Burstead Bears Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well cared for in a welcoming and homely nursery environment. They develop warm relationships with their key person and the staff team as a whole. Babies show interest and curiosity, and benefit from staff who engage closely and enthusiastically with them. They show that they feel safe as they smile and snuggle into staff for comfort. Children develop strong bonds with staff, who know their care needs well. Older children enjoy taking part in number games where staff encourage them to find one more and one less than a given number. Toddlers enjoy squashing and kneading play dough with their fingers and using different tools to cut out shapes and make patterns. Staff engage children in discussions about the shapes and colours they are using, to secure their understanding of mathematical concepts.

Children develop good levels of independence. For example, younger children know to throw their tissue away after wiping their nose. Older children learn to dress themselves and attend to their self-care needs. All children develop strong physical skills as they learn to navigate different obstacles in the garden. Staff are always nearby to help when children need their support. Children's behaviour is good. Staff gently remind them about taking turns and sharing. This helps children understand how to play alongside others.

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

• The managers and staff team have worked hard since the last inspection. They have implemented changes to improve the quality of the nursery. As a result, they now provide a wonderfully calm and rich learning environment with plenty of experiences, which the children readily take part in. Children show a positive approach to learning and are extremely eager to explore. This means that children acquire the skills, attitudes and abilities to prepare them for the next stage of their development or school.
• The managers and staff have high expectations for all children. They closely monitor children's progress and follow their emerging interests. Staff use this information to deliver a curriculum and learning environment in which children flourish.
• The managers lead their team well in a programme of reflective practice and ongoing improvement. Staff benefit from a good range of opportunities to help keep their knowledge and skills up to date. They attend ongoing training and participate in regular staff meetings.
• Children's speech and language development is supported from the start. All children access a wide variety of books and stories. Staff read stories in an animated and engaging way. They ask older children questions that help them to focus their attention and recall the sequence of the story.
• Children are developing their early writing skills by using an abundance of sensory materials. Babies use small finger muscles to make marks in paint covered with bubble wrap. Two-year-old children explore the consistency of 'Gruffalo crumble' made from oats and flour, which staff provide based on a current favourite story. Older children write their names and develop pencil control.
• Staff provide good support and guidance to parents, for example parenting advice and ideas on how they can help to promote their child's learning at home. The settling-in process and transitions between rooms are planned effectively. Parents express high levels of gratitude and appreciation.
• Children enjoy freshly cooked and nutritious meals and snacks which are provided by the nursery cook. Mealtimes are a social occasion where children sit together with their friends and staff. This creates a relaxed family atmosphere.
• Overall, there is effective support to promote children's learning. Staff interact well with the children and spend a good amount of time joining in with their play and guiding their learning. However, occasionally, some staff miss fully engaging and extending all children's learning in group activities.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are supported to practise their English and words in their home language. However, not all possible opportunities are built on to support children to use their home language in a range of different ways.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the planning and teaching of group activities to ensure that they consistently support the learning needs of all children as well as possible
• use every opportunity to help children hear and use their home language during play and activities, to further support their development of speech.