Bright Horizons Maidstone Day Nursery And Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily at the nursery and are welcomed by kind, nurturing staff who know them well.

Those who are new to the nursery or who are settling in are comforted by staff with cuddles and reassuring words. Children respond well and are soon immersed in the stimulating activities set out by the staff. Staff deploy themselves well in order to respond to children's needs and wishes.

Children are provided with lots of opportunities to engage in stories and books from around the world. They freely access books they want from the cosy reading areas both indoors and outdoors. Staff read aloud and tell stories to chil...dren in an engaging way that captures their imagination.

For example, they discuss what they use their teeth for and how they must not be used for biting. As a result, children listen attentively and engage in meaningful conversation. Children behave well and have a positive attitude towards learning.

They approach activities with excitement and have prolong engagement in their play. For example, children use selections of buttons to create collages of shapes. They share their collages with each other, expressing pride in their achievements.

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

Staff support and promote children's physical development. The learning environment is well resourced with appropriate equipment that allows children to be active in their play. For example, younger children pull themselves up and cruise safely around the low-level furniture.

Children are given the opportunity to take appropriate risks and challenges during play. Older children practise their balancing skills on the low tree trunks. They take turns walking around the trunks and stretch their arms out to maintain balance.

The newly appointed manager has a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality, inclusive care and education to all children. She takes into consideration each child's individual needs and backgrounds. For example, she consults and takes account of the children's interest through a 'pre-school councillor' platform.

Children can voice their opinion on what they would like in their learning environment. As a result, they are engaged and engrossed as they interact with the learning resources and activities.Staff understand the developmental needs of the children in their care.

They monitor the progress children make and identify any gaps in their learning. The manager uses funding from the local authority to help support children's progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by the knowledgeable staff who meet their needs effectively.

Staff work with outside agencies to ensure their assessments of children are accurate and they follow any advice given. As a result, children are making good progress and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.Staff seek out opportunities to extend children's learning through quality interactions.

For example, at lunchtime, they engage in conversation with older children about food produce. Children learn about how milk can be churned to make butter and the process of how it becomes cheese. However, this is not yet consistently embedded across all ages in the nursery.

Children are confident and independent. They are aware of the structure and routines of the day. For example, on arrival, they self-register and say 'bye' to one another when leaving.

At mealtimes, children serve themselves from the pasta tray and pass it to their peers. Children persevere during learning. For example, staff encourage them to identify different letters during an alphabet hunt in the garden.

Staff offer prompts and praise to keep children motivated.Parents are generally happy with the nursery and are aware of who their child's key person is. Most parents feel that they are kept well informed about their child's progress via the online platform the nursery uses.

However, this is not consistent, which means that not all parents are always aware of ongoing information or how they can support their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The designated safeguarding lead and staff are aware of the procedures in place to safeguard children.

They know how to identify if a child is at risk and understand how to refer any concerns to the local safeguarding partnership. There is a positive culture and ethos where safeguarding is an important part of everyday life. Staff regularly attend training and have access to a range of prompt posters and cards in order to keep them updated.

The leadership team regularly assesses the ongoing suitability of staff during supervision. Staff manage the individual dietary requirements of children appropriately and are all aware of any care plans they may have.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to develop staff interactions with children to ensure that they are consistently embedded across the nursery, particularly when extending children's language nimprove how information is shared with parents to ensure all parents are kept informed as to how they can support their children's learning at home.