Bright Horizons Kenton Day Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are safe and happy.

They enjoy participating in the wide range of interesting learning opportunities. Children have strong bonds with staff and are quick to approach them if they need reassurance or comfort. Leaders have high expectations of every child, including those with additional needs.

Children speak a rich variety of languages. Staff support children well by communicating with them in their home language where appropriate. Children develop their independence well.

Younger children set their own place mat, begin to pour their own drinks and learn to use a knife and fork. Older children get thei...r plates, cutlery and cups and carry them to the table. They then serve themselves their lunch and help tidy away their dishes.

Developing self-care skills such as these helps to ensure that children are well prepared for school. Children follow the behaviour expectations of the setting well. They respond well to the warm praise which staff offer them.

For example, children beam with pride as staff offer them a high five and exclaim, 'well done for helping to clear away the dishes!'. This positive reinforcement helps children to display expected behaviours.

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

Leaders implement an effective curriculum for communication and language.

Staff get down to children's level and narrate as they play. They effectively expand on what children are saying or doing to build quality two-way interactions. Staff introduce a wide range of new vocabulary to children.

This helps children to learn new words and build their vocabulary.Staff use songs and stories well to support children's language development. Staff engage children in familiar songs throughout the day as they play, and they ensure that children hear stories regularly.

As a result, children develop a love of books and expand their vocabulary through stories and songs.Staff help children to build connections between current learning and previous learning. For example, during lunchtime, staff talk to children about why they should eat their vegetables.

They remind them of an activity they were doing exploring how vegetables help their bodies earlier. This helps children to deepen their understanding of their learning.Leaders implement a successful curriculum for physical development.

Children develop their fine motor skills as they make marks with various materials, thread beads onto string and pour or scoop sand. Staff plan many opportunities for children to develop their gross-motor skills. Children climb up rope ladders, ride on bicycles, play chasing games with staff and balance on beams.

This helps children to make good progress in their physical development.Leaders work hard to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with external professionals to set targets for these children and implement recommended strategies to help them to achieve these targets.

This ensures that children's individual needs are met.Staff have a good understanding of the progress that their key children have made and their personal interests. On occasion, some staff do not understand well enough what their key children should achieve next in their learning journey.

At these times, staff focus on what activities children should do, rather than what they need to learn next to continue to progress in their learning.Leaders support staff in their professional development well. They use individual supervision meetings effectively to support staff to identify any areas for improvement.

Leaders implement targeted support and training to help staff to improve their practice where necessary. This leads to good outcomes for children.Leaders build strong parent partnerships.

Parents understand what their child does each day due to strong communication via an app and verbally. Parents appreciate the warmth of the staff and the way that the nursery prepares children for school so well. These strong parent partnerships help children to transition well between home and nursery.

On occasion, staff do not consider how to ensure that routines are well structured and consistent. For example, some staff take too long to prepare children's beds for them to sleep after lunch. During this time some children become unsettled.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have good knowledge of what to do if they have concerns regarding a child's well-being. They attend regular training to ensure that their safeguarding knowledge is kept up to date.

Important safeguarding information is clearly displayed in the setting for staff to access if necessary. Leaders receive safeguarding updates from the local authority to ensure they are aware of any specific safeguarding issues in the local area. Staff support children to understand how to keep themselves safe from harm.

For example, they talk to them about any allergies that children have. This will help children keep themselves safe when they start school.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider how to embed routines more securely, particularly at transition times support staff to set consistently effective targets for children based on what they need to learn next, to continue to make good progress.