The Sunshine Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children are extremely engaged and thoroughly enjoy their time at the centre.

Staff expertly support the children to access the wide range of interesting activities on offer. Children learn how to make pizzas and cook them in the oven. Others set out tea parties and invite staff to join them as they discuss the different foods.

Children thrive in the specially adapted outdoor area. They bounce on the trampoline and have space to express themselves as they pretend to be superheroes. Children play with flour and pasta on a tray, and paint with cars on rolls of paper on the floor, providing them opportunity to develop their s...ensory experiences.

Relationships between staff and children are exceptionally close. Staff are respectful and have a wonderful calming nature, which radiates throughout the centre. Staff are extremely attuned to the differing needs of the children.

They underpin and support all the children's experiences and are constantly aware of what each child needs. As a result, children are happy and secure. They have positive attitudes and show high levels of curiosity and concentration.

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

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour, and this is reflected in the children's conduct in the centre. Children are taught about a sense of right and wrong. Staff expertly support children to understand their own feelings and behaviour.

They take appropriate action when children struggle with their emotions and adopt a range of strategies to help them. Their focus on working with children to take ownership of how they can manage their own behaviour gives children a sense of empowerment.Staff obtain extensive information about the children when they first start, which allows them to plan accordingly.

Activities are considered and underpin the needs of the children, which are continually reviewed. Staff provide children with rich experiences, such as swimming and bowling, for them to develop skills in the community. Activities in the provision allow children to follow their interests.

For example, children draw road maps on paper then extend this to draw maps on the floor in the outdoor area.Staff are reflective of the environment and make changes to support and benefit the children's experiences. They are extremely aware of the children's needs and adapt the environment to ensure the best possible outcomes for the children.

For example, the interior colours of the centre have recently been changed to more neutral colours and staff have added some natural resources. This has resulted in the children responding more positively to their environment.Parents speak extremely highly of the service.

They talk about the excellent service their children receive and the emotional support they receive from staff. There is a strong focus on helping the family as a whole. Staff recognise the difficulties and stresses that parenting a child with disabilities can bring and provide immeasurable emotional support to cope with this.

Providing coping strategies to families and invaluable respite for them and their children. Parents comment that they would 'feel lost' without the service and how the centre 'has been exceptionally helpful to us as a family'. Staff assist families to help them access further support.

They work closely with other professionals that support the family, allowing a cohesive approach to providing care for the children.Management and staff have regular opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills with further training. There is a positive culture of sharing this knowledge, once learned, with the rest of the team, allowing all the team to benefit from the information.

As a result, the team are skilled with various techniques to enhance their practice with the children and provide the high-quality care they require.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff demonstrate excellent awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect, and what steps to take if they had any safeguarding concerns.

Leadership and management have clear expectations of staff, and this is followed up with regular training and discussions to ensure staff are fully aware of their responsibilities to protect children. There are comprehensive policies detailing information for staff to access, when required. Staff regularly review the centre's risk assessments and amend their practice to ensure children are always safe, particularly for trips out, such as swimming and bowling.