Bright Horizons Mount Vernon Day Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy coming to this nursery and are safe and happy there. Staff build trusting relationships with them. Children approach staff for comfort and reassurance or to enthusiastically share their ideas.

Children benefit from the focus in the nursery on mindfulness. They learn to notice what is around them and use their senses to explore their environment. For example, children smell different herbs and begin to name them and squeeze them into play dough.

They describe the smell and feel of the herbs. Children have access to several areas designed to support children in self-regulating their emotions, such as the r...elaxation room and the sensory room. Opportunities such as this can help children to feel calm and learn to understand how they are feeling.

Children have many opportunities to contribute their ideas about what they learn about at nursery. For example, they vote which story they would like to read and the children's committee in the pre-school chose to learn about the topic of 'Homes'. This supports children to have ownership of their learning and to make decisions.

Children behave well, showing that they feel safe and secure. Staff clearly explain children's achievements to them. For example, they provide specific praise and say, 'Well done for saying thank you'.

This helps children to understand what is expected of them.

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

Staff work hard to build strong relationships with parents. Parents speak highly about the progress their children are making at the nursery.

They value how approachable the staff are and the regular communication about what their children have been doing each day. Leaders give parents plenty of opportunities to feed back their views about the nursery. They take these views into account when considering how to improve the nursery.

For example, following feedback, staff now make fortnightly calls to the parents of their key children. This leads to strong parent partnerships.Staff confidently explain the progress their key children make and what their next steps are.

They plan successfully, overall, to help children achieve these steps. This leads to children making good progress from their individual starting points.Leaders have implemented a clear and systematic programme of learning for communication and language.

Staff get down to children's level and model language well. For younger children, staff make good use of repetition and comment on what they are doing throughout the day. For example, as babies play with the toy spider in the sand, staff repeat the word 'spider'.

This helps children to learn to name objects. Staff use a wide range of language that children may not have heard before. For example, children are asked to 'examine' and 'observe' what happens when they pour liquid into different containers.

This helps children to widen their range of vocabulary so that they begin to use these new words in their speech.Staff use pictures and colours to teach children of all ages how to recognise what they are feeling. Staff acknowledge children's emotions and offer them comfort and reassurance.

For example, staff in the toddler room reassure children if they are upset because they do not like their food and offer them an alternative. This supports children in understanding their emotions and that their feelings are important.Staff think carefully about how to support children in developing their physical development.

Babies crawl, climb up steps and slide down the slide. Toddlers and pre-schoolers ride bikes, balance on the beam, learn to throw and kick balls and make food in the mud kitchen. Children have many opportunities for mark making, manipulating small objects and scooping and pouring materials such as sand.

This supports them to develop their fine motor skills.Staff and leaders have high expectations for every child and work hard to meet the individual needs of children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well through partnership work with parents and others involved in children's care and learning.

Leaders work hard to ensure that children receive any support necessary from external professionals or internally within the nursery.Staff teach children to identify and manage risks. For example, older children are able to explain why small objects are dangerous to put in their mouths.

This helps children to keep themselves safe.In some rooms, children spend too long sitting at tables or singing on the carpet as they wait for lunch. Some children become restless during this time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates. They understand what to do if they have any concerns that a child may be at risk of harm.

Staff are confident in what to do if they have concerns about the conduct of a colleague or leader. The manager speaks confidently about the processes to follow to keep children safe and well. She stays up to date with any developments in safeguarding, attending meetings and training held by the company or the local authority.

Children understand their own dietary needs well. This helps them to keep themselves safe and will prepare them well for the next stage of their learning journey, such as school.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider transition times to ensure there is not excessive waiting time for children.