Stars Nursery Southgate Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter this inviting, small nursery and separate easily from their carers. They are content and settled in this family atmosphere. Children share close bonds with staff, who are kind and nurturing. Babies seek comfort from staff who know the best way to soothe them. This shows they feel safe and secure in their care. They follow consistent daily routines, which help them to feel safe and secure. Each morning, shortly after children arrive, they form a circle and sing familiar songs and rhymes together.

Children gain key skills in readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as the move to school, which is on the same premises. This ensures a smooth transition. They confidently greet the staff and their friends. Children delight in dancing and singing to music. They engage enthusiastically, clapping their hands and stamping their feet in time to the music and are beginning to learn the words of the songs, both in English and Hebrew.

Children behave well. They understand staff's expectations and eagerly make choices about their play. Children decide if they would like to play inside or outside. Children enjoy a range of activities that support their physical development. They climb and balance on apparatus and display confidence when using the slide. Children develop their arm strength and coordination. They choose their paint colours to swirl and swish with brushes and carefully fill buckets with sand and mud. Children use their imagination as they ride around on wheeled toys, and pretend they are driving cars on the road.

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

• Managers are reflective of their practice and regularly review the standards of care and education at the playgroup. They are ambitious and meet with the staff team to identity professional development opportunities and areas for improvement. They are quick to identify any early concerns and know where to access early help from the local authority. Managers have plans in place to raise qualification levels, to attend further training, to try and be the best they can.
• Staff prepare activities based on the children's interests. For example, staff put out a large tray filled with ice, snow and polar bears, all in blue. Children excitedly begin to explore the tray and investigate the feel and textures of the ice and snow. They say the words: 'It feels cold'. Staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn from the activities they offer. They know children very well and respond quickly to their interests. They say: 'The children make the magic.'
• Children enjoy playing a range of games to develop their early technological skills. They learn cause and effect as they build towers and knock them down.
• However, the curriculum has yet to consider how to use opportunities to support their understanding of digital safety, for both the children and their families, and where to get support should they need it.
• Children enjoy freshly prepared meals. These are made on site and take account of children's individual dietary needs, preferences and any allergies they may have. Children have free access to drinking water throughout the day. They practise their independence by pouring their drinks and self-serving their food. They wait patiently for their friends. Even young children demonstrate good feeding skills, as staff support and prompt them to use cutlery. This prepares them well for their future.
• Staff value the diverse nature of the setting and embrace a wide range of festivals and events celebrated by the children and families in their care, such as Festivals of Light. Staff encourage children to discuss unique members of their family, and children love identifying their photographs. This supports children to learn and value everyone's differences and promotes a mutual respect for those in the community around them.
• Overall, partnership working is strong. Staff form links and share information with the on-site school, and provide much needed childcare for many of their staff and working parents. Parents speak highly of the caring and friendly staff, and have written positive letters praising the work of the setting, with phrases like: 'My son comes with a smile and leaves with a smile.' They receive newsletters and have daily discussions with staff about their children's time at the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance opportunities to support children's and their families' understanding of digital safety and where to get support should they need it
• continue to develop staff's professional development and qualifications to help children make consistently good progress in their learning and development.