Sunbeams Educare Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and develop close friendships with others.

They have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They play purposefully for sustained periods with their friends without the need for adult intervention. Despite many of the children being new to the setting at the time of inspection, they were extremely settled.

They knew the routines and were highly confident. This demonstrates that they feel safe and secure. Leaders have high expectations for children.

They continually look at ways to enrich children's learning. The environment is well planned and provides children with a wide range of interes...ting learning experiences. Staff seek ways to extend children's vocabulary, introducing new words relevant to their conversations.

For example, they talk about animals that hibernate in autumn and nocturnal animals that come out at night. Staff recognise that all children have different experiences outside of the nursery and take account of this when planning activities. Children play imaginatively with their friends and make up stories.

Staff regularly transform the role-play area to provide some children with completely new experiences. For example, they pretend it is a museum, as children take on the role of a curator and replicate paintings from famous artists.

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

Leaders operate a fully inclusive nursery which is accessible to all.

Children learn about the culture, language and history of different countries. Staff provide them with opportunities to talk openly and ask questions about similarities and differences that make them unique. This helps children to develop their understanding of diversity and to learn respect and empathy.

Children show high levels of self-control and move between routines with minimal distraction. They listen to staff and quickly and efficiently respond to their requests when it is time to tidy away resources. At circle time, children promptly sit and are ready and eager to learn.

They are extremely well behaved, thoughtful and considerate.Children maintain high levels of focus and concentration throughout the day, whether playing in adult-guided activities or engaged in independent play. They show a can-do approach and keep trying hard.

For example, they independently get dressed to go outdoors. Older children help younger children to do the zips up on their coats. Children independently search around the nursery for resources they need to fulfil their goals.

They look for 'sticky tape' to stick their creations together during a craft activity and find it on another table. Children tell the inspector that they must be careful with scissors, demonstrating their understanding of risk.Staff prepare children for a large-group story time with mindfulness activities to mentally prepare them for settling and listening to the story.

Children listen with interest as staff read to them. They become actively involved in stories, finishing off sentences and recalling missing words. Staff pause to listen to children's comments.

This provides children with high-quality opportunities to develop their communication and language skills.Staff develop effective partnership working with parents, who comment positively on the nursery provision. Staff share information with other settings children attend.

However, where children arrive from other settings, staff do not seek information from them that would enhance their knowledge of the child's interests or abilities.Leaders are committed to their continued professional development. They research different ways to promote children's learning and try out new and inspiring activities to enhance children's knowledge and skills.

Leaders share their ideas with staff and support them to access training. However, they do not have a highly focused system in place to help staff to develop their individual teaching skills. Sometimes, staff over-burden children with questions during activities.

Children do not always respond as they are focused on following their own ideas.Outdoors, children access a good range of opportunities to promote their physical development. This has recently been developed based on what children have expressed they would like.

Consequently, children feel valued as they know that their views count.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure understanding of the procedures they must follow if they have concerns about children's welfare.

They confidently demonstrate that they know the signs they must look out for that may suggest a child is at risk of harm. Leaders ensure that staff's, and their own, knowledge is regularly updated. They demonstrate their understanding of wider safeguarding issues and their knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures.

They confidently explain how they would decisively respond to a range of safeguarding scenarios. Leaders follow safe recruitment procedures and complete checks to ensure staff's suitability to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen partnership working with other settings children attend to support children's smooth move into the setting and to contribute to staff's assessment of children on entry focus support and coaching for staff on helping them to continually develop their teaching skills, particularly in the way they question children during activities.