Big Steps Childcare Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm and friendly welcome to children and their families. The nursery is an integral part of the local community. Children are happy, safe and eager to see their friends. They say hello to the staff, whom they consider their 'best friends'. Staff gather detailed information from parents about each child prior to them attending. This information is used effectively to ensure that children's unique needs are met. Staff ensure that activities and toys that children enjoy are available on arrival. This helps children to settle quickly, ready to begin learning.

Staff have high expectations for all children. They recognise the importance of developing children's communication skills. Staff talk to children and introduce new vocabulary to help extend children's speaking skills. For example, children are encouraged to repeat new words, such as 'over' and 'under', as they manoeuvre puppets to retell a favourite story. Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff skilfully support children to understand their feelings and encourage them to respond to each other with kindness and respect. Children form close friendships with each other and staff. They behave well for their age.

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

• Leaders have a clear view of what they intend children to learn. However, this is not always understood by all staff. Children participate in a wide range of exciting activities that they thoroughly enjoy. Staff are always on hand to support children. However, there are occasions when staff do not know, precisely enough, what children are intended to learn as they join in activities. On these occasions, learning is not extended as precisely as possible, so that children make the very best possible progress.
• Children are confident and eager learners. They demonstrate important skills, such as perseverance and determination when mastering skills. For example, children listen and try to follow instructions when learning how to catch a ball. They remember, from previous attempts, that they must hold out their hands ready to receive the ball. Staff celebrate children's achievements. This helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem. Children develop a wonderful 'can-do' attitude to their learning.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with staff who monitor children's progress. Should gaps in children's development arise, targeted individual plans are shared with parents and multi-agency support is quickly sought to help ensure that children's needs are swiftly met. This means that all children make good progress.
• Children develop a love of reading. They enjoy looking at books. Children practise what they have been previously taught, independently turning the pages and pointing to the pictures. They describe what they can see and remember parts of their favourite stories. Staff join children's storytelling, asking questions with genuine interest. This helps children to develop their imaginations and their expressive language.
• Children enjoy a wide range of opportunities outdoors in the well-resourced garden area. They delight in splashing in the water tray and exploring the 'mud kitchen'. Children skilfully climb on the climbing frame. They negotiate space well. Staff remain close by, providing a hand to steady children if they wobble. Children gain confidence as they climb and develop their large muscles and their coordination.
• Parents speak very highly of the leaders and staff team. They value the regular information shared about their child's progress and the support and advice staff give on topics, such as potty training. Parents are supported effectively to contribute and extend their child's learning at home. They remark that staff are like 'one of the family' and are always available to help and support, should it be needed. Parents recognise that leaders have good links with other services in the local community.
• Regular supervision is in place to support staff and develop their practice. Staff feel well supported in all aspects of their role. Leaders observe staff as they work with children and give suggestions as to how they may further develop their teaching skills. That said, opportunities for staff to share their individual skills and knowledge in a sharply focused way have not yet been developed, to enhance staff practice further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to clearly and consistently identify what children are intended to know, or be able to do, as a result of participating in activities
• enhance the already good staff supervision arrangements and provide sharply focused opportunities for staff to share their skills and learn from each other.