Starbrite Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content at this vibrant setting. As they arrive, they are eager to greet their friends and embrace staff with hugs. Children behave well and show positive attitudes towards their learning. They enjoy spending time outdoors and show good levels of physical endurance as they play ring games. Children confidently complete an assault course and cheer each other on. They talk about the effects that exercise has on their bodies and discuss the importance of keeping active. Staff teach children well about keeping healthy. They support children to brush their teeth and help them to understand the importance of eating nutritious foods. Children relish opportunities to grow vegetables and talk about the smell of onions that they are growing outdoors.

Children take part in yoga lessons. They learn new moves, concentrate on their breathing and meditate to calming music. Children enjoy participating in dancing and singing lessons. They share books with their friends and dress up as their favourite characters from different stories. Children show good levels of independence. For example, they help to tidy toys away and put their own coats on. Children have a strong sense of belonging and are keen to show the inspector their artwork. They attempt to write their names and gain the necessary skills in readiness for their move on to school.

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

• Leaders want the very best for children, families, and staff. They are passionate about giving every child 'the foundations to build our world'. Self-evaluation is focused and includes the views of staff, parents and children. Leaders aspire for the setting to be outstanding.
• A well-sequenced curriculum is in place, which builds on what children already know and can do. Staff use their knowledge of child development to ensure that activities match children's interests and fascinations. However, the organisation of some group-time activities mean that they are too long. As a result, some children lose interest in the activities and become restless.
• Staff prioritise children's communication and language skills. They check how they can best support children to develop good speaking and listening skills. For example, they introduce new vocabulary to children and model how to blend letter sounds together. Children delight in these experiences and are confident communicators.
• In the main, supervision and appraisal systems for staff are effective. However, leaders have identified that they would like to strengthen these systems further. For example, they want to provide staff with more detailed feedback about their interactions with children, to help raise their practice to a consistently high level.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Leaders ensure that children and their families have access to relevant support. This means that no child is left behind. Links with external professionals are strong and children with SEND make good progress.
• Parental partnerships are a golden thread of this good quality setting. Parents commend staff for their loving natures and state that the setting is 'amazing'. Parents receive regular updates about their children's time at the setting. Links with the local authority and other childcare professionals are robust.
• Additional funding is spent well. Leaders ensure that children have experiences that they might not usually get, such as a visit from farm animals. Children relish these opportunities, which helps them to understand the world that they live in.
• Staff support children's literacy development well. A successful lending library is in place and children take books home to share with their families. Staff read to children with interest. Children share books with each other, look at the illustrations and talk about the characters that they like the most.
• Staff teach children very well about similarities and differences between themselves and others. This helps children to understand respect and tolerance, and some of the ways that they are unique. For example, children confidently talk about different families. They compare the colour of their eyes and skin. Children are confident to be themselves and develop a good understanding of life in modern Britain.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• better organise some group-time activities, so that all children engage well in their learning
• provide staff with more detailed feedback about their interactions with children, to raise their practice to a consistently high level.