet taken sufficient action to ensure staff have the knowledge, plans and strategies needed to consistently meet children's individual needs and reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. Leaders identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and barriers to their learning, but they are not clear on how to support them. They occasionally work together with parents, carers and other professionals to check children's physical, communication and sensory needs. However, while staff use specific strategies, such as 'now and next' boards, objects of reference and sensory play, to help children build new skills, these generalised strategies do not always work well. Staff do not implement these strategies in a way that is unique or tailored to the individual child. Support is not sharply focused on children's individual next steps in learning. Furthermore, staff are not consistently clear on which strategies to use for each child or how to implement them, to successfully reduce specific barriers to learning.

Staff respond sensitively when children become unsettled. They provide reassurance, cuddles, familiar songs and preferred toys to help children feel secure. Children benefit from these warm relationships and develop independence through everyday routines. Some parents raise concerns about gaps in their children's learning and development and want clearer information about the support provided. Leaders recognise weaknesses in inclusive practice.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders have not yet achieved consistent teaching across the setting, and teaching is less effective in the toddler and pre-school rooms. In addition, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning do not always receive the targeted support they need. Leaders have a clear understanding of the curriculum and recognise the importance of developing children's communication, physical, social and early learning skills. They identify weaknesses in teaching and reflect accurately on practice. However, they have not yet achieved consistent teaching across the setting.

Group times can be lengthy, with children spending extended periods sitting and listening. Furthermore, children's individual needs, interests and next steps in learning do not consistently shape teaching. At times, language used by staff reflects traditional gender expectations. For example, linking physical strength exclusively to boys. Consequently, children do not always receive the teaching they need to make the progress they are capable of.

The curriculum provides children with varied experiences. In the pre-school room, children take part in mathematics activities, matching numerals to quantities. The broad mathematical aim is clear, but learning is not consistently matched to individual children's next steps in learning. Activities are often general rather than closely matched to what children need to learn next. Toddlers explore pretend animals through painting and play, giving them opportunities to explore ideas and express themselves. However, changes in the staff arrangements contribute to inconsistency in how well learning is matched to individual needs.

Babies experience a curriculum that supports their early development through everyday play and routines. They splash in water, explore sensory experiences and cruise around furniture. Staff respond to babies' babbling and sounds, using simple words, songs and rhymes to support back-and-forth communication.

Achievement: Needs attention

Achievement is not consistent across the areas of learning and development, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some children do not yet have the knowledge and skills expected for their age, and gaps remain in areas, such as communication, mathematical understanding, attention and managing their emotions. These gaps are more evident for some children with SEND and pre-school children, who do not always consistently sustain attention, listen to others, or take part in group learning. Therefore, children do not always have the knowledge and skills they need for their stage of learning, including when they move to school.

Babies develop important early skills through everyday experiences. They build physical skills as they cruise around furniture, explore water and develop their movements. Their babbling and back-and-forth interactions support early communication and language. At times, toddlers and pre-school children develop knowledge and skills through play and planned activities. They show curiosity, independence and problem-solving skills, when building train tracks, exploring pretend animal play and using tools like scissors. Children enjoy familiar stories, recall repeated phrases and predict what happens next.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Routines are not consistently established for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), toddlers or pre-school children. Leaders recognise these weaknesses but have not yet taken sufficient action to ensure routines are consistently secure. Staff are not always clear about their roles, which affects how smoothly children move between activities and spaces. Changes in staffing arrangements and inconsistent key-person arrangements means children do not always have familiar adults to help them understand what is happening next. Consequently, during transitions between rooms, toddlers become confused and upset, pre-school children wander away from the group, and children with SEND do not receive the targeted support they need.

Children's attitudes to learning are mixed. Some show deep concentration and independence in their play, becoming absorbed in using cardboard tubes to create slides and pretend flight paths. During these independent tasks, they actively solve problems, drop small toys into the play garage, and develop their own ideas through play. However, during group times, some children lose interest, talk to each other, or leave the group. Children are not always actively engaged in learning and can become distracted when activities do not sustain their interest.

Children develop positive relationships with staff and each other. They are kind and helpful and show care towards younger children. For example, pre-school children eagerly help to find younger children's missing shoes and work together to solve the problem. Children generally respond well to familiar routines and enjoy talking and playing with their friends. Children who become unsettled receive warm and reassuring responses.

Leaders understand the importance of children attending regularly. They offer flexible start times for children and families and make sure children can take part in activities they may have missed. For example, when children arrive later, staff repeat 'show and tell' so that all children can share their experiences with friends.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing are supported consistently across the setting. This is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other barriers to their learning and wellbeing. Although staff recognise some individual needs, this support is not consistently reflected in plans or daily experiences, meaning children do not always receive care tailored to their individual circumstances. Furthermore, poor transitions affect children's wellbeing. For example, when moving between rooms and activities, younger children become confused and upset because routines are unclear and staff are not clear about their roles. While leaders recognise these weaknesses, they have not yet taken sufficient action to ensure all children experience consistent support.

Staff respond warmly to children and recognise when they need reassurance. Children who become unsettled receive cuddles, familiar songs and preferred toys, which helps them feel secure. Babies experience calm and attentive care during feeding and nappy changing, and staff understand safer sleep arrangements to provide care that reflects babies' individual needs. Additionally, children develop positive relationships with staff and each other. They show kindness and care towards younger children and increasingly manage some everyday routines independently. For example, mealtimes provide opportunities for children to socialise, serve themselves and use cutlery safely.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have not taken sufficient action to address weaknesses in the quality of practice, the consistency of teaching, support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and communication with parents. Significant staffing changes and periods of staff absence have disrupted the day-to-day running of the setting. While staff brought in from other settings understand child development and the curriculum, they do not always know children's individual next steps, which negatively affects key-person arrangements. Furthermore, although leaders have plans to improve teaching, including peer observations and support from the the local authority early years teams, these actions have not yet had enough impact on the quality of practice. Staff receive supervision and leaders monitor staff wellbeing, but this does not consistently improve the quality of practice or ensure that agreed expectations are fully understood.

Communication with parents has also declined, and responses to concerns can take too long. Complaints and concerns are recorded and investigated, but outcomes are not always shared with parents promptly, leaving some parents without clear information about incidents involving their children. While leaders recognise these weaknesses and understand the action required, they have not yet consistently made the improvements, particularly in the toddler and pre-school rooms.

In their oversight of the setting, leaders maintain an accurate understanding of the setting and actively recognise the improvements needed. They support staff wellbeing through regular discussions and targeted training. As a result, staff receive training in key areas, including safeguarding, safer working practices, and internet safety. Leaders fully recognise the importance of developing staff knowledge and expertise, and they are taking steps to strengthen practice. Additionally, leaders are beginning to work with parents and have recently introduced a parent forum to improve communication across the setting, although the benefits of this are too early to see.