Shooting Stars Nurseries Bromsgrove

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children build close bonds and attachments with staff, and relationships are secure. Younger children seek reassurance from familiar adults when they are unsure of visitors to the nursery. Older children enjoy talking to visitors and involve them in their play. Children develop independence. They make choices regarding their play and serve themselves at mealtimes and snack. Staff support younger children well during developmental milestones, such as toilet training. Children's individual care routines are well known and incorporated into the nursery day.

Children benefit from plenty of exercise. They enjoy being active and move their bodies in different ways to music while singing loudly. Children follow actions, such as pretending to be animals and making the chopping actions of a shark biting, as they sing.

Children behave well. They learn respect and kindness, and listen to what others have to say. Clear and consistent boundaries give children a feeling of security, and gentle reminders from staff mean they understand what is expected of them. Children play well together. They build their awareness of diversity and the wider world. Children talk about cultural events and celebrations that are taking place and enjoy talking about things they have done at home with their families.

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

• Managers and staff within the nursery have made significant improvements since the last inspection. Action taken to address issues raised at the last inspection has a had a positive impact on practice to support children's learning and development and improve outcomes for all children.
• Staff plan activities for their individual key children. They observe and assess children's abilities and use this to plan activities to support their future learning needs. However, there are times when activities do not match the planned learning intent, and some learning opportunities are missed.
• Secure relationships blossom between children and staff. Staff use time getting to know parents and children effectively to find out as much information as possible about each child. Staff use this to help children settle and successfully meet their needs throughout the day.
• Parents are delighted with the service provided by managers and staff at the nursery. They comment that the care provided is 'flawless' and they could not ask for better. Parents particularly like the strong communication between staff and themselves, keeping them informed and involved in their child's learning.
• Resources are plentiful, and the environment is inviting and exciting, capturing the children's interest. Staff continually support children's language and communication skills. They encourage babies as they babble, and use lots of simple words during interactions with them. Staff's facial expressions reaffirm to them when staff are pleased and excited by things that they have done. Toddlers hear new words and staff ask them simple questions to encourage them to talk about what they are doing. Older children enjoy sharing their own ideas and experiences and recalling past events.
• Staff meet children's care needs effectively throughout the day. They ensure that younger children rest and sleep according to their needs. Staff and children give and receive cuddles and affection readily.
• Children benefit from a wide variety of balanced, nutritious foods that take into account children's individual dietary needs, preference and any allergies they may have. Staff act as positive role models and eat with the children. Conversations during mealtimes are plentiful, which further support children's social skills.
• All children enjoy sensory experiences. Babies enjoy feeling sand between their toes and fingers. They show wonder when staff dim lights, and they explore different-coloured lights that turn off and on as they tap them. Children poke, roll and manipulate dough, and make marks in flour.
• Staff provide activities that link to some children's interests. However, staff do not always provide enough information to children in advance to ensure that they all understand the concept of the activities. For example, staff provide young children with sand, shells and toy fish, but not all have visited the seaside.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make sure that teaching during some adult-led activities more consistently matches the planned intent for children's learning
• build on current practice to provide points of reference for children when unfamiliar concepts are presented to them.