Sunshine Corner Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this warm and welcoming nursery. They settle quickly after arrival and immediately become engrossed in their chosen activities. Staff playfully interact with children and are enthusiastic in their approach. For example, they sit in the hairdresser's chair and encourage children to engage in back-and-forth conversations. They praise children in their abilities to wait patiently and take turns. This captures children's interests and engages them purposefully in their learning.

Staff have high expectations of all children. When children struggle to manage and understand their emotions, they are supported quickly and effectively. As a result, behaviour is consistently good. Children's good health is positively promoted and supported by the staff, which results in better outcomes for children. For example, children are encouraged to practise good oral health routines. Some children clean their teeth after meals and staff have received specific training to support parents and children in their promotion of keeping healthy and active.

Children take pride as they tend to their home-grown plants, both inside and out in the garden area. They are encouraged to save their fruit and vegetable peelings to compost and use in gardening activities later. Experiences such as these inspire children's curiosity and awareness of the wider world.

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

• Staff plan a broad and challenging curriculum which helps all children to achieve, regardless of their individual circumstances. For example, staff use mindfulness activities to support children's social and emotional development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive well-tailored individual support. Staff also work closely with outside professionals. This helps them to utilise their expertise, to help children to achieve their full potential.
• Older children receive meaningful learning through engaging teaching and a wide range of activities, particularly in activities that appeal to their individual interests. As a result, they are well prepared for school. However, staff do not consistently plan what they want children to learn and in what order. This does not help to build children's knowledge sequentially.
• Children are exposed to activities that promote their awe and wonder. For example, babies explore various textures and materials, and toddlers help to take care of the resident African land snail. Older children learn high order language, such as 'vapour' and 'avalanche' as they investigate and experiment with making snow clouds in a jar. As a result, children remain engaged in their thought processes for extended periods of time. They watch in delight as they observe the effect of their own skills, using equipment that they might not usually have access to.
• Children are skilful communicators. They eagerly share their creations with the inspector and question why she is visiting their nursery. Staff ensure that they provide a running commentary as children play. This helps to ensure that children hear a rich variety of vocabulary to strengthen their communication and language skills. At times, however, staff do not give children enough time to respond to their questioning. For example, they provide the answer or move the conversation along too swiftly, before allowing children to reply. This means that children do not consistently think independently and may not have the opportunity to extend their learning to gain the best possible outcomes.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery. Parents comment on how staff are responsive to their children's needs. They also praise staff for the support they offer to meet the needs of children who speak English as an additional language. Parents are happy with the online application, which allows them to receive daily notifications about what their children have been doing during the day. They are also encouraged to extend children's learning through suggested activities to complete at home.
• Leaders and managers are committed to making improvements and strive to provide the highest quality care and education. They evaluate their practice and share their ambitious plans for development. Leaders thoughtfully consider staff well-being and give them suggestions on how to maintain workload and positive mental health. Staff confirm they are happy and feel valued.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to further enhance children's learning
• provide children with more time to respond in conversation and independently think through their ideas to extend learning even further.