Bright Sparks Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff swiftly identify children's needs through observations, strategic tracking and discussions with parents. Leaders carefully review children's progress to check that interventions are having the desired impact.

Children's individual needs are met consistently. For example, leaders attend meetings with external professionals and parents. This helps them to ensure that changes in children's circumstances are recognised, and that practice is adapted appropriately. As a result, children are given the emotional support and reassurance that allows them to thrive. This proactive approach reduces children's barriers to learning and ensures that they feel safe, valued and understood, including those who are known to children's social care.

Staff embed inclusivity throughout their practice, which helps to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, participate fully and make secure progress. Leaders and staff work closely with parents to ensure a graduated approach. Parents say they feel valued and involved in their children's progress.

Early years pupil premium funding is used strategically to ensure that barriers are reduced and that the curriculum is accessible for all. Staff work with professionals such as physiotherapists, educational psychologists and the local authority to enrich children's experiences.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders use knowledge gained through training to implement an ambitious curriculum for all children that is consistently taught well. Staff are skilled, and adapt their teaching in the moment to build on children's changing interests. Staff monitor children's progress closely to ensure they are supported to take their next steps. Children build on their own ideas and imagination while being guided with high-quality interactions. For example, during hide and seek staff introduce new vocabulary such as 'invisible' and 'camouflage'. As a result, children are motivated and engaged.

Staff bring books to life with the use of puppets, role play and interactions. When reading about dragons, staff invite children to take turns to roar and pretend to breathe fire. Mathematical language is promoted explicitly. During group times, when changing the date on the calendar, they clap the number out loud together. Physical development is prioritised. Toddlers ride on scooters and trikes around a racetrack, developing balance and coordination. Older children play running games, developing confidence manoeuvring on uneven ground.

Staff adapt the curriculum effectively to support children who speak English as an additional language through the use of gestures, pictures, visual timetables, modelling and targeted one-to-one support. This means all children make excellent progress.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children are highly prepared for the next stage in their education, including those with barriers to learning. They demonstrate excellent confidence in self-care skills, which prepares them for school. For example, older children use china plates, glass cups and knives and forks with ease. They take turns in being helper for the day and set the table for their friends. Toddlers pour their own milk from a jug with support and show resilience in the completion of tricky tasks.

Children are extremely confident communicators and enjoy taking part in conversations with staff, playing with other children and learning new knowledge. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who experience barriers to learning or wellbeing, fully engage in play and sustain high levels of concentration. Children enjoy drawing their families on whiteboards and attempt to write their names. Toddlers enjoy making marks in the sand, recognising numbers and shapes.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have created a culture of kindness where staff model positive behaviours and praise children consistently for their manners. Staff's in-depth knowledge of each child fosters a secure relationship between staff and children, supporting emotional wellbeing and confidence. Children are given consistent opportunities to choose their play, to develop their interests and to make choices throughout the day. This ensures children's views are heard and celebrated, which supports all children to thrive. Leaders promote the importance of attendance to parents to ensure all children attend regularly. They share the value of attending in newsletters, day-to-day communication and open mornings. As a result, children benefit from routine, preparing them for school.

Generally, children collaborate and get along together. At times, when children struggle to manage their own behaviour, staff do not consistently intervene to allow children to fully understand behaviour expectations, such as sharing resources. Staff use routines as an opportunity for children to develop social skills. Each day, a child is chosen to be 'helper of the day'. They take pride in being given responsibility and helping their friends. Children are confident in recognising feelings; they refer to how they are feeling throughout the day and are taught strategies to manage different emotions.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Relationships are secure and attachments are strong between children and staff. On arrival, children rush to greet staff with hugs and smiles. Care, sleep and feeding routines are sensitive to individual needs. A healthy diet is provided daily. Children are taught the importance of healthy oral habits. They brush their teeth daily at the setting, and staff support their understanding by embedding key messages into children's spontaneous play. For example, in the garden, children pretend to brush the toy crocodiles' teeth and discuss why it is important to keep teeth clean.

Children have a good understanding of managing their own risks and are taught how to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. For example, staff remind children that they need to walk inside to avoid slipping over, to chew one piece of food at a time to avoid choking and to cover their mouth when coughing to avoid spreading germs. Children are taught to recognise and express their emotions. They are also taught strategies to help them to manage any difficult feelings. Staff use the sensory room to support positive wellbeing and children's individual needs, including for those with special educational needs and/or other barriers to learning.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have taken swift action to embed changes to day-to-day practice, which is having a highly positive impact on the children. Targeted training for staff, improved supervision sessions and regular reflections have been implemented. For example, recent training on teaching and continuous provision has supported improvements to be made in the environment that are improving outcomes for children. The staff feel well supported and recognise the importance of this continued effort. Leaders have ensured that since the previous inspection all staff are confident in their safeguarding responsibilities. Leaders should strengthen the analysis of strengths and priorities for improvement to ensure they then apply targeted training and implement consistent supervisions for staff, to embed a sustained culture of continuous professional development.

Leaders work in partnership with external agencies and make timely referrals that are in the best interests of the children, including those with special educational needs, or other barriers to learning. Leaders and staff have developed positive relationships with families. This allows staff to know detailed information about the children before they start so that they can adapt their approach to meet children's needs from the outset.