Shining Stars Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive confidently and are greeted by friendly staff who know them very well. Children have strong bonds with staff, whom they seek out for comfort when needed. Staff nurture the children's emotional development.

They provide a calm and soothing environment which has recently been renovated to ensure all children's needs are met. When children do not understand their feelings and emotions, staff are quick to calm them and explain what they are feeling. As a result, children's behaviour towards their friends and adults is wonderful, and helps them to feel safe and secure.

Children enthusiastically create potion...s as they add ingredients to a large cauldron. They marvel at the colour-changing tablets as they fizz in the water. Children add frozen blocks of ice and watch them melt.

When they add conkers, they question why these are not floating, and explore what floats and what sinks. Children create wonderful aromas as they add spices and leaves to their potions. They use their senses to enhance their learning.

However, staff do not always check what children have learned or understood, which could limit future learning.

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

The nursery's educational programme is planned around children's interests and needs. Stimulating and challenging activities focus on what staff want the children to learn.

For example, babies enjoy posting different-sized pom-poms into small jars, with increasing difficulty. Older children investigate the many autumn objects collected by the children. They use magnifying glasses to look at the leaves, and smell the fir cones and conkers.

Children are making good progress in their learning and development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.Staff expertly bring the teaching of mathematics into their interactions with children. They encourage children to count, compare sizes and recognise shapes.

This helps children to learn simple mathematical vocabulary, in preparation for school.Staff encourage children to develop good communication and language skills. They repeat words often and speak in short sentences, especially with the babies.

Children are given a choice of two books, for which they vote by using small bricks - the tallest tower wins. However, children do not have consistency in the books they read. This limits the anticipation of what is to come in stories.

In addition, it reduces the words that children learn, including those who speak English as an additional language.Older children learn to be independent, in preparation for school. They put on their own coats and shoes, and wash their hands.

They chop and butter their snacks, and serve themselves their healthy lunch, prepared by the nursery cook.As children wait for their food to arrive, they think about and describe the wonderful choice of meals that could be on their plate.Children get lots of fresh air in the outdoor area.

They practise their physical skills as they balance on the tyres, chop herbs for their dough and use their imagination in driving the train. Children enthusiastically join in the 'music and movement' session as they jump and stretch to the music. They make good progress in their physical development.

All staff have done a vast amount of training since the last inspection. This includes enhancing their understanding of the curriculum and what they want to teach children. The manager regularly checks staff's knowledge with random questions and discussions.

Managers and staff take part in peer observations in all the rooms. This ensures staff have the skills and knowledge to support the best outcomes for children.Partnerships with parents are wonderful.

Parents value the lovely caring relationships staff have with their children. Staff take time to speak to parents, to pass on information or just to reassure them about their child's well-being. Staff and parents share daily information via an electronic app.

Parents attend termly meetings with their child's key person to discuss their child's ongoing progress and any ideas, to support their learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers have ensured the premises are safe and secure.

Daily risk assessments are carried out, and procedures are in place to ensure any identified risk is quickly removed or repaired. A daily register is kept of all children and staff, including times they attend the nursery. All staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe.

Staff are knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child could be at risk of harm. They know the procedures to follow and who to contact, to raise any child protection concerns about a child or adult.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nevaluate what children know and understand following activities, to ensure future activities meet the learning needs of the children provide a selection of core stories to enable children to anticipate story lines, develop a good vocabulary of words and develop a love of story books.