Childcare @ Sunbeam

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and at ease. They settle quickly after a friendly greeting from staff, who they have secure attachments with.

Children find their name to self-register and develop early independence while hanging up their belongings. Children develop friendships and readily make choices from a variety of accessible resources, set out in the safe playrooms.Older children buddy up with new children to boost their confidence and self-esteem as they settle.

Children enjoy sociable daily routines, for instance as staff ring the bell for welcome time. Children take part in an overall good range of activities. These help c...hildren, including those in receipt of additional funding, progress well and be ready for school.

Children working below typical expectations are promptly identified and supported to catch up in their development.Children in the pre-school room inquisitively explore and compare vegetables. Staff effectively build on, and reinforce, children's learning, for example through stories.

Children think about which vegetables from the story are missing from those set out in a tray. They create a shopping list from this. Children aged two years delight in exploring sensory media, such as sand, where they pretend to make pancakes in a pan.

They display amusing early imagination in the home corner role-play area, where they learn to share.

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

Staff's qualifications have an overall positive impact on the nursery provision. Staff continually observe and assess children's progress to identify their key next steps in learning.

These are linked to the room planning, which is evaluated weekly and includes children's interests and ideas. These systems are generally successful in helping children to make good progress. However, teaching and certain adult-planned group or craft activities do not optimise two-year-old children's learning.

Staff build on children's knowledge in the pre-school room. For example, when children talk about what they think is a lettuce, staff identify this as a cabbage and explain the difference between the two.Children develop early literacy and mathematical skills.

Older children recognise and write letters, and correctly match objects to laminated number cards. Children aged two years develop strength in their fingers, which aids their future writing. For example, they access resources in the 'funky fingers' area, such as a fishing game.

They use tools such as paint rollers and sand utensils, and manipulate play dough.Staff support children's early communication skills effectively. This is helped through the training that they have attended and early speech initiatives.

Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported and confidently take part in activities and routines. Staff engage two-year-olds in discussions during daily routines, such as snack time.Parents and staff exchange good-quality information to support children's care and learning.

Parents share stories at home through the weekly book scheme and take home-learning activities and resources home. Staff are in the process of setting up interactive training programmes for parents.Staff promote healthy living.

Children freely access outdoors, wherever possible, and staff follow oral health initiatives. Children brush their teeth and staff use sand timers to show how long they need to brush their teeth for. Staff reinforce messages about healthy living through books, photographs and role-play resources.

The manager works directly in the pre-school room each morning as the room leader. Consequently, she oversees provision and monitors staff's practice directly. The manager has a generally accurate view of what needs to improve, and staff questionnaires help to inform training.

However, there is scope for the manager to better monitor and support provision for the two-year-old children.Children learn about their community, for instance through local walks and visiting shops. They learn about special celebrations within families, observe diversity around the nursery and recycle items to support charity events.

Staff model positive and respectful relationships to children, who play well together. Overall, they promote positive behaviour, for example through displays, tidy-up challenges using timers and songs that make daily routines fun. However, at times, younger children in the pre-school room require more support and direction to help them focus, engage and follow expectations.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The provider has rigorous recruitment and vetting processes to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff undertake good risk assessments to minimise hazards.

Access to the nursery is stringently monitored. As part of this, coded key pads are fitted and external gates are secured when children play outside. The manager has a strong knowledge of child protection issues.

She works closely with other professionals to promote children's welfare. Staff can identify the possible indicators of abuse and complete regular safeguarding training, to keep their knowledge updated.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review adult-led craft activities and group times, and teaching during these activities, to match them more closely to two-year-old children's abilities provide greater levels of support for the younger children in the pre-school room to focus, engage and understand behavioural expectations strengthen monitoring of practice in the two-year-old children's room, to more precisely oversee the curriculum and target continued professional development.