Stars Day Nurseries Ltd t/a Stars Pre-School Westwood/Ravensthorpe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and ready to learn. They separate from parents independently and wave them goodbye. Children choose an activity and are engaged in their learning. They develop strong relationships with their key person and look to them for reassurance and support. The key person monitors children's learning and plans meaningful activities for them in the setting and to do at home. This means that children's learning is shared and well supported.

Children are kind to each other. They share experiences and achievements and praise each other. During activities, children comment 'that was perfect', copying the actions of members of staff. Children are confident to talk to each other, and they ask staff for help when needed. They share their experiences with visitors and are proud of their achievements. Children show pictures that they have drawn and skills that they have learned. They are given opportunities to develop their independence. For example, they wash their hands, peel their own fruit and wash up their plates after snack. This helps to develop children's confidence and independence ready for their next stage of learning.

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

• The management team has implemented a strong curriculum that is unique to the setting. They focus on children's personal, social and emotional development, along with supporting families and the local community. Staff have recognised the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, there is a strong focus on improving children's language and communication skills.
• Staff provide children with high-quality learning opportunities. Children are excited to join in, and focus on their learning. However, children do not always remain engaged and are sometimes easily distracted, especially during transition periods. For example, children wander around the room while staff prepare for lunch and help other children to get ready to go home.
• Staff provide children with a vast amount of learning opportunities. They are aware of children's communication and language development, and ensure that there is always a language-rich environment. Staff talk to children during play. They initiate conversations and listen to children when they respond. They provide children with communication aids, such as visual cards to support language development. Children are confident to talk to visitors and share their experiences. Children who speak English as an additional language are closely monitored, and staff ensure that their language skills are well supported.
• Children learn about the importance of healthy eating. Parents are encouraged to provide a healthy lunch. The setting provides children with extra fruit and vegetables when needed, due to the current cost of living crisis. This means that children have a healthy and varied diet, and staff support families who may not
• Inspection report: Stars Day Nurseries Ltd t/a Stars Pre-School Westwood/Ravensthorpe 2 25 April 2023 be able to afford fresh fruit and vegetables.
• The management team follows a safer recruitment procedure to ensure that all staff working at the setting are safe to do so. Staff take part in regular supervision meetings and managers give valuable feedback. Supervisions are used to identify training needs and therefore staff receive the correct training to develop their skills and knowledge further.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Staff support children and work closely with other professionals to provide them with the best possible outcomes. Staff share information with parents and hold regular review meetings. Professionals support the setting to set challenging targets for each child. Therefore, children make good progress.
• The strong management team in place at the setting provide staff with exceptional support. As well as a designated 'well-being officer', the setting also ensures that all staff have access to a free counselling service. Staff report high levels of support from the management team, and explain how they have adapted working hours, when needed, to support them further. This provides staff with flexibility, understanding and a supportive team around them. Therefore, staff morale is high and they enjoy working at the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide consistently high-quality learning opportunities for children at all times, particularly during transition periods.
• Inspection report: Stars Day Nurseries Ltd t/a Stars Pre-School Westwood/Ravensthorpe 3 25 April 2023