Sunny Days Pre School Lyneham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provider has devised a curriculum that helps children gain the skills they need for future learning. Younger children develop their awareness of numbers. For example, staff support them to hold up the correct amount of fingers to represent a number. Older children use language such as 'square' and 'triangle' when building with magnetic shapes. Staff provide opportunities for children to build their independence skills. For example, children pour their own drinks and use various tools such as tongs to serve their own food during snack. Physical development is a strength of the nursery. Younger children develop their balance and coordination as they confidently ride tricycles in the garden. Older children develop their bigger physical skills as they run, jump and crawl over and under the climbing equipment.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and gently remind children of these. This helps children to understand rules and boundaries. Children behave well and are kind and caring to each other. For example, younger children share their pumpkin seeds with their friends and say 'thank you'. Older children give praise and encouragement to each other as they build a garage using magnetic shapes and say, 'That's so nice.' Children form wonderful friendships with their peers and key persons.

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

• Staff have good knowledge of children's interests and next steps in learning. Staff use this knowledge to plan activities that they know children will enjoy. For example, children show interest in trains and begin to build the wooden track. However, at times, activities do not fully engage children in their learning, and children lose focus and wander off. This means children do not fully benefit from these learning experiences.
• Staff gather information regarding children's development from parents, helping to form good starting points for children. The provider uses effective assessment to monitor children's progress and places focus on ensuring any gaps in learning are quickly identified. The provider works closely with outside professionals and parents to implement effective support plans, helping all children to make good progress in their learning.
• Overall, staff support children's language skills well. Older children are confident communicators and enjoy conversations with each other. For example, children talk about their favourite colours when playing, saying, 'I like pink. What is your favourite colour?' Staff encourage younger children to sign thank you and introduce new vocabulary such as 'slippery' as children explore pumpkins. However, on occasions, staff are less engaging in their interactions with children and do not always fully support their emerging language skills.
• Children develop a love of literacy from an early age. Younger children explore books independently, and older children choose their favourite books for staff to read. Staff read stories and talk about what is happening in the book. However, staff do not always organise activities to minimise distractions. This means that children struggle to remain focused and they move on to another activity.
• The provider helps children to learn about their community. The emergency services and armed forces have visited the nursery and children learn about people who help us. The local farm visited and children enjoyed petting and discussing the different animals. The provider recognises the value these experiences have on children's development and implements this well, ensuring children develop a broad understanding of the world around them.
• The provider has a clear action plan in place to aid the nursery's development and works closely with the local authority to input these plans. Staff feel well supported and have a positive attitude towards continuous professional development. Staff have recently completed training that has provided more knowledge of how to incorporate mathematics into daily routines, helping children to develop these skills from an early age. For example, staff help younger children to count the chairs at lunchtime.
• The staff have developed good relationships with parents, who report positively on the support they receive from their children's key persons. Parents comment on the effective information-sharing and enjoy taking part in various events such as afternoon tea. The provider invites parents to attend workshops offering advice and guidance to help parents continue learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide support for staff in planning activities that fully engage children, helping them to maintain interest and develop curiosity in their learning
• develop staff's understanding of the importance of quality interactions with children to further support children's communication skills
• review the organisation of small-group times to minimise distractions, helping children to sustain their concentration and focus for longer periods of time.