Sunflower Lodge Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's future success is built on the excellent foundations that are laid during their time spent at this nursery. Children benefit from meaningful teaching and the attentive support offered by staff during every moment throughout the day. They confidently explore their environment with curiosity and excitement. Children's exemplary behaviour and consideration for the rules of the nursery, designed by staff to keep them safe, mirror the harmonious environment. Calm and relaxing music plays quietly in the background as children develop and learn. Children's well-being and their emotional security are at the heart of their positive relationships with staff and a skilfully designed environment. As a result, children are making exceptional progress in their learning and development.

Visits into the community give children opportunities to develop their understanding of the world. Children participate in learning at a local woodland. They become familiar with the journey that they take each week. They happily greet members of the community along the way, using the social skills that they have learned. Children's perseverance and concentration grow through experiences on offer. For example, older babies find bubble mixture that has been tied to a tree. They watch carefully as a member of staff takes the bubble wand in and out of the tube. Children follow this direction and then after just a few tries, they develop their hand coordination and successfully dip the wand into the mixture. Older babies then practise the blowing technique, which develops the mouth muscles that they will soon use for talking. They are keen to keep trying and show their joy through proudly pointing and smiling as bubbles start to appear.

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

• Every staff member uses consistently high-quality methods of teaching. The excellent progress that children make stems from the secure attachments that they have with staff. All children are becoming confident communicators. Staff provide a language-rich environment. They frequently use books to introduce new words and have high aspirations for children to build their vocabulary. For example, babies are encouraged to repeat the word 'helicopter' from a book. They are praised as they make four sounds which follow the pattern of the word they have just heard.
• Staff have embedded a culture of respect in the nursery, which is shaping admirable qualities in children's character from a young age. For example, staff ask babies for their permission before they put on their bibs at mealtimes. Babies respond by smiling, acknowledging that they are happy for this to happen. Older children show how these experiences have developed their character as they politely raise their hand at mealtimes to ask for a second serving. Staff are undoubtedly helping children to build behaviours that they need to make positive contributions in their future lives.
• The management team works tirelessly to provide opportunities for children to broaden their experiences. Additional funding is used to ensure that these experiences are available for all children. For example, the manager hires a local swimming pool so that staff can teach older children how to play safely in water. Children further benefit from this as they get ready to go to school. They practise how to change between clothes, which they will do when they participate in physical education lessons. This helps children to develop the skills they need to look after themselves and keep safe.
• Both managers demonstrate a lifelong commitment and passion to securing the best outcomes for all children. This starts with their investment in staff development. Each staff member has a unique learning and development plan. This is created around extremely effective performance management systems. Training and targets focus specifically on children's care and development needs. For example, staff have received training around how to best support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These children are flourishing as they progress through the 'nurture model', which staff have developed by receiving such relevant training.
• The effective partnerships that staff have with parents and external professionals further contribute to securing outcomes for children. Progress checks for children aged between two and three years are completed by staff in partnership with the child's health visitor. This means that any concerns about children's health or development can be quickly addressed by the necessary people. Parents say that the support they receive to help their children develop at home has helped their children to be ready for school. This joined-up approach means that children are reaching their full potential in their early years.