Sunshine Day Nursery York Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed at the door by familiar staff. Experienced staff know children well, which helps them settle quickly. Children show responsibility for their nursery as they tidy up enthusiastically to music. Children are confident to have a go at the activities provided but will seek guidance from staff when needed. Children demonstrate good manners and are reminded if they forget. This helps children to feel safe.

Children's interests are followed to provide learning opportunities as they play. Staff expertly build on what children already know and can do to strengthen their understanding and learning. For example, children demonstrate to staff how to make a sausage from dough. This leads to conversations about length and size as children compare and measure their dough. Children excitedly sing 'Ten Fat Sausages', laughing and shouting out when each one goes bang. Children are making good progress in their learning and development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Babies are using their senses to explore the world around them. They listen and touch as they read tactile books. They listen to the different sounds the sensory bottles make. Babies create their own sounds as they shake and bang their toys together in wonder at the noises they are creating. Babies learn to understand the world around them.

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

• Staff encourage children to recall what they have learned. For example, as children play in a wonderful sea life tray, they recall the names of the animals and fish and where they live. However, staff are not clear about their role in developing the curriculum within each room. For example, children count to 20 when the maths curriculum for younger children encourages them to learn numbers one to five. As a result, a sequenced curriculum is not always clear.
• Babies and young children develop their communication and language skills effectively. For instance, they all join in welcoming their friends at circle time and enjoy joining in with nursery rhymes. Staff pretend to forget words and songs, prompting the children to recall what they already know. For example, the children teach staff the song 'Baby Shark'. Children gain a good understanding of the meaning of words.
• The manager and provider have a positive attitude to improving the nursery. The outdoor area has been developed to ensure children are able to access the outdoor environment in all weathers. Children enjoy collecting water from the water butt then transporting this to the water tray to create a waterfall. All children are developing their physical skills as they climb, crawl and balance.
• Children make good progress in their physical development.
• The nursery's special educational needs coordinator and the manager ensure children with SEND have targeted support in place to support their learning and development. They are persistent in accessing external agencies to ensure children receive the specialised support they need to progress their learning. Communication and language are a priority in the nursery. Additional funding is used to give children experiences that will trigger conversations, such as bus trips, visits to a train museum and a visit from a petting zoo. This gives children a broader range of learning experiences.
• Children are provided with a variety of healthy home-cooked meals that are freshly prepared on the premises. Staff are aware of children's allergies and dietary requirements when serving food and ensure these are adhered to. However, at snack times, staff serve children their snack and pour their drinks. Opportunities to promote children's choice and develop independence by encouraging them to do this for themselves are missed.
• The manager and provider value and respect all the staff team. They encourage staff to build on their skills and knowledge to promote children's learning experiences. Staff have regular opportunities to discuss safeguarding children, child development and their own well-being with the manager.
• Partnership with parents is good. Parents are kept up to date with their child's progress and daily routines through an electronic app. Parents value speaking to their child's key person at pick-up time. This continues to build the already positive relationships staff have with families. Parents commented that they have been kept up to date with recent security changes and the reasons behind them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's understanding of a sequenced curriculum in each room, to strengthen what children know and can do
• ensure staff encourage children to make their own choices and develop their independence during snack times.