Shining Stars Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Babies form close relationships with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care. They show confidence, wave their hands and smile at visitors. Babies spend time exploring sand and soil. Staff show children how to use small tools to dig. They laugh with staff as sandcastles tumble over and work together to build new ones. Staff gather detailed information from parents when children first start. This helps them to understand what children know and can already do. Children settle quickly.

Staff work hard to create a rich environment for children. The manager and staff design their curriculum to support all children to prepare for what they need to learn next. There is a strong focus on promoting children's personal, social and emotional development. This is sequenced well according to children's age and stage of development. For instance, staff working with toddlers model good manners and encourage children to share and take turns. Children form friendships and help each other to dress. They are independent and creative learners. For example, during role-play games, children dress in school uniforms. They help one another to use fastenings. Other children look in mirrors and hang bracelets around their ears and pretend to wear hooped earrings. Children show good levels of imagination and offer to make others cups of tea and ice cream with sprinkles.

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

• The manager evaluates the nursery well. She seeks the views of others, including parents, staff and children, to help to identify areas for improvement. The manager supports staff to develop their skills and knowledge, such as through regular supervision sessions and training sessions at team meetings. Staff say that they feel supported in their role and the manager promotes their well-being.
• Staff read stories to children and sing their favourite nursery rhymes. They encourage children to choose their favourite story to read and children join in eagerly with the repeated words and phrases. This helps to develop children's communication and language skills. Pre-school children join in with conversations with staff about their recent holiday experiences. They talk in detail about their trip and recall their favourite experiences.
• Generally, children behave well. Staff offer praise and encouragement and are good role models. However, sometimes, children are not supported to understand how their own feelings and behaviours can impact on others.
• Children learn to develop good self-care skills from a young age. This includes learning to serve themselves at mealtimes. During outdoor play games, children learn to balance, climb, run, jump and manoeuvre around objects. Some younger children ask for help and hold out their hands as staff support them on stepping stones. Staff show children how to use wooden planks to create a ramp to walk along. Children benefit from regular exercise that helps to develop their physical skills and are provided with healthy choices at mealtimes.
• The manager and staff work in partnership with a range of external professionals. This includes schools where children move on to after their time at the nursery. They share regular information to help to provide a continued approach to children's learning. The manager and staff seek advice from other professionals to offer support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They support children to make good progress in their learning through specific action plans.
• Partnership working with parents is effective. Parents are complimentary about the care that their children receive. Parents compliment the manager and staff on how quickly their children settle and for the quality of information shared. Parents explain that they are aware of what their children are learning and are provided with ideas to try at home.
• Transition arrangements throughout the daily routine are not well embedded. This means that some children are left waiting for too long to go outside to play or for the next part in their routine. As a result, some children lose interest in their play and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance children's understanding of how their own feelings and behaviours can impact on others
• embed transition arrangements throughout the day to ensure that children are not left waiting for too long to go outside to play or for the next part in their routine.