Stars Day Nurseries Ltd t/a Stars Pre-School Dogsthorpe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children attend this setting with great joy and with an exceptionally keen interest in learning. Staff are warm and responsive towards the children's needs and help them to feel safe and secure in their environment. Children demonstrate extremely high levels of self-esteem as they show delight in their achievements. For example, children eagerly show how they can pour their own drinks at snack time, as staff celebrate their success and offer meaningful praise. Children have exceptionally good behaviour and understand why behaviour rules are in place. They are considerate of others and have excellent manners. Children can be heard saying, 'excuse me please' and 'thank you' as they navigate around others throughout play.

Children are consistently challenged and supported by highly skilled, nurturing and attentive staff. They spend large amounts of time deeply immersed in the extensive array of learning opportunities that are on offer. For example, children concentrate as they use pincers to collect coloured animals from the water tray and place them in the correct coloured cups. This means that all children, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities, make rapid progress from their starting points and are ready for the next stage of their learning.

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

• The quality of teaching is outstanding. The setting builds a secure foundation, where children can flourish in all areas of their development. Staff have a firm understanding of the curriculum intent and the ways in which they are supporting the children in their care. They effectively observe children and track their progress to ensure they are meeting their developmental milestones and quickly identify when children need additional support. As a result, children make excellent progress in their development.
• Staff skilfully support children's mathematical development at every opportunity. For instance, children eagerly collect balls as staff encourage them to count how many they have and identify if they are 'big' or 'small'.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff gain a wealth of information about what their children can and cannot do before they start. Parents discuss how happy and settled their children are and that they are making great progress in their learning and development. They comment that staff are approachable and go above and beyond what is expected of them to help support children and parents.
• Children's communication skills are expertly supported in this language-rich environment. Staff speak slowly and clearly, repeating words and modelling sentences. This especially supports children who have English as an additional language. Children show exceptional recall and fluency as they repeat phrases from familiar stories and discuss what will happen next. Staff understand the importance of enhancing children's early literacy skills by, for example, arrange for a local librarian to visit the setting to read stories to develop children's love of reading.
• Staff help children to gain an excellent understanding of the benefits of healthy eating. They work closely with parents to encourage them to provide healthy and nutritious packed lunches. The setting has ample opportunities for children to play outside and engage in physical activities. Children confidently make obstacle courses in the garden as they learn how to balance and climb independently. Staff teach children how to maintain good oral hygiene through well-thought-out activities. For instance, children learn how to brush their teeth correctly and use pretend teeth and toothbrushes to brush the 'germs' away.
• The management team are dedicated and passionate leaders and ensure that the setting is an integral part of the local community. They are involved in regular charity events and work with the local children's centre to support families and the wider community. This enhances children's understanding of other people and their needs and beliefs.
• Staff well-being is a key focus for the management team. They encourage staff to develop their knowledge and skills and have regular supervision to support their welfare. Staff describe the management team as 'extremely supportive and approachable' and comment that they 'absolutely love their job'.