Sunrise Early Years and Childcare Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop high levels of confidence and a secure understanding of staying safe from a very young age. They learn about the rules in the nursery, which include listening to instructions, taking turns and using good manners. Additionally, children gain a good understanding of the importance of being kind and respecting others. Young children are confident, follow their own ideas and select resources independently. Children settle in well and develop trusting relationships with their key person and other staff. They show a strong sense of belonging as they confidently move around the nursery environment. Staff implement the curriculum effectively, taking into consideration children's learning needs and seasonal topics. They plan a diverse range of interesting activities and experiences for children.

Staff model language clearly to promote young children's speech and communication skills. Children eagerly anticipate sharing stories from a young age. They also choose books on their own and look through them independently. Children develop a love for books, songs and rhymes, which staff incorporate throughout the curriculum. Staff have a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. They offer praise and encouragement during activities, which promotes children's good behaviour and confidence. Toddlers are curious about new people and keen to involve them in their play, confidently smiling and offering toys. Older children display positive attitudes towards their learning, for instance when they have fun making dough.They discover how flour feels on their hands and changes in consistency when water and oil are added. They describe it as 'slimy' and develop their small-muscle skills by mixing the ingredients to make dough.

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

• Leaders and staff closely monitor children's progress to identify and address any gaps in their learning. They use their findings to plan effectively for children's future progress. Staff share this information with parents to support children's learning at home. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding, make good progress from their initial starting points.
• Staff provide children with plenty of opportunities to explore a variety of natural and everyday objects. For example, children have access to materials, such as paint, sand, soil, pebbles and leaves throughout the day. Staff use these activities to help children to develop their sensory and exploratory skills. Children concentrate as they use paints and discuss their artwork in detail. They enjoy using small rakes to tidy the soil area. However, staff do not always adapt activities well enough to ensure that all children are fully engaged and benefit from the learning opportunities.
• Staff introduce children to new words and concepts while they play, sing, dance and explore. They use props and visual aids to help children to understand instructions and words better. However, some staff speak too quickly sometimes, which does not give children enough time to think and process what is being said. Despite this, children relish playing outdoors and get plenty of fresh air and exercise. Children develop their physical skills and enjoy the variety of the outdoor play equipment and activities.
• Staff promote children's imagination and independence skills effectively. They encourage role play based on the young children's interests, such as playing with musical instruments and caring for dolls. Young children become immersed in their play as they use spoons to feed dolls with leaves. This also helps children to relive experiences and enables them to talk about their real home-life situations.
• Leaders and staff have good relationships with parents. They regularly share children's progress and work with them to support specific areas of learning, such as early writing and independence skills, to prepare them for school. Parents commend the nursery for the quality of care and the progress their children achieve.
• Links with other professionals and agencies are also well established. For example, staff share children's progress with specialists to develop targeted support for children with delays in their language. This approach promotes all-round consistency in children's learning and development.
• The provider has a deep understanding of the staff team. They consistently oversee the quality of practice and serve as a positive role model for the staff in their roles. Staff actively participate in regular training aimed at enhancing their knowledge and refining their teaching abilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider more closely how to adapt activities to ensure that all children fully engage and benefit from the learning opportunities
• provide children more time to think and respond to questions asked, to support their communication and language development further.