Bright Horizons Witney Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are eager to start their learning. Staff provide a welcoming environment and arrange activities and toys well. This enables children to have independent access to resources that suit the children's interests and development. For example, babies can develop their small physical skills as they explore with the stacking cups and puzzles. Toddlers enjoy role play using construction toys, whereas older children enjoy creative work where they show good control as they use scissors. This helps to develop their small hand muscles in preparation for their future writing.

The staff provide a curriculum that is child-led and ambitious. Staff clearly know the children well in the nursery, and they provide activities that cover the seven areas of learning. Staff place a strong focus on developing children's independence, and this is continually encouraged and supported. Children benefit from plenty of opportunities to be physically active. All ages access the garden throughout each day, and they thoroughly enjoy exploring with different textures and climbing and balancing over play equipment. Staff are consistent in their expectations of the rules and boundaries, which, in turn, helps children to maintain positive behaviour. Children have strong bonds with staff, who are caring and always put children's safety at the heart of everything they do.

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

• The dedicated management team has worked hard to improve the nursery since the last inspection. It has supported staff in a variety of professional development opportunities to ensure that the children's needs are met and procedures are fully maintained.
• Staff maintain a strong focus on promoting children's communication and language. For instance, staff talk to children about their play, sing songs and read stories for all children to enjoy. Overall, staff are attentive to the children. However, at times, some teaching is not as effective as possible. Sometimes, staff do not fully extend and challenge children's learning further to support them to make even greater progress in their development.
• Children enjoy the food provided and they are developing good self-help skills from a young age as staff support them to serve their food, pour their drinks and use cutlery to feed themselves. However, transitions to lunchtime are not always well managed to ensure that the mealtimes are effective. Nevertheless, children's health and well-being are well maintained during nappy changes and at sleep time, which helps children to feel secure.
• Children behave well and demonstrate good manners. Children of all ages have developed good friendships. For instance, they enjoy inviting their friends during imaginative play. They are polite and listen to each other, taking turns to talk about and share their thoughts to build on and develop their game.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents state that they are very pleased with the support they receive from the staff at the nursery. For example, staff work closely with parents to identify interests and current learning to plan for next steps. They include parents in developing plans to provide a consistent approach to support further learning at home. Staff provide parents with daily feedback about their child and regularly share observations and photos on the online app.
• Staff comment that they feel well supported and are given a good amount of training that helps them to fulfil their roles. They explained that the management team is approachable and provides them with regular supervisions and constructive feedback, which helps them to feel valued and part of a team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's teaching to extend children's development further to support them to make even greater progress in their learning
• review and improve the organisation of lunchtime routines to ensure that children know what to expect and when to help them manage expectations.