Bright Lights Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy and eager to start their day. They are greeted warmly by the attentive staff and are encouraged to hang up their belongings on coat pegs labelled with their names. Children settle quickly into the familiar routines of the nursery and become immersed in their play. They make independent choices on what they would like to do with a strong sense of purpose and enthusiasm for their learning.

Children form secure attachments with their key person and staff, and they are confident in communicating their needs. Children receive clear and consistent messages about the expectations for their behaviour. During group times, children take turns to talk about the rules of the nursery, for example, using indoor voices. As a result, children display positive behaviours. They work together to tidy away the toys and enjoy the responsibility of carrying out small tasks, for example, helping to clean the tables before snack time. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement, which builds their confidence and self-esteem.

Children have fun as they learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, a local dentist recently came into the nursery to talk to the children to help them learn about the importance of oral health. Following on from this, staff plan enjoyable activities that help to consolidate children's learning. For example, children practise squeezing toothpaste onto toothbrushes and carefully clean laminated pictures of teeth. They use their imagination in the dentist-themed role-play area where they sit in the pretend dentist chair and look at each other's teeth.

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

• The new manager is ambitious and has worked hard with her staff team to make positive changes to the quality of the provision. She has implemented a broad curriculum that is centred around children's interests, different topics and what they need to learn next. Staff use early screening tools to identify swiftly where children may need additional support and develop targeted plans to help them make progress.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Children who have more complex needs receive one-to-one support. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with staff to implement children's individual plans.
• Staff benefit from regular supervisions and targeted professional development opportunities to help raise the quality of teaching. Staff feel supported by the manager and thoroughly enjoy their roles.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents are regularly invited into the nursery to attend stay-and-play sessions. Staff share information with parents both face-to- face and through an online learning journey. Parental input is welcomed, ensuring that they feel valued and involved in their child's learning.
• The manager and the staff continuously reflect on the nursery's strengths and areas for further improvement. However, plans to develop the outdoor area to provide more rich and varied learning opportunities are yet to be implemented. However, all children enjoy their time outdoors where they develop their physical skills. They show good balance and coordination as they navigate an obstacle course and ride-on scooters and tricycles. Staff encourage children to use the muscles in their legs to push down on the pedals to propel themselves forwards.
• Staff know how children learn and plan a good range of stimulating activities that capture children's curiosity. They join in with children's play and hold positive interactions to support communication and language development. They give children time to think and respond to questions and extend the flow of conversation, introducing new vocabulary. However, some teaching does not consistently challenge children's learning and development to the highest level.
• Children learn about cultural differences and diversity represented in modern Britain. They celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali, through craft activities, music and resources.
• Staff use children's interest in books and stories to imaginatively support all areas of learning. For example, after listening to the story about a bear hunt, children have fun expressing their creativity as they explore different materials to create artwork that represents their favourite part of the story.
• The manager works closely with the provider, who is also the headteacher at the local primary school. They share relevant information to support continuity in children's learning and ensure that children are well prepared for their eventual move to school. Furthermore, the manager also works in collaboration with the school's early years lead member of staff to help monitor practice and aid smooth transitions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• implement plans to develop the outdoor area to provide children with more varied and stimulating outdoor learning experiences
• support staff to develop their teaching to consistently provide further challenge, to extend children's learning and build on what they already know and can do.