Sunshine Morning Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children eagerly arrive at this truly welcoming and inspiring nursery. Dedicated staff consistently interact and engage with all children in an extremely encouraging and positive manner. They put children at the heart of everything they do. As a result, children are highly motivated to learn and behave impeccably. The passionate manager and her team have created a wonderful learning environment where all children thrive. The highly skilled staff plan and deliver a challenging and ambitious curriculum. They teach children the knowledge and skills they need and give children a strong foundation ready for school. As a result, all children make exceptional progress from their starting points. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Children are highly valued by the encouraging and nurturing staff. Relationships between staff, children and parents are exceptionally strong. These secure relationships help children feel happy and safe as they play and learn. Children show they are extremely independent, confident and curious learners. For example, they independently select their own activities and use their previously gained knowledge and skills to complete difficult tasks. Children show remarkably high levels of engagement in their learning and demonstrate resilience and perseverance. For instance, they spend long periods of time intently tracing pictures, letters and shapes. This helps children make excellent progress with their literacy skills.

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

• The manager ensures that the curriculum is meticulously planned and securely embedded across all areas of learning. Staff use their in-depth knowledge of each child's starting points to expertly build on what children know. This supports children to make excellent progress and achieve the next steps in their learning. All children, including those with SEND, achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Staff support children's physical development extremely well through carefully considered activities and by securely embedding the daily routine. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager places a focus on developing children's core strength, movement, balance and coordination. For instance, staff teach children to safely lift and carry their own chairs and enthusiastically engage them in regular yoga sessions.
• Parents cannot speak highly enough about this nursery. They comment on how their children are developing 'enquiring minds' and how independent children are with self-care. Parents talk about how they see themselves as 'partners in their children's learning'. Staff go above and beyond to support families with children's care and learning. For example, the manager works with parents to register their children with local dentists and helps parents to complete their school applications.
• The manager has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn. She strives for children to be 'happy, confident, independent and excited to learn'. Staff share this vision. They work collaboratively to provide the highest quality education and care to ensure that all children achieve their full potential.
• Staff provide children with a wide variety of activities, both indoors and outdoors. For example, they regularly visit the nursery allotment where they grow their own fruit and vegetables to eat as snacks. They take walks to the orchard and the local country park and have picnics with residents at a local care home. These wonderful opportunities support children to learn about the world around them and strengthen their sense of belonging in the local community.
• Excellent opportunities are in place for the manager and staff to further enhance the outstanding care they provide. Professional development opportunities are thoughtfully chosen to have the greatest impact on children's learning. For instance, all staff recently received training to promote children's movement and motions through dance and music. This has had an extremely positive impact on children's physical development and early literacy skills.
• Children's independence in all aspects of their learning and self-care is superb. Staff diligently provide opportunities for children to be autonomous throughout the day. Even the youngest children demonstrate their independence as they carry trays full of play equipment, wash up their plates and cups and skilfully pour their own drinks.