Bright Horizons Southampton Day Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily. They are welcomed into the nursery by friendly staff. They separate from their parents with ease.

The kind and attentive staff support babies with a cuddle. They guide older children to put away their belongings and self-register their attendance. Children benefit from a good variety of experiences in the broad curriculum that is planned for them.

Staff plan activities based on children's interests. Children make good progress from their starting points and are supported to catch up if any gaps in their development are identified. Children are curious and motivated to learn in the stimulating a...nd inviting environment.

For example, babies enjoy sensory play during body painting activities. Toddlers play harmoniously together with baby dolls during imaginative play. Older children experiment with light, using different coloured torches.

Children behave well. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children learn how to deal with different emotions.

For example, they enjoy listening to 'The Colour Monster' stories. Staff encourage children to name emotions and share how they are feeling. This helps children to manage their emotions and behaviour well.

Staff are proactive in embedding routines and expectations that support children to look after themselves. For instance, they help children to understand the importance of good hand hygiene by following the nursery's health and safety mascot's visual timeline for handwashing.

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

The manager reflects on practice and evaluates the nursery regularly to develop and improve children's experiences.

She is passionate about bringing change to improve outcomes for children. Staff report that they receive positive and purposeful feedback. This supports them to develop good practice and helps children to make good levels of progress.

The manager carries out regular supervision meetings with staff. She ensures that staff have extensive opportunities to complete training during working hours. Staff are encouraged to explore and pursue other areas of learning that they are interested in.

This helps to improve staff well-being and enhances their continuous professional development.The manager has built positive links with staff at local primary schools. There are effective systems in place to support children to transition to school.

Staff take children to the local schools, and teachers visit the nursery. This helps to promote consistency in care, learning and children's welfare.Staff provide a language-rich environment for all children.

Babies enjoy listening to stories, which introduces them to new words. Staff interact with younger children through song and rhyme. Older children are encouraged to share their thoughts during group activities.

Staff use signing in their interactions with all children. This supports children to communicate in other ways and helps them to become confident and fluent communicators.Leaders support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

The special educational needs coordinator signposts parents to other professionals in a timely manner. She closely follows guidance from professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to ensure that children's learning and care needs are met. However, the manager does not always ensure that all staff are supported to learn the skills needed to engage children with SEND in purposeful learning.

This means that staff are not always confident in their approach.Staff provide children with good opportunities to support their physical development indoors and outdoors. For example, babies practise their gross motor movements during painting activities.

Older children enjoy moving their bodies in a variety of ways and joining in with ball games, which encourages hand-eye coordination.During the inspection, parents gave very positive feedback about the staff and the progress that their children make. Staff support parents to extend children's learning at home by, for example, providing a lending library.

Parents are regularly invited into the nursery during celebrations, such as 'Gradfest', to celebrate children transitioning on to school and other areas of the nursery. Where children speak or hear languages other than English in their home lives, staff liaise with parents to learn key words to aid communication and to help children feel fully included.Staff have positive attitudes towards promoting children's good health.

They weave healthy eating into children's learning. For instance, children enjoy activities based on their favourite books, such as making 'Gruffalo Crumble'. Children use the language of measurement, which supports their understanding of mathematics and problem solving.

These activities help children to feel valued and support them to develop their independence skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager provides consistent opportunities for staff to update their knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe.

This includes completing safeguarding and first-aid training. Staff know the signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures to follow if they are concerned for a child's safety. They are aware of the steps to follow should an allegation be made against a staff member.

The manager has effective procedures for the recruitment and induction of new staff. Staff make sure the premises are secure to ensure children cannot leave unsupervised and any unauthorised visitors to the setting cannot gain entry.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff who are less confident working with children with SEND to improve their skills and techniques to engage these children in more purposeful learning.