Bright Sparks Childcare (Yorkshire) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this highly inclusive and extremely welcoming nursery. They form secure attachments with staff, who thoroughly respect each child's needs and interests. Staff differentiate the curriculum extremely well to provide varying levels of challenge, taking into account the differing needs of children who attend. The highly engaging curriculum is well embedded. For example, toddlers thoroughly enjoy exploring different fruits and vegetables, such as parsnips, watermelon and sweetcorn. They eagerly cut them apart and explore what is inside each item.

Staff skilfully question children and encourage them to think for themselves. They use visual objects, books and picture cards to help to communicate with children. This helps to develop children's understanding and language skills superbly. Staff skilfully embed children's mathematical development through a range of activities. For example, they encourage pre-school children to take part in activities, such as counting Christmas baubles. Children learn to add and subtract.

There is a highly robust key-person system in place. Staff know their key children exceptionally well and how to support any possible gaps in learning. They have high expectations of what they want children to learn. This helps all children to make excellent progress in relation to their starting points in development, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children behave exceptionally well and are proud of carrying out routine activities, such as tidying up.

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

• Staff have developed highly engaging strategies to involve parents and carers. They share very regular information and ideas that enable parents to extend their child's learning at home. Relationships between parents and staff are trusting and respectful. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery. They comment that staff are incredible and go above and beyond.
• The leadership team places a strong emphasis on continued professional development. This helps to ensure the highly qualified staff use all their expert skills and knowledge to the fullest potential. Evaluations of staff's teaching practice and staff supervision sessions are given the utmost priority. The highly skilled staff team feels very well supported by the leadership team.
• Children are extremely good communicators. They are eager to share their thoughts and ideas with staff and visitors. Children consistently hear and practise new words. They take focus books home so that parents can also help to enhance children's language. The dynamic staff capture children's interests as they sit together for a Christmas story. Children exhibit high levels of self-control as they listen intently and join in with repeated phrases.
• Children delight in being outdoors. They search for insects and use flowers and natural resources to make 'soup' in the kitchen. Children are physically confident and move, balance and climb with increasing control. Younger children go on walks into the local area and benefit from daily fresh air.
• Staff provide abundant opportunities for children to learn about their wider community and the world around them. For example, they take children to visit the local library and supermarkets. Staff encourage children to post cards to their loved ones in local post boxes. Children learn about the importance of food and clothing banks and fundraise for charities in their local area.
• Staff support children to develop excellent social skills. They encourage children to join in imaginative play, happily take turns and share. Children develop their dexterity as they manipulate play dough and make 'gingerbread men'. Young children excitedly explore silk scarves and musical instruments together. Children develop excellent attitudes to their learning and are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage in learning, including school.
• Staff are passionate about their roles in supporting children with SEND. They raise any concerns about children's development promptly with the relevant professionals. Staff support parents with referral forms effectively to ensure that children receive additional support and funding in a timely manner. They use additional funding the nursery receives very effectively. This helps children with SEND to make excellent progress.
• The way in which the leadership team supports staff and children's well-being is inspiring. For example, it arranges award evenings for staff to celebrate their achievements. The leadership team invites staff to take part in 'supermarket sweeps', where they fill their trolleys, to show its appreciation. Staff comment that they could not wish for better support. They ask children about their feelings every day and help children to learn how to control their emotions.