Bright Horizons Crofton Day Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the nursery and happily say goodbye to their carers.

They settle quickly into a warm, welcoming environment, where staff are there to offer them support and encouragement. Children show that they feel secure and form strong and positive relationships with staff. For example, young babies indicate they would like a cuddle from staff when they require some extra comfort.

Children's behaviour and attitudes are good. They play with each other and work cooperatively with staff. Children receive good individual support through an effective key-person system, where staff carefully help them achieve the next... steps in their learning.

Staff value and focus on children's needs and well-being. They teach children how to deal with and express their emotions. Children have access to a designated area, which staff use when children require a quieter space in which to learn.

The nursery is divided into three rooms, which provides care for children of different age groups. Children are free to access resources and follow their own interests. They also enjoy spending time outside in the nursery's roof terrace.

Children run around happily and enjoy making towers with bricks, watching them fall down and smiling with delight.

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

The new management team, which has been in place since last year, aims to continually raise the quality of what the nursery has to offer. Managers strive to achieve the best outcomes for all children.

They have identified the things they wish to improve on, and the nursery is now benefiting from some of the changes that they have made. For example, staff have redeveloped the roof terrace and increased opportunities for prospective parents to visit the nursery, with a recent introduction of a baby group.Managers and staff know what they want children to learn.

They aim to prepare children for the next stage in their learning and have the skills that they need for life beyond their school years. Staff sequence the curriculum, so that it builds on what children know and can do over time. For example, at lunchtime, children are first introduced to using beakers, then move on to a cup and then when they are ready pour their own drinks from a jug.

This helps to support children's physical and independence skills.Children behave well. They are polite and caring to each other and staff.

Children learn to take turns, share and cooperate. They learn about similarities and differences. For example, children who speak other languages and are from different cultures have books displayed in the room, which gives them information.

However, staff do not consistently support all children to develop their understanding of British values. For example, there is not yet a consistent approach across the nursery to teach children such things as saying 'please' and 'thank you'.Parents are very complimentary of the nursery.

They comment that staff regularly share information with them about their children's learning and development. Parents say the managers are 'brilliant' and particularly like attending events, such as the recent Mother's Day tea. Parents say that their children are happy, and since have been attending the nursery their social skills and confidence have improved.

Children's language is developing well. They benefit from lots of stories and rhymes, which helps them to learn new words and vocabulary. Overall, staff communicate with children well.

However, they sometimes forget to extend children's language by giving them more detailed explanations to help them understand the meaning of new words. Staff do not consistently model how children could respond to questions, to add even more words to their vocabulary.Children are independent.

They enjoy making their own choices and selecting their own resources. Children's health and hygiene are also effectively supported. They know to wash their hands before eating and use nose-wiping stations.

Staff support children's small physical skills in readiness for early writing. For example, younger children practise using spoons when eating and older children use resources, such as tongs and scissors, to cut play dough.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff understand their roles. They can recognise the signs for the different types of abuse. Staff know who to go to if they feel a child is at risk from harm.

Managers have a robust recruitment process to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff supervise children well. They have a range of systems in place, such as regular head counts and a traffic-light system for mealtimes, to ensure that children are safe while at the setting.

Staff use a mascot in the rooms to help remind children of the things they can do to keep themselves safe. For example, the mascot sits on the table while children use scissors to cut some dough.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to adopt a more consistent approach in supporting children's personal development and understanding of British values nensure that children's language is extended at every opportunity by giving them more detailed explanations and modelling ways in which they could respond.

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