Sunbeams Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children arrive happy and settle well. They form warm relationships with staff and enjoy playing with their friends.

Staff caring for babies meet their care routines consistently, and cuddle up with them for bottle feeds. Staff prepare the activities for children's arrival, and encourage them to lead their own play. However, not all children benefit from good-quality interactions from staff.

For example, staff supervise babies to ensure they are content, but do not all interact in their play to enhance their development. Staff caring for older children do not encourage every child's communication and language skills well.... On occasions, staff do not use the activities well to keep children engaged, and they lose interest.

Staff help children to understand the 'golden rules' to develop positive attitudes and good manners. Children behave well, learn to share, take turns and help others. Staff address any small issues through calm discussion.

Children take pride in their achievements and enjoy handing out stickers as rewards, such as when they help to tidy up messy activities. Staff maintain a safe and secure environment in which they help children to learn about keeping safe. For example, children learn about the risks of standing on chairs.

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

The provider has made some improvements to address weaknesses from the previous inspection. Staff benefit from an induction to prepare them for their roles, and follow effective hygiene procedures. The key-person system is now established, and staff know the children well.

However, this is not sufficient to improve the overall quality of provision.Children's learning experiences are not consistent throughout the nursery. Staff caring for the youngest children do not all join in their play to encourage their exploration and development.

For example, non-mobile babies spend periods of time looking around without staff interacting with them, and are not always included in singing activities.Some staff do not support children's communication and language development effectively. For example, they do not all respond to babies' babbles and gestures, and do not model language clearly to encourage older children's speech and language.

Staff plan a balanced curriculum to support children's learning targets. However, they do not adapt some mixed-age activities to meet the needs of all the children joining in. As a result, some children are kept waiting and lose interest.

Some staff provide older children with challenges to build on what they already know and can do. For example, they encourage them to count, learn about quantity and to explore how colours change when combined in a dough making activity.Staff help children to develop some of the skills they need in readiness for school.

Children develop good independence, learn to change their clothes, and manage responsible tasks, such as helping to prepare snack time. Older children learn about letters and sounds and show an interest in books.Children benefit from regular active play to develop their health and physical skills.

They ride wheeled toys with coordination and balance, climb, and play ball games in the garden. Indoors, they sing action songs. Babies practise crawling and walking safely.

The provider follows robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children, and staff complete all required training. However, the provider does not use effective staff supervision to ensure they all have good knowledge and skills to meet children's needs well. For example, some staff are unsure how to support babies' learning, and to help older children make better progress in their language development.

Staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They know the risks to children and correct procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child or adult to safeguard their welfare.Parents share positive views regarding the care of their children.

They state, for example, that their children are happy and settled. They appreciate the communication from staff regarding their children's well-being, care routines and development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve the quality of staff interactions with children to support their development, particularly their communication and language skills 27/02/2024 improve staff supervision arrangements to ensure all staff have the knowledge and skills to meet children's developmental needs, particularly those caring for babies.27/02/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop the use of activities to ensure children of all ages engage well in their play.