Bubbles Nursery Bexley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

On arrival at this homely setting, children are very calm and keen to begin their day. There is a welcoming team of staff on hand to support children settling in who are new to the setting, as well as children transitioning to a new room and learning environment. Parents comment that on asking their child where they would like to go today, their child's response is 'nursery', even on days they are not due to attend. Staff are extremely approachable, warm, friendly and nurturing, leading to established secure attachments with their key children.

Children are happy, and the setting's curriculum offers opportunities for them to follow their interests in the moment as well as teaching the children the language of feelings and emotional literacy. Children are provided with a vast range of opportunities to develop good communication and language as part of whole-group discussions or individually with their key person. They engage fully with activities to support physical development, both indoors through sensory play and outdoors as part of the natural world. For example, pre-school children engage within minibeast hunts using magnifying glasses, and toddlers explore mud kitchens and sand play with various curiosity approach resources, such as kettles and pots. The chef provides a healthy diet and offers recipes that are innovative, such as a cocoa powder and avocado custard dessert.

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

• Children focus on tasks and confidently explore the nursery. Managers encourage them to be creative and think critically through the 'no template' artwork approach. Room leaders enable the children to make their own interpretations, connections, and experimentation, such as through painting 3D objects such as dinosaur figures that a particular child showed an interest in.
• Pre-school children are taught to be risk averse and manage risks competently, such as using the stairs to access their indoor learning space. However, there needs to be more of a focus across the overall setting on the children tidying up the wide range of resources and activities offered to them to reduce unnecessary hazards and avoid potential accidents. This builds on the children respecting their learning environment and their collective sense of belonging.
• Managers have a clear curriculum intent, which is evident within the pre-school room. However, this needs to be embedded fully across the whole setting. For example, pre-school children adore the 'what's in the box?' initiative so much so that the room leader frequently reintroduces the 'box' on the request of the children throughout the day. This results in the pre-school children being fully aware that their interests are being met, alongside encouraging them to express their thoughts, use new words and expand their vocabulary.
• Mealtimes provide opportunities for the children to interact socially with staff and each other. Self-serving is well established, with pre-school children able to hold tongs confidently to choose their meal portions, consolidating their fine motor skills. To build upon this further, toddlers and pre-school children could be encouraged to lay their own tables with their cups, cutlery and personalised placemats. Babies are also encouraged to self-feed with appropriate cutlery provided to them, as well as holding and drinking from their water beakers independently.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour, and they are developing a sense of right and wrong. Managers have implemented 'Super Hero' capes to promote positive behaviour and teach the children to be kind and respectful.
• Leaders engage effectively with the children's families and others in the community, including schools and other local services. The setting has welcomed several visitors who offer enriching experiences, such as drumming, guide dogs and local police officers. However, the setting could arrange opportunities that consider the cultures and heritage of their current families to promote respect for different people.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• raise teaching to a higher level across all areas of the provision. Consistently embed the curriculum across all areas of the provision to raise the quality of teaching to become highly effective
• supervision strategies require a more timely structure, with planning focusing upon staff involvement and managers providing role-modelling opportunities of good practice, particularly the learning and development of babies, to further support staff's subject knowledge to ensure they are fulfilling their roles effectively.