Bright Starz Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy their time at this setting. Staff are very welcoming, and the children have strong relationships with their key persons. Children are secure in the routines of the day, which are well managed by staff. As a result, they grow in confidence and flourish.

Staff support children to develop their communication and language skills. Children are encouraged to talk about what they have done over the weekend and what they want to play with next. Staff offer lots of praise and encouragement to children throughout activities. They provide the support children need when persisting with an activity so they can see it through. Children are kind and play well together. They use good manners and look out for each other. They say 'please' and 'thank you' when sharing.

Children explore different materials and are able to develop their ideas as they complete large-scale creative activities. They select materials to help make their own inventions. Children also think and talk about sticking and cutting and how they will represent the many minibeasts on the farm. Staff include a variety of learning opportunities during the activity. For example, children count and explore shapes. They enjoy joining and matching materials and developing their own ideas.

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

• The management team and staff are committed to driving quality. They carefully evaluate the provision. They work closely, with support and guidance from the local authority, and seek the views of parents. They are committed to providing an inclusive environment, where all children and their families are welcomed. Together, they demonstrate a strong commitment to continually raising the standards of care and learning for children.
• The manager supports staff so that they keep their professional development and knowledge up to date. Staff recognise the importance of attending a range of training and have regular discussions with their manager to identify future support to develop their early years practice further. Staff say they are happy and feel well supported in their roles. They have regular staff meetings and opportunities to share their views and opinions.
• Children demonstrate strong bonds with staff. Babies respond well to the focused attention and quickly become confident to explore their environment. All children thoroughly enjoy playing and interacting with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Staff aim to provide one-to-one support for children, and they know them well. They ensure that activities are adapted to enable all children to take part fully. However, at times, children are not all motivated and engaged as well as they could be within group activities.
• There are plenty of opportunities for children to visit the local community, and staff plan activities that support children to understand the natural environment and develop their recognition of wildlife and insects. When children are looking at minibeasts, staff provide a language-rich environment. They extend the vocabulary of children by asking questions and commenting on what children respond. Children are confident as they recall the animals and insects they have seen during walks and play outdoors.
• Children are very physically active and enthusiastically explore the different areas of the outdoor space as they ride bikes and scooters. They show strong balance and coordination as they complete obstacle courses, where they count and collect the items in the circuit. Staff play with children and have fun, including as they are running under the large parachute.
• Parents speak highly of staff and the care provided for their children. They say that staff communicate with them daily and involve them in their children's development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, are making good progress relative to their starting points. The manager has started to invite parents back into the setting and is aware that further work is needed to make this a more regular feature.
• Children enjoy a healthy diet and have drinking water available throughout the day. Staff have high expectations of the children and support them to build their independence. Children follow effective hygiene routines and understand when to wash their hands. Staff share stories and promote the importance of oral hygiene so that children can understand and want to brush their teeth.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to improve the existing good systems for communication, to further enhance effective information sharing with all parents
• review the organisation of some adult-led activities, particularly to help quieter children remain more focused and engaged in their learning.