Bright Horizons Westchester House 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 in this warm and welcoming, child-centred environment.

Staff build close, nurturing relationships with children, which supports children's emotional well-being to a high degree. Children and babies settle quickly with familiar adults they know well. Behaviour is good.

Older children begin to self-regulate their own behaviour. They understand about sharing, working together, taking turns and considering the feelings of others. The management team and staff are dedicated and committed to providing high standards of care and learning for children.

They actively promote inclusion and work... hard to meet families' individual needs, including supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have high expectations for all children. They have a good knowledge of the children in their care and the key-person system is effective.

Staff help children to broaden their experiences and prepare for the next stages in their learning. For example, parents are encouraged to borrow books from the newly introduced 'lending library' and share them at home to further develop children's early reading skills. Children's individual experiences and cultures are highly valued.

Staff encourage children and families to share the festivals they celebrate at home with the other children at the nursery.

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

Members of the management team support staff development well. They observe staff practice and together they reflect on strengths and areas for development.

They work well with parents and other agencies and use similar strategies to continue children's learning. This effective flow of information helps children to benefit from the consistent approach to their needs. That said, staff have not fully considered how to encourage parents to consistently contribute to the progress review for children aged between two and three years.

Staff teach children mathematical skills effectively through different learning experiences. For instance, they encourage children's counting skills, and inspire them to explore and compare sizes as they make 'doughnuts' with the play dough. Children learn to identify 'tiny', 'bigger', 'smaller', 'medium' and 'massive'.

Children are physically active inside and outdoors. Staff sensitively support them to develop their physical skills and their own sense of risk taking. For example, children enjoy climbing the hill in the garden and running down again as fast as they dare.

They demonstrate that they can adjust their speed and avoid obstacles in their way.Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with SEND. They know children well and find out what they understand and can do through observations and assessments.

Staff track children's development and plan for their next stages in learning. Children make progress and develop skills for the future.The manager and staff support children's developing communication and language skills well.

However, even more opportunities could be provided to help children who are learning English as an additional language during activities planned for them by key persons.Children of all ages are inquisitive and motivated to learn. They are curious about new people and keen to investigate new experiences.

For instance, older children confidently talk with the inspector, show her the seeds they are growing and share what they like about their nursery. The youngest babies also engage with the inspector, bringing her into their games and demonstrating their growing confidence and self-esteem.Younger children enjoy relaxing in the nursery's sensory area, which aims to provide a calming experience for them.

For instance, children are able to lie comfortably as they watch patterns on the ceiling and the sensory bubble lamp change colour. Staff use this opportunity well to encourage children to have some quiet time, for example to reflect on how they are feeling.Staff support children to develop their literacy skills effectively.

For example, older children practise writing their name on the interactive whiteboard and use pens to write labels for the displays they make.Staff are consistent in their management of children's behaviour and make their expectations clear. Staff offer younger children praise and gentle reminders to encourage them to share and be kind to their friends.

Children respond to this very well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team follows effective recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure staff working with children are and continue to be suitable to do so.

Staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They know the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare or a colleague's practice. Staff work with children and their families to provide support and advice.

They link with other professionals, such as health visitors, to offer specialist guidance to families during difficult times. Staff supervise children well and conduct thorough risk assessments of the premises to help keep all areas safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nexplore additional ways for parents to contribute to the progress check for children aged between two and three years, to provide the most accurate record of children's development further support children who speak English as an additional language to hear and see visual references to their home language and incorporate this within their play and learning.