Sunrise Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are very nurturing. They surround all children with lots of love and comfort, where required. This helps children to feel safe and settled at nursery. Staff use what they know about the children to help calm them down when they become slightly unsettled. This works extremely well. Staff softly remind children of the rules, where required. This helps children to understand what is expected of them. Children behave extremely well. Babies enjoy joining in with familiar songs and rhymes. They smile and laugh as they join in with some of the sounds and actions. Older children show their imagination as they 'make up' their own stories during mark-making activities. Staff work well in partnership with others. This helps to ensure all children receive the consistency they require.

Staff have a clear understanding of the curriculum. They think carefully about each child's needs and use this to plan an array of meaningful activities for the children to engage with. Consequently, all children make good progress in their learning. Babies eagerly engage in sensory activities, such as water and sand play. They use the tools, their hands and their feet to explore the different materials. Staff continuously talk to the children about how they can keep themselves safe while they play. Older children show their knowledge of this as they share the rules for 'walking down the stairs' safely.

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

• Leaders have taken the setting on a journey of improvement. They have used the feedback from others and their own evaluations to help develop a clear vision and self-evaluation plan. Leaders now use this effectively to monitor the quality of the setting and to help identify where the setting can make continuous improvement over time.
• Recruitment and vetting procedures are effective to check that staff are suitable to work with children. Induction procedures are robust. This helps to ensure that all staff fully understand the nursery's policies and procedures. For example, staff carry out comprehensive risk assessments to ensure the environment is safe and suitable for children.
• Leaders have developed a curriculum which is varied and ambitious for every child. They have tailored their curriculum well to build on what children already know and can do in stages. Staff plan a range of purposeful activities, which all children thoroughly enjoy. However, there are occasions where staff do not think carefully enough about how they organise activities or resources to enable children to become fully immersed in the learning experiences on offer.
• Leaders place focus on supporting children's communication and language development. Staff surround children with language at every opportunity. Those that work with babies and younger children narrate as the children play, using rich descriptive words. Children have access to a range of stories which they help themselves too. Staff read clearly and with lots of expression.
• Staff know their key children extremely well. They find out children's starting points from parents. Staff then continue to observe and assess children's development over time. They use this information to help identify any gaps in children's development and to plan next steps for children to achieve. This helps to ensure all children continue to thrive in their development.
• The special educational needs coordinator works well alongside parents, staff and other professionals. This helps to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they require. Leaders think carefully about how they use any additional funding they receive to help meet children's individual needs.
• Parents speak highly about the nursery. They state that their children are happy and settled. Staff gather and share key information with children's parents over time. They keep parents informed about daily activities and how they can support their child at home.
• Staff describe leaders as very helpful. Leaders place focus on improving staff's well-being and providing staff with the coaching they require. Leaders encourage staff to reflect on their own practice and together they identify targets and training opportunities. However, there is scope to refine this further to help enhance staff's teaching practice. For example, at times staff solve problems for older children, rather than giving them the space and/or time they need to develop their critical thinking skills.
• Staff recognise and respond to children immediately when they become hungry, if they require changing or when their noses need cleaning. They show the children lots of respect during these times as they ask the children's permission before they carry out any care duties.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the organisation of activities and/or resources in order to support all children to become fully immersed in the learning experiences on offer
• support staff to provide greater opportunities for older children to develop their problem-solving skills.