Bright Kids Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this welcoming and friendly nursery. Staff offer children plenty of cuddles and comfort. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Children lead their own play and make choices. For example, older children give each other roles in their games, and younger children freely choose from a wide range of available activities and resources. Staff teach children the importance of sharing and turn taking, offering gentle reminders and demonstrating how to respect each other.

Fostering children's independence and confidence is a real strength at the nursery. Staff encourage children to carry out tasks for themselves. Older children help to set the table at lunchtime, toddlers tidy up when staff play the tidy-up song and babies attempt to wash their faces after dinner.

Managers have designed a broad and exciting curriculum based around children's interests. Children enjoy meaningful learning experiences that help to deepen their understanding of their own community and the wider world. For example, they often visit the local library, shops and green spaces.

Parents are happy with the care their children receive. They talk of the friendly staff and the warm environment. They comment that their children make good progress and are ready for the move on to school.

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

• Managers have high expectations of all staff and are very supportive. There is a strong team feel, and staff are very proud to work at the nursery. Staff can access regular professional development, and new staff are mentored. However, occasionally, staff do not understand the curriculum in the way that leaders have planned. There are times when teaching is not carefully sequenced or pitched at just the right level. For example, staff do not always provide opportunities for toddlers to freely explore in creative play.
• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points. Staff ensure they get to know families really well and work with outside agencies to set targets and help each individual child thrive. The experienced special educational needs coordinator helps other staff to understand children's individual needs and how to support them.
• Staff promote communication and language extremely well. They repeat new words for babies to understand and use in their interactions. For example, babies repeat the word 'touch' as staff encourage children to feel cooked spaghetti in a large tray on the floor. Staff explain the meaning of new words to older children. For instance, staff explain that a hobby is something we enjoy doing. Children demonstrate their understanding by naming other hobbies, such as horse riding and drawing.
• The well-established key-person system helps children to feel secure. Staff demonstrate they know their children very well. Children are given choices throughout their day, and staff actively seek children's consent when providing personal care. Children behave well. Staff teach them to be kind to each other, and children encourage and support each other during their play. Staff immerse themselves in children's play. They are enthusiastic and bring their skills to the nursery. For example, staff teach children words and key phrases in their home languages.
• Staff promote children's good health. The food provided is nutritious and thoroughly enjoyed by children. Staff teach children good hygiene procedures. Children wash their hands at important times, including before mealtimes. Children have opportunities to be physically active. For example, they spend lots of time in the garden and take part in regular dance and yoga sessions. However, the organisation of daily routines inside leads to some children being inactive for extended periods of time. This is particularly evident with older children at lunchtime.
• Staff invite parents in to talk with them about what children are learning. They regularly share information at handover times about what children have done that day. Children can take home learning bags to further support their learning at home. Parents feel that their children are making good progress, and they value the friendly and professional staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus professional development opportunities more precisely on developing staff's knowledge and skills even further to continually improve the quality of the curriculum provided
• review daily routines to ensure children stay active, to support their overall development.