Bright Start Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter the nursery. Staff instantly engage children in conversations about the exciting activities they have ready in the rooms. Children settle very quickly into this family orientated, homely nursery. They enjoy freely selecting their favourite toys to play with. Children confidently explore their surroundings and engage readily with staff. They smile as they cuddle up to their key person.

Children show exemplary behaviour. They are caring, sensitive and kind towards their friends. They enjoy gently brushing each other's hair and giggling while playing hairdressers. Children like to show each other new skills, such as rolling play dough and making play dough 'surprises' for each other. They focus on activities, listen well and participate fully to benefit from the learning opportunities on offer.

Staff provide a range of interesting activities. Younger children have fun exploring with paint and water activities. Older children enjoy sensory ice play and learn how to care for animals. Staff have high expectations for all children. They ensure all children can benefit from the activities on offer, including those with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is skilfully planned to build on what children already know and their current interests. For example, they use the children's love of dinosaurs to create a sand play activity, freeing dinosaurs from blocks of ice and painting dinosaur fossils.

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

• Leaders and staff provide an ambitious curriculum for all children, including those with SEND. Additional funding is used to support all children with SEND to access the learning. For example, staff provide toys and books to support children's emotions, and adapt the physical environment to better suit their needs. This supports all children to make good progress in their learning.
• Staff are skilful at linking learning across activities. For example, children bring back mint leaves that they have grown from forest school. Staff use them to create a sensory ice tray with tools and a minty play dough activity to explore oral hygiene. This provides a continuation and expansion of knowledge and skills for children.
• Staff support children's speech development well. They ask questions to help children express themselves. For example, older children enjoy talking about Peggy the tortoise and her different body parts. Staff model language well as they introduce new vocabulary to younger children as they play with water. They talk about the way that water moves using words such as 'bubbles' and 'drip'. However, some staff do not always make the most of opportunities to extend children's language as they play alongside them.
• Children are taught by staff to be kind to one another and to listen and share. For example, children work well in group times to watch, listen and help each other, even praising their friends on good work. This helps them to learn about respect, build positive relationships and understand others.
• Children demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning. They show high levels of curiosity, concentration and enjoy engaging in all the activities. They ask adults questions and interact well with their peers. They fully benefit from the learning opportunities provided and are well equipped for their next stage of education.
• Staff are good at helping children to celebrate their similarities and differences. They incorporate learning about different cultures and languages into activities. For example, the babies enjoy dancing to Romanian music, and children enjoy sampling foods and using role-play toys from different cultures. This helps children to develop a positive sense of self.
• Staff implement a strong key-person system throughout the nursery. For example, relationships with babies are sensitive, stimulating and responsive. Babies gaze into staff's faces and smile and babble, while being cuddled. This allows children to be confident and form secure attachments.
• Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision to continually improve outcomes for all children. Leaders are highly supportive of staff and families, creating a caring and stimulating environment where children thrive. Parents say that they feel that 'the needs of the children are at the heart of everything', and they 'couldn't ask for more from a nursery setting'.
• Leaders provide staff with regular training opportunities to enhance their knowledge and practice. Staff share the overall vision of ensuring that all children in their care receive the best tailored learning in order to make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen practice to ensure that all staff make the most of all opportunities to extend children's communication and language.