Bright Kids Lower Quinton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children warmly on arrival. Children who are distressed are comforted gently by staff until they are ready to play. This helps them to feel settled. Older children hang up their coats and bags and find their photographs to stick onto the registration board. This further supports their developing independence. Children recognise not only their own photos but those of their peers too. Children learn about their individuality and what makes them special. Staff celebrate children's skills, talents and interests through story telling and during circle time. This contributes positively to children's self-esteem and extends their understanding of others.

Babies confidently explore their learning environment. They engage purposefully in simple role play and show delight when staff copy their actions. Babies use spoons to mix cereal in small bowls and pretend to feed their dolls. This helps them to develop their hand-eye coordination. Young children play alongside each other and show interest in the actions of their peers. They happily bring resources to play with a visitor and instigate games of peekaboo from behind large pieces of equipment. Babies smile and giggle as they repeat the game over and over again.

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

• Leaders have designed a broad curriculum that outlines ambitious outcomes for all children. They support staff to gather information from parents when children first start attending in order to plan for their learning. This enables staff to use children's interests to engage them in learning opportunities and plan for their next steps. Overall, children are engaged and focused in their play. However, on occasions, younger children are expected to sit for long periods of time, for example at circle time followed by singing. This leads to some children becoming bored and disengaged.
• Children develop their fine motor skills and build the strength of the small muscles in their hands. Staff provide a range of experiences to encourage these skills further. For example, they lead children in a lively session of manipulating dough to music. Children engage well and enthusiastically follow the words and actions to the rhymes. They work well together as a group and show excitement when staff weave their names into songs.
• Children benefit from respectful care routines. Staff ensure that one-to-one interaction contributes positively to children's emotional well-being. They sing gentle songs and rhymes to engage babies as they change their nappies. Staff gently support and provide comfort for young children as they settle down to sleep. This helps them to feel safe and secure.
• From an early age, children are supported to carry out tasks for themselves. For example, staff encourage babies to wash their hands in a low-level sink before eating. They delight in splashing in the soapy water and receive just the right amount of help from staff to ensure their hands are clean.
• Staff effectively role model and encourage the skills that older children need to serve their food at lunchtime. Children competently use large spoons to scoop and serve vegetables onto their plates. Children of all ages are encouraged and supported by staff to use small jugs to pour their drinks. This helps them to develop important life skills.
• Young children are excited to get involved in making dough. Staff extend children's vocabulary as they help them to remember the names of the ingredients they need. However, staff do not organise the activity effectively to ensure that all children can take a turn. They allow more confident children to carry out all the tasks. Some quieter children want to have a go but there is not enough room at the table for them to get involved. This limits the learning and personal development opportunities for some children.
• Parents comment positively on the settling process when children first start attending. They appreciate how leaders and staff get to know children well in order to create a nurturing relationship. Parents state that key people share information with them regularly. This helps them to feel fully involved and included in their children's learning and development.
• Staff report high levels of well-being. They explain that they receive support from leaders to develop, both personally and professionally. For example, they engage in regular supervision sessions that help them to reflect on their interactions with the children. Staff talk about how valued they feel in their roles across the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to review the daily routine for younger children, in order to provide activities that fully engage them and extend their interest in learning
• review the organisation of group activities to ensure that all children, including quiet children, are able to fully engage and develop their confidence in playing with others.