Bright Little Stars Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are relaxed and happy in this welcoming nursery.

They develop good bonds with staff. Children generally behave well and like to do things for themselves, often demonstrating a can-do attitude. They are inquisitive learners who choose their own play with confidence.

Babies demonstrate a strong exploratory impulse. For instance, they interact with a sensory board and giggle with delight when they touch and feel the different materials and objects displayed. Babies develop good hand-to-eye coordination as they learn to handle books and manipulate objects.

Toddlers explore their curiosity. They enjoy usin...g their senses to smell, squeeze and describe the texture of lemon and mint. Staff provide language such as 'squeeze', 'juicy' and 'tangy'.

Children repeat this new vocabulary when manipulating and handling the different ingredients. At snack time, children practise pouring water from a jug into a cup with some support from staff. When older children arrive at the nursery, they self-register and place their name next to an image to describe how they are feeling.

This helps staff to identify children who may need additional support to settle and be prepared to learn. Children are excited to use plastic knives to cut different fruits and vegetables in the home corner. This helps to develop their fine motor skills and independence skills.

Children show delight exploring ice in the water. They discuss the different animals that live in cold habitats, such as polar bears.

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

Children's language is developing well.

Staff introduce children to new vocabulary and sing 'we are painting' when encouraging children to use a brush to paint their own hand. They provide language, such as naming the colours, and ask children questions to check their understanding.Staff place a focus on children's mathematical development.

Older children use mathematical language, such as 'smaller', 'bigger', 'taller' and 'shorter', to compare the height of different flowers. Younger children enjoy singing nursery rhymes, such as 'Five Little Ducks', and toddlers use objects to learn to count.Some staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and remind children to pick up toys and coats from the floor.

However, these expectations are not consistently reinforced by all staff. This leads to children not following routines and structures consistently. Children are aware of the 'golden rules'.

However, staff do not support children to follow these rules consistently. For example, at times, some staff forget to remind children to wash their hands at snack time and to say 'please' and 'thank you'.The manager supports staff to develop their knowledge of child development and the early years foundation stage.

She works with the area manager to provide new staff with an extensive induction. Staff benefit from a bespoke training package, which is created to meet any gaps in their professional development. The manager is a qualified mental health first aider, which enables her to offer support to staff.

The nursery has a nutritionist who creates the menu, which changes seasonally to ensure that all children have access to healthy and nutritious lunches. Staff manage and pay particular attention to children's medical, dietary and allergen requirements effectively.Staff provide children with a wide variety of activities to develop their fine and gross motor skills.

Children enjoy creating obstacle courses with crates and practise balancing in small groups. They wait patiently for their turn to balance and jump onto the next crate safely. Children work together and cheer their friends on.

Children learn about similarities and differences. Staff and children have opportunities to celebrate their identity and culture. Staff ignite children's curiosity and understanding of different cultures.

For instance, they use an interactive 'around the world' display to show the different parts of the world that children and staff are from.Parents are happy with the communication and daily feedback they receive from staff regarding their children. They are particularly pleased about how their children have developed their communication and language skills since joining the nursery.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents and staff. Staff carry out assessments and make timely referrals to the local authority inclusion team and other external professionals.

The SENCo supports staff to understand each child's learning plan and provides coaching and mentoring to support children effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff have a secure knowledge of how to protect children.

They have a good knowledge of the possible indicators and symptoms of abuse. The manager ensures that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe and are aware of the reporting systems and processes during their induction. Staff know what actions to take if they have a concern about a child in their care.

They are aware of how to deal with allegations. All staff carry out daily risk assessments of their learning environments to ensure that children play and learn in a clean, safe and hygienic environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to consistently reinforce high expectations of children's behaviour nencourage children to follow the routines and structures in the nursery more consistently.