Bright Start Early Years

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and settled in this setting. They are warmly welcomed by cheerful staff. Children are keen and curious to explore the resources and activities available. Pre-school children have good friendships and enjoy the company of others. They play cooperatively together and are confident to share resources and take turns in their play. For example, children build a challenging obstacle course and show delight in their success as they skilfully negotiate to the end. Babies and toddlers have trusting relationships with the attentive staff who care for them. They share giggles and cuddles during story time.

Staff give children plenty of praise and encouragement and are positive role models. Children's behaviour is very good. Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The owner, management team and staff work very well together. They are dedicated to providing a curriculum that is designed to give all children the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and/or carers do not enter the pre-school in the usual way. Staff meet them at the door and ensure that important information is exchanged.

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

• Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to make improvements. Regular meetings are used well to discuss children's development and welfare needs. Effective changes are made to routines and resources. Staff attend training and successfully cascade their learning to colleagues. However, plans to make further improvements to develop the curriculum are at early stages of implementation, and this is acknowledged by the owner and management team.
• Partnerships with parents and/or carers are good; they comment on how happy they are with their children's care and progress. Staff share information with parents effectively. However, further development of ideas to provide better assistance and direction for parents and/or carers to support their children's learning and development at home have not yet been fully implemented.
• Staff know their families and children very well. Staff have experience of life in a forces family and understand the potential for additional pressures. They know what their key children can do and need to learn next. Support for children with SEND and those for whom English is an additional language is excellent. Leaders ensure that additional funding that is accessed for children is used well to target children's specific needs. All children make good progress in relation to their individual starting points.
• Staff place a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. They talk about what the children are doing, they speak clearly and use correct pronunciation. Babies and toddlers receive very good support to learn and understand new words, as they happily print with shapes and explore their surroundings. Pre-school children enjoy looking at different types of reading materials. For example, they are keen to know more about bees and honey after looking at a leaflet in the home corner. Staff use this interest to increase children's vocabulary and understanding.
• Children receive very good support to develop a range of physical skills and explore their community. Children go on 'listening walks'; they enthusiastically talk about hearing the sounds of birds, car engines and the wind. Children are keen to spot letters and numbers on houses and cars. Staff and children happily sing favourite songs and count their steps. They visit the park and return to nursery with spring flowers. Children enjoy making pictures with the stalks, petals and leaves.
• Staff support the development of children's personal, social and emotional skills very well. Staff use photographs of children involved in activities within the setting to help children recognise daily routines. They use story time to help children to consider emotions of others and express how they feel. Children are confident and are motivated to learn more.
• Children learn useful skills in readiness for starting school. They concentrate well and follow instructions as they use a knife to cut up fruit. They find their own lunch boxes and water bottles. They wash their plates and confidently tidy away resources.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to strengthen the professional development in place for all staff to further develop the curriculum
• build on plans to provide better assistance and direction for parents and/or carers to further support their children's learning and development at home.