The Sunshine Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in a positive and happy environment at this very friendly and inclusive nursery. They form close bonds with staff, who are caring, supportive and kind. There is strong support for children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff praise and encourage children. They carefully keep aside children's pictures and encourage them to show off their achievements to their friends at the end of the session. This helps to raise children's confidence and self-esteem. Secure daily routines help children to settle well. Children are encouraged to sign themselves into the setting at the beginning of the day. This helps them to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.

Staff support children's growing independence well. Children learn how to put on their coats and hats. Staff support them to use cutlery safely, drink carefully from open cups and pour their own drinks at mealtimes. There is good support for children's physical development. Children stretch, roll and run during movement sessions in the nursery's enclosed garden. They develop strength and balance as they touch their toes and balance on one leg. Children enjoy rich opportunities daily for fresh air and exercise. They are active, curious and motivated to learn.

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

• Staff know children individually very well. They plan exciting and challenging activities that they know will interest and motivate them. For example, staff value children's interests by encouraging them to draw pictures of insects and share stories about dinosaurs.
• There is a very good balance throughout the day between children playing independently and taking part in more focused, small-group activities. Children are busy and engaged in their play as they cook, mix, fill and make marks with water, dough, sand and ice.
• Partnership working is a strength of the setting. There is very good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with other professionals in education and health to help to provide a consistent approach to support children's learning and development.
• Staff talk to children about their emotions and promote positive behaviour. They teach them to take turns in group games and to be kind to their friends. However, staff do not always settle children at the beginning of group sessions, in order to help them to be ready to listen and learn.
• Staff introduce new vocabulary through singing, stories and rhymes. They include props and puppets to help engage children in storytelling. Staff use favourite books as starting points for further exciting activities.
• Staff use additional funding to help children to develop skills with their hands and fingers. For example, children take part in workshops, where they learn how to use scissors, fasten buttons and knead dough. Children have fun pinching spaghetti with tweezers and filling scoops with pasta.
• Children have very good opportunities to learn about life and lives outside the setting. This includes trips to a local care home where children enjoy meeting the residents. Children enjoy trips to the park, library and local shops. Staff plan visits to places children show interest in, such as a trip to the local bus station.
• Parents have high praise for the nursery and its manager and staff. They say they feel well informed about what their children do and are very pleased with the progress which they make.
• Parents enjoy opportunities to be involved in their children's learning. For example, they take part in stay-and-play events, where children make gingerbread with their parents and grandparents. When children enjoy planting at nursery, staff send sunflower seeds home with them to grow them with their families.
• Children benefit from nutritious, homemade meals and snacks. Staff encourage them to try new foods and to brush their teeth after eating. Parents are asked their views on menus that are planned, in line with healthy eating guidelines.
• The experienced manager provides strong support for her staff team through meetings, observations and feedback. She encourages their professional development through impactful opportunities for training, for example, on children's mental health.
• The dedicated staff work together very well. They reflect thoughtfully on the experiences for children and their families and use this to plan continuous improvements. The manager and staff are passionate about the service that they provide and put children at the centre of everything they do.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop ways to support and settle children at the beginning of group sessions, in order to help them to be ready to listen and learn.