1st Steps Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The motto of 'every little step matters' is what makes this setting so special. The atmosphere buzzes with children's excitement and their eagerness to explore. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children wave their parents off at the front door and embrace adults with hugs. They settle exceptionally well and form close bonds with their friends. Children are happy, content and feel safe. They confidently greet the inspector. Children show him construction models and share their favourite stories with him. They behave well and show positive attitudes towards their learning.

Babies giggle with delight while exploring sensory toys. They show good coordination as they climb using low-level apparatus outdoors. Toddlers show good concentration skills while they build towers and beam with delight while singing. Pre-school children attempt to write their names and become enthralled while talking about the 'Queen Ant' that they are caring for.

Children spend a lot of time outdoors, exploring the 'zen garden'. They learn about the processes of planting and growing. Children talk about the life cycles of animals and search for bugs. Their laughter fills the air as they learn how to make the swing go faster and skilfully ride bicycles. Staff play ring games with children and teach them new dance moves. Children become immersed in deep imagination as they enact roles of superheroes and builders.

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

• Leaders have a clear and aspirational vision for the setting. They lead with determination and want all children to achieve the very best. Self-evaluation is accurate and includes the views of parents and staff. A successful 'children's council' helps children to have their say about the setting. Leaders aspire to be outstanding and want the setting to be a centre of excellence.
• Staff provide children with an ambitious curriculum that builds on what they know and can do. They use their good knowledge of child development to plan activities that keep children motivated to learn. Children enjoy opportunities to visit the local care home. They take gifts to the residents and sing to them in the garden. Gaps in learning close and children are well prepared for their move on to school.
• Overall, care practices are good. Staff provide healthy meals and talk to children about the importance of brushing their teeth. However, staff do not always teach children about the importance of following good hygiene practices. For example, children are not always taught to cover their mouths when coughing. When staff do remind children of this, they do not always teach them the importance of washing their hands.
• In the main, supervision and appraisal systems are effective. However, current
• Inspection report: 1st Steps Day Nursery 18 March 2022 2 training and coaching for staff does not have a sharp focus on raising their practice to a higher level. For example, staff do not always provide further challenge in children's learning to help them achieve the very best.
• Respect and individuality are golden threads that run throughout this setting. Staff teach children about festivals and celebrations from around the world. Children are fascinated while learning about the make-up of different families. Staff teach children that it is okay to be different. These excellent experiences help to prepare children for life in modern Britain.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills very well. They teach children new words and model how to blend letter sounds together. Children are confident communicators. They discuss dinosaur names and explain to their peers the names of three-dimensional shapes.
• Partnership working is good. Links with external professionals and the local authority are built on trust and respect. Parents commend staff and leaders for providing 'an amazing place for children to learn'. Parents continue their children's learning at home and speak to staff on a daily basis about their children's day at the setting.
• A strength of the setting is the support it has in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. Leaders leave no stone unturned in their efforts to remove barriers to learning. They are relentless in their pursuit to get children the support that they rightly deserve. Intervention plans are monitored with rigour and reviewed with precision.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to help children to learn about good hygiene practices and why these are important
• strengthen the arrangements for coaching and training, to help staff raise their practice to a higher level.
• Inspection report: 1st Steps Day Nursery 18 March 2022 3