Sunny Days Honiton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are keen to begin their learning. Staff provide a rich and varied curriculum that enables all children to make good progress in their learning. For example, toddlers sort different-sized and coloured teddy bears, counting as they go, supporting their early mathematical skills. Babies enjoy exploring different textures such as spaghetti, and they mix it with water and take turns, supporting their personal, social, emotional and creative development. Pre-school children learn about the cycle of life through planting seeds and tending to them. Staff are enthusiastic, and there is a good key-person system. They know their key children well and what they need to learn next to prepare them for the transition to the next room or the move to school.

Children behave well, and they are polite, well mannered and take turns. Younger children are supported well to learn the simple rules, such as 'kind hands', 'kind words' and sharing. Older children learn about British values. For example, they vote on what activities they will have out later in the day. Children celebrate different cultures, and they recognise each other's uniqueness and learn to respect and value others. For example, children learned about the Hungarian festival 'Holloko'.

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

• The management team has designed the curriculum with an emphasis on communication, language and literacy to support children in becoming confident, independent and lifelong learners. For example, staff with babies and toddlers use simple songs and rhymes to promote children's communication and language. Staff in the pre-school room read a book about a shark learning to share. They talk about the different emotions, such as worried and lonely, and give children a clear explanation of what the word means and when they would use it.
• Children show good levels of independence throughout the nursery. Pre-school children serve their own snacks and meals, and toddlers are encouraged to bring their plates and cups to the table to be washed up. However, at times, when pre-school children are clearing and washing their plates, they lose focus and their behaviour deteriorates.
• Staff build strong partnerships with parents. They use a variety of ways to communicate with them, such as an online app, talking at arrival and collection times and through opportunities to meet with their child's key person. Staff talk about how the children are progressing and activities they can do at home to support their children's learning. Parents report that staff are very caring and know their children well. Parents of pre-school children talk about how well the children are being prepared for the move to school.
• There is a strong management team that has various support systems in place to make sure that staff are clear on their role and responsibility. There are regular supervision sessions where they talk about what staff do well and anything they need to improve on. Staff state they feel valued and well supported.
• Children's mathematical skills are promoted well throughout the nursery. Staff use every opportunity to support children with counting, sorting and matching and measuring and comparing. For example, children compared different lengths of blocks and measured them using a ruler and a tape measure. They progress on to measuring each other and identifying who is the tallest and whether they are the oldest.
• There is an exceptionally knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), who ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and receive the targeted interventions to help them make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review large group times in the pre-school room to ensure that children are not waiting long periods of time during routines such as washing their plates and cups after snack time.