Shining Futures Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy and full of enthusiasm. Staff warmly welcome them into the setting with their parents. They have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children behave well and emulate staff's positive and friendly conduct. Children know what is expected of them and understand the rules in the setting. They willingly stop their activities and pack away when it is time to tidy up. Children share toys with their friends and develop an awareness of taking turns.

Staff plan a range of experiences for children to learn about the world around them. Children enjoy a broad range of outings, where staff help them to learn about communities beyond their own. For example, groups of children have recently visited a toy museum, the park and a science museum. This helps children to further build on their experiences.

Leaders have created an ambitious and broad curriculum, which supports children of all ages. Staff provide children with a range of challenging and motivating activities and experiences. For example, they encourage older children take risks and enjoy being active in the outdoor area. Toddlers use various tools in paint to create their own pictures and babies readily join in with action songs.

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

• Parents are complimentary about the setting. They comment that staff are very approachable and their children develop good social skills. Staff work closely with parents and provide regular updates about their child's progress. They share information with parents in a range of ways. For example, staff speak with parents at drop off and collection times, hold regular parent meetings and encourage parents to view and add to their children's online learning records.
• Staff support children with transitions, which helps children to adapt well to change. For instance, staff provide a tailored and flexible settling-in process to meet the individual needs of children. They help older children to get ready for their move on to school by increasing their independence. Additionally, staff promote children's confidence in early writing and mathematical skills, which prepares them well for going to school.
• Staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's early literacy skills. Children develop a love of books and stories. Each room has a wide selection of books and children enjoy sharing stories. Staff support children to care for the books, and remind them to handle them carefully and make repairs alongside the staff when the books are broken. The setting has a home lending library, where children and their families can borrow a wide selection of books. Children also attend regular trips to the local library.
• Staff are kind and offer comfort when children need it. There is an effective key- person system in place. This supports children's emotional well-being. Staff make timely interventions to help support children's learning and development. For example, each child's key person completes regular observations and assessments and takes prompt action if they identify any gaps in children's learning. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress.
• The setting provides freshly cooked and healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. Mealtimes are sociable occasions in all rooms and staff encourage children's independence. Older children serve their own food, pour their own drinks and babies and young children learn to feed themselves.
• Overall, children's communication skills are supported well. Older children have meaningful discussions with staff and each other. Toddlers are keen to tell their friends what is happening next, and babies enjoy singing action songs. However, on occasion, the rooms can be very noisy and staff speak loudly over each other. As a result, some children become louder and some of the quieter children go unheard.
• Leaders prioritises staff's well-being. Staff comment on how valued they feel. Leaders complete timely supervision sessions. However, they are not always focused on improving staff's skills and knowledge to the highest level. For example, at times, staff do not allow children enough time to think and formulate their response when asking questions during activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make sure that all children are listened to, such as by helping staff to create a quieter environment
• provide support and training opportunities for staff to ensure that they give children thinking time when asking questions.