Shining Stars Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this exceptional nursery where nurture and inclusion are at the heart of everything that staff strive to achieve. Children arrive full of enthusiasm for the day ahead. They immediately engage with the highly stimulating and inviting learning experiences that surround them. Staff show deep respect for children's unique learning styles and individual needs. They skilfully build a meaningful and engaging curriculum that ensures every child builds on their existing knowledge and skills. All children make rapid progress from their starting points. Children continue on their educational journey with high levels of confidence, independence and motivation. Staff immerse children in an environment that is rich in language. Children hear and absorb ambitious vocabulary as they playfully engage with staff. For example, when children make sand towers, staff introduce the word 'collapse'. Staff carefully repeat the word as children watch their buildings topple over.

Children form strong and trusting relationships with staff and one another. Staff are extremely effective in embedding high expectations for children's behaviour. Children learn to recognise and reflect on their emotions and feel secure to express themselves. Staff empower children to make their own choices. For example, they delight in having opportunities to vote for a weekly activity. They learn from a young age how some decisions are made democratically. Children demonstrate high levels of determination and perseverance. For example, when using balancing equipment, they carefully watch others and practise repeatedly until they master how to use their arms to steady themselves. They beam with delight when they complete the circuit without support, demonstrating strong self-esteem.

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

• Inspirational leaders create an environment where the rich diversity of the local community is fully recognised and valued. Leaders understand and appreciate the challenges that some parents and carers may face and do their utmost to remove any barriers. This provides children with the opportunity to flourish and experience the best start in their education and care with highly skilled and dedicated practitioners.
• Children demonstrate a strong desire to explore and discover things for themselves. They become deeply immersed in their self-chosen activities, showing interest in using their senses to make sense of the world around them. For example, after listening to a favourite story they are keen to experiment with rolled oats and water to make their own 'crumble'. They repeat rhyming phrases they have learned from the story as they mix the ingredients together. Children have immense fun as they re-enact the story with toy characters.
• Leaders and staff provide an exceptionally broad range of experiences to enrich children's understanding of society and the world in which they live. These include regular cooking activities, visits to the local community, celebrations of religious and cultural festivals and special visitors to the setting. Children learn how to weigh and measure ingredients when baking and talk to their friends about some of the cooking and family experiences they have at home.
• Leaders demonstrate a strong desire to enhance and improve outcomes for children and families. They continually assess the provision and identify key areas that will have a significant impact on children's learning and development. The outdoor area is regularly reviewed to ensure it provides an array of purposeful physical experiences to help children build stamina, coordination and a wide range of movements. This gives them an extremely strong foundation on which to develop future skills.
• Partnerships with parents and carers are exceptionally strong. Workshops are regularly planned to give parents useful information about aspects of children's education, such as mathematics and the transition into school. This helps parents to support children's learning at home. Individual support plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are regularly reviewed and discussed with parents. Staff work very closely with parents and use additional funding effectively to support children's developmental needs. This helps all children to reach their potential.
• Leaders hold the same high ambitions for staff members as they do for children. This creates an atmosphere where all staff share a desire to achieve and maintain the highest standards. Leaders value training and development which is carefully chosen to maximise the impact on children. For example, staff have further enhanced their skills in promoting children's communication and language. Staff use highly effective teaching strategies and give a strong focus to language and literacy in all activities. Leaders regularly monitor practice to ensure interactions are effective and provide the best possible learning experiences.