Sunrise Nursery

Cardboard tubes turned into pretend binoculars and wooden planks became a shared balancing course: Sunrise Nursery's March 2023 activities combined imagination with practical teamwork. This Swindon setting has capacity for 34 children, with an age range of 1 to 60 months.

At its 23 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest examples concerned adults extending children's play, helping them communicate and encouraging independence; the improvement points concerned mathematical challenge and learning about healthy choices.

In March 2023, babies explored water play while adults supplied words and sang Three Little Ducks, connecting a familiar song with early communication. Two-year-olds experimented with everyday objects, giving jar lids and cardboard tubes imaginary uses. Older children selected creative materials and worked out how to realise their ideas. These were activities with room for children to make decisions.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the March 2023 examples included learning through play, conversation, movement and practical exploration. Activities followed children's interests and their next learning steps, rather than treating each experience as an isolated task.

Physical play also had a social dimension. In March 2023, children discussed where to position wooden planks, then supported one another while balancing. Head, shoulders, knees and toes accompanied movement and dancing, giving younger children another route into active play.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress, supported by additional funding, individual resources and joint work involving parents and other professionals. This gives families a concrete example of support built around a child's needs.

In March 2023, staff gave parents feedback about development, next learning steps and ways to help at home. Relationships with families supported settling, while everyday care encouraged children to practise handwashing, toileting and wiping their noses. Meals and snacks were healthy, although opportunities to explain healthy food choices were sometimes missed.

Sunrise Nursery's address is Kingsdown School, Hyde Road, Swindon, SN2 7SH. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures on bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas.

In March 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise of an individual funded place.

• Mathematical stretch. In March 2023, older children's learning did not consistently progress to concepts such as halves and quarters. On a visit, ask how activities now develop that next level of understanding.
• Healthy choices. The March 2023 improvement point concerned using play to explain food choices, despite healthy meals and snacks. Ask how staff now connect pretend cooking with conversations about health.
• Funding arrangements. What would the current written quotation include for your child's funded hours, additional hours, meals and consumables?

Sunrise suits families who value imaginative play, practical independence and communication about children's development. Its March 2023 assessment supports that picture, while identifying specific teaching improvements. The weekday opening window is useful for planning care, but the quality judgement belongs to that dated assessment.