Sunshine Nursery School

Sunshine Nursery School
Unique reference number (URN): EY405248
Address: 8 Warner Way, Chilton Industrial Estate, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2GG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 18/02/2010
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Childcare Nursery Solutions Limited
Inspection report: 27 January 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children achieve remarkably well from their individual starting points. From babies through
to pre-school, children make sustained progress. Children's development in communication
and language is rapid. Babies and toddlers confidently use emerging vocabulary and
gestures to express needs. Older children demonstrate increasingly complex language,
confidently initiating conversations, explaining ideas and recalling experiences. For
example, children discuss bird species and habitats during Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds activities.
Disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those
facing barriers to learning or wellbeing achieve particularly well. For example, children who
join the setting non-verbal and unsettled now communicate confidently using simple
sentences, engage for sustained periods and demonstrate secure emotional attachments.
Children's physical, personal, social and emotional development is a notable strength.
Children are calm, confident and highly engaged, showing resilience, independence and
positive behaviour. They resolve conflicts independently and show kindness and respect
towards others. Children confidently articulate their thoughts and worries. They practise
dressing independently. As a result, children are well prepared for transitions to school and
their next stages of learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Staff have created a calm, inclusive and highly positive environment where expectations for
behaviour are clear, consistent and well understood. Staff model kindness, respect and clear
boundaries, helping children feel safe, secure and confident. As a result, children behave
very well, show high levels of engagement and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning
from an early age. Nurturing relationships between practitioners and children underpin
behaviour and emotional security. Staff know children extremely well and respond
sensitively to individual needs, particularly for babies, new starters and those with additional
needs. Children form wonderfully secure attachments and seek support confidently. For
example, children benefit from visual cues, enabling them to regulate emotions and engage
fully alongside peers.
Children learn to collaborate, share and resolve minor conflicts independently. Practitioners
promote turn-taking, empathy and respect through group activities, storytelling and everyday
interactions. Children show patience and kindness, adapt play to include others and sustain
cooperative play, creating a harmonious learning environment.
Staff prioritise routines that build independence, resilience and school readiness. Children
manage self-care tasks, serve themselves at mealtimes and move calmly between activities
because routines are consistent and purposeful. Staff work closely with families to support
behaviour, punctuality and attendance, particularly for disadvantaged children. Daily

communication ensures high levels of consistency between home and the setting, leading to
robust engagement.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Staff ensure highly effective care practices consistently meet children's individual needs.
Practitioners know children exceedingly well and tailor routines, support strategies and
experiences to reflect children's ages, development and personal circumstances. Children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely, targeted support. As a
result, children feel emotionally secure, settle quickly and engage fully in learning alongside
their peers.
Secure and responsive relationships are a significant strength. Key persons form wonderful
attachments with babies and young children, responding sensitively to cues and offering
reassurance and encouragement. For example, babies' individual sleep, feeding and
weaning routines are followed precisely in partnership with parents. This continuity of care
means children feel safe and settled. Consequently, children confidently explore their
environment and seek support when needed.
Practitioners actively promote children's physical health, safety and wellbeing. Children
benefit from nutritious meals, discussions about healthy choices and daily opportunities for
active play indoors, outdoors and through forest school experiences. Staff teach children
how to manage risks safely, such as climbing, which builds solid levels of confidence,
coordination and resilience.
Emotional wellbeing is prioritised consistently. Practitioners model language for feelings,
support conflict resolution and use visual supports, Makaton and adapted communication
where needed. As a result, children recognise and manage emotions, show empathy
towards others and demonstrate calm, positive behaviour.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Practitioners demonstrate a confident understanding of the ambitious curriculum. Leaders
take decisive action to secure continuous improvement across teaching and curriculum
implementation. During ongoing refurbishment, they have prioritised stabilising curriculum
delivery so children's learning remains consistent and uninterrupted. Staff work closely with
other agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to embed the curriculum robustly.
Staff reflect on practice and adapt provision as numbers and needs change, which ensures
excellent coherence and progression for all children.
The curriculum is well sequenced. It builds clear progression from babies to pre-school and
prepares children well for their next stage of learning. Practitioners use children's interests
purposefully to deepen children's knowledge. For example, they extend an interest in insects
into scientific exploration, storytelling and home-learning activities, which sustains children's
engagement and strengthens understanding.
Practitioners consistently prioritise communication and language. They model rich
vocabulary through stories, songs, rhymes and high-quality interactions. This practice is
supported by approaches such as Makaton and British Sign Language. Mathematical

learning is embedded naturally through routines and play, including counting, measuring and
problem-solving, helping children apply skills meaningfully.
Staff place emphasis on physical, personal, social and emotional development. Children
develop independence and confidence through daily routines, outdoor learning and forest
school experiences. Practitioners know children exceedingly well and adapt teaching
effectively for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Regular assessment
and close partnership with parents ensure teaching builds precisely on children's starting
points, enabling all children to feel included and safe and to make sustained progress.
Inclusion Strong standard
Staff take a highly effective, proactive approach to inclusion by accurately identifying
children's individual needs through close observation, detailed assessment and strong
partnerships with families and professionals. They remove barriers swiftly through thoughtful
adaptations and reasonable adjustments, such as redesigning room layouts for children with
special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff embed Makaton and British Sign
Language across the setting and implement rigorous risk assessments so all children fully
access routines and experiences.
Staff monitor progress closely using tracking tools and regular reviews. As a result, children
make significant gains through targeted strategies agreed with parents and other agencies,
ensuring development remains on track for all children. Leaders ensure staff training is
purposeful and responsive, including training on autism and supporting children with hearing
impairments. Staff work collaboratively with families and a wide range of external agencies
to shape consistent, joined-up support. Therefore, children receive timely, impactful support
that enables them to feel safe, included and confident. They engage fully in learning and
make remarkable progress from their starting points.
Leaders use early years pupil premium and disability access funding effectively. They
purchase targeted resources linked to children's interests, which results in improved
engagement, sustained attention and accelerated progress for disadvantaged and
vulnerable children, including those known to children's social care.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders provide highly effective leadership and governance, placing children's learning,
welfare and wellbeing at the centre of all decisions. They understand the setting's strengths
and priorities, taking decisive action to improve provision, including managing ongoing
refurbishment with minimal disruption. Continuity in routines, care and teaching ensures
children remain safe, settled and emotionally secure.
Leaders prioritise the needs of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND), and those facing barriers to learning. They provide specialist
training, professional guidance and reasonable adjustments. This enables staff to meet
individual needs and provide targeted support for children, such as those with autism
spectrum disorder, hearing impairment or speech delay.

Staff benefit from purposeful professional development, including SEND, safeguarding and
British Sign Language training, which they apply effectively to significantly improve children's
communication, safety and inclusion. Leaders manage staff workloads and wellbeing
thoughtfully, supporting staff through supervision meetings, clear communication and
practical strategies. This sustains consistent high-quality care and education.
Leaders' partnership working with parents, health professionals and local agencies
strengthens provision and supports transitions. Reflective practice ensures environmental
improvements and resource planning meet children's evolving needs. For example, leaders
have rearranged room layouts to ensure safe eating practices. As a result, children receive
inclusive, highly impactful education and care that promotes excellent progress, confidence
and wellbeing.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children experience a calm, nurturing and stimulating environment where they feel safe,
valued and eager to learn. Children separate confidently from their parents and settle
quickly into purposeful play. Those who need extra reassurance receive sensitive support
from familiar adults, which helps them feel secure and ready to engage independently. As a
result, children show high levels of emotional wellbeing and confidence. Staff build highly
effective, trusting relationships with all children. Children greet adults warmly, initiate
conversations with visitors and collaborate well with one another. Staff have created a
harmonious environment where children learn to share, respect others and resolve

disagreements independently. Children demonstrate a clear understanding of expectations
and boundaries. This safe and inclusive culture ensures that all children, regardless of need
or ability, feel they belong and participate fully alongside their peers.
Children thoroughly enjoy learning. They show sustained engagement as they explore
activities linked to their interests, such as investigating worms, magnets or imaginative role
play. Staff skilfully weave language and mathematics into everyday experiences. For
example, children confidently count objects, compare quantities and use ambitious
vocabulary such as 'telescope' and 'treasure'. These experiences support children in the
setting to achieve remarkably well, become curious learners and develop age-appropriate
knowledge and skills.
Staff ensure children develop independence and resilience. Children serve their own food,
manage personal hygiene routines, select resources independently and take responsibility
for their environment. Babies and young children confidently explore, test ideas and persist
when challenges arise, supported by calm encouragement and praise. As a result, children
develop secure levels of confidence, enabling them to sustain engagement and persevere
when faced with challenge.
Children's individual needs sit at the heart of staff's practice. Staff work closely with families
and external professionals to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. Children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities and medical needs are supported through carefully
planned routines and risk assessments. All children make wonderful progress from their
starting points and thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure
continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a
transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged
pupils/learners, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are
known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other
barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator,
children and parents during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Inspector:
Laura Paternoster
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY405248
Address:
8 Warner Way
Chilton Industrial Estate
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 2GG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 18/02/2010
Registered person: Childcare Nursery Solutions Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Suffolk
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 27 January 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
141

Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,
please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.
You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium,
under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy
Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email:
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information
and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester

M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright