Bright Horizons Stony Stratford Day Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at the nursery and are making good progress in their development. Children are highly articulate and express themselves and their ideas well. They talk about the things that interest and amuse them.

For example, children talk imaginatively about what they create with dough, enthusiastically describing their one-eyed cat monster. Children draw on their previous learning and become confident to talk about what they know and understand. They talk intently about skeletons.

Having learned about skeletons, children explain that without muscles, skin and a t-shirt to hold them up they would be wobbly.... Over time, children build the skills that they need for writing. Young children play with dough and start to feed themselves as they strengthen the muscles in their hands.

In the pre-school room, children put their skills into action and are proud of the letters that they write to their parents. Staff have high expectations for children, and teaching across the whole nursery is of high quality.Children behave extremely well.

Staff support them to develop ways to manage their behaviour and feelings, such as listening to their breathing. They plan well thought out activities to encourage children to share and take turns. Children work together to complete a puzzle one piece at a time.

This is one of the many ways that staff help to promote children's well-being.

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

Staff are expanding on the use of natural resources in the nursery, giving children experiences outside the ordinary. They create interesting activities for children, for example ice eggs with dinosaurs hidden inside.

Children ponder how they will help the dinosaur to hatch from the egg. This ignites children's interest as they learn through activities that are stimulating and exciting.Leaders plan a curriculum to meet the diverse needs of children and to prepare them in readiness for the next stage in their learning.

However, this is not yet fully embedded. On occasion, staff are unsure of how to put the curriculum plans fully into action. As a result, staff do not consistently have a clear focus for some activities to further build on what children know and can do.

The nursery works effectively to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff ensure that there are plans in place to support children and work collaboratively with other professionals to meet children's individual needs. Staff ensure that children experience challenge to keep them motivated.

They provide extension activities for children when their development exceeds expectations.Staff pay close attention to children's dietary requirements and promote children's good health. Children grow vegetables in the nursery garden and help the chef to prepare healthy meals.

Staff supervise children while they eat, paying attention to ensure they are safe and that mealtimes are a learning experience.Staff plan activities to encourage children's awareness of different home cultures and backgrounds. This helps to create an environment where children feel included and welcome.

Children enjoy warm relationships with their key person. In the beginning, staff get to know children and spend time building their confidence as they become accustomed to spending time apart from their parents. Young children follow routines that meet their individual needs for rest and sleep.

Children snuggle up closely with staff as they begin to feel tired. This helps children to feel relaxed and rested.The manager leads the nursery with a strong sense of direction.

Staff feel happy and supported in their work and have regular supervision sessions that help them to develop their careers. The staff are highly qualified. They reflect upon how their training and qualifications help them to support children and work successfully with parents.

Staff work effectively with parents. They share information in accessible ways, for example using an app to share photographs of children's learning. Staff form close links with children's families and know their key children well.

Children take turns in taking the nursery teddy bear home with them. This helps to promote conversation back at the nursery as children tell their friends about the teddy bear's activities with their family.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders implement effective measures to ensure that there are robust safeguarding procedures in place for the recruitment of new staff. This helps to confirm that those who work with children are suitable to do so. Staff know about child protection issues in the local area and are alert to signs and symptoms that indicate children might be at risk of harm.

They understand about the added pressure from the COVID 19 restrictions and how this can negatively impact on children's welfare. Staff know how to report any concerns about children's well-being to the local safeguarding partners.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop staff's knowledge of the curriculum intentions so that all activities for children have a clear focus.

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