Starlights Daycare Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the setting happy to start their day. Staff work closely with parents and children to form strong bonds. This helps children to feel secure and settle quickly. Staff engage with children on their level and provide them with choices throughout the day. Consequently, children are becoming confident individuals.

The manager and her staff create an environment where children can engage in a range of self-chosen experiences. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and focus for long periods of time with the support of the staff. Babies immerse themselves in water play as they hunt for ducks as staff sing the 'Five Little Ducks' nursery rhyme. Toddlers develop their creativity through junk modelling as staff encourage them to use their imagination to create characters from the 'The Gingerbread Man' story. Staff introduce pre-school children to mathematical concepts, such as currency, as they act out real-life experiences. All children are making good progress in all areas of learning.

Staff support children in managing their own behaviour. They explain to children the expectations and how their behaviour may impact on other's feelings. As a result, children demonstrate a good understanding of rules and behave well. For example, children inform their peers when there is space for them to join an activity, taking turns effectively.

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

• The manager has addressed the actions raised at the last inspection. She has designed clear procedures for risk assessing the environment, which helps to ensure that it remains safe and secure for children. Additionally, all staff have now undertaken adequate induction training, which supports their knowledge and understanding of working with early years children. Consequently, significant improvements have been made to the care and education the children receive.
• The manager has designed a planning structure that supports staff in implementing the curriculum intent into the experiences they provide for children. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of what they intend for children to learn. However, when implementing activities, staff focus more on the overall learning outcomes and do not always consider how the activity will meet the individual learning needs of the children. This results in children not consistently benefiting from tailored activities that support their individual needs.
• Staff read stories to children throughout the day. In every room, children can be seen seeking out staff to read a story with them. Younger children finish the end of sentences when listening to their favourite book, 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Older children make links between their own experiences and books. For example, while eating their dinner, children talk about the 'evil pea' from the 'Supertato' story that they have been reading in pre-school. Children are developing a love of books.
• Staff support children in developing their physical skills effectively. They encourage babies to navigate their space and learn how to use equipment independently in the outdoor area. Older children engage in activities that develop their small-muscle movements, such as mark making in sand. All children are developing confidence in their physical skills.
• Children are taught how to respect others. They are regularly provided with experiences that support skills such as sharing and turn-taking. Staff clearly explain behavioural expectations to children. They give them choices in what steps to take next and how these may impact on others. This helps children to take responsibility for their own actions and understand how their behaviour may affect their peers.
• Staff embed children's understanding of healthy practices. Toddlers explore a selection of fruit and vegetables at snack time, which encourages them to try different foods. While washing their hands, pre-school children demonstrate a good understanding of hygiene practices as they state they are 'washing away the germs'. Children are learning how to keep themselves healthy.
• The manager reflects well on staff practice. Since the last inspection, she has implemented regular supervisions. She works closely with the local authority early years team to provide appropriate training and support for staff. However, this is not yet fully effective. Opportunities to observe staff practice are not consistently embedded. This means staff are not always given effective targets to improve in their practice, to be able to progress children's learning further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to support staff to focus more precisely on individual children's next steps during adult-led activities
• provide more opportunities to reflect on staff practice to be able to provide them with targets tailored to support their ongoing professional development.