First Step Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff, leaders and managers work well as a team to provide a welcoming environment for children and their families. They support children well to build positive relationships with others and to make friendships. Children are happy as they share play experiences with others. For example, they make a cake with play dough, sing the birthday song and pretend to blow candles.

Staff manage children's behaviour positively and consistently. They explain clearly what they expect of older children's behaviour, such as 'good listening' as they read a book to them. Young children learn to wait for their turn as they roll a ball to each other.

Staff use a range of strategies to support children to build on their communication and language development. For example, while reading to the children, they pause at the end of a sentence allowing them to complete it. They use picture cards to support young children's understanding of the meaning of words. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points.

The management team plans a curriculum that aims to address gaps in individual children's learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from effective partnerships between staff, parents and professionals.

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

• Self-evaluation is effective. Leaders, managers and staff have worked well together to raise the quality of the provision and to achieve good standards in children's learning and care.
• The management team supervises the staff effectively and works closely with them to identify and support their training needs. Training in behaviour management has enabled staff to strengthen practice in this regard. Staff comment positively about the support from leaders and managers.
• Leaders and managers support staff effectively to plan and implement a curriculum that meets the needs of individual children. Key persons know the children well. They assess children regularly and plan learning experiences that support individual children's progress from their starting points.
• The management team works closely with schools to support a smooth transfer for children. The staff team plans well to support children's transition from one room to another within the setting. This helps to support children's emotional well-being and continuity in their experiences.
• The management team has improved the curriculum for children's outdoor play and learning. Children are motivated to be physically active. Staff show toddlers how to shake a sieve to allow sand to pass through. Children observe staff and they give it a go. They build on their hand-eye coordination. Staff teach children to keep themselves safe. Older children know to manage space effectively, for example as they steer their trikes to avoid obstructions in their path.
• Staff challenge older children's thinking skills. This helps to stimulate their learning. For example, they set up ingredients to make play dough, and they encouraged children to guess which ingredient was missing. Children observed and identified that 'water' was missing. Children engaged enthusiastically in the activity and were keen to contribute their ideas.
• Staff provide healthy meals and snacks to promote children's well-being. Parents provide positive views that leaders and managers have taken into account their requests to improve meal plans. Staff work closely with parents to meet the dietary needs of individual children.
• Staff promote children's independence and encourage them to make choices. However, on some occasions, staff do not fully support young children to express their preferences, particularly with regard to when they are ready to finish one activity and move on to the next.
• Staff promote children's interests in books. They provide opportunities for children to borrow books to take home and share with their parents/carers. Older children learn that print carries meaning.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about living beings such as farm animals. They introduce children to celebrations around the world. However, staff in the baby room do not plan fully effectively to promote young children's understanding of what makes them and their families unique.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance opportunities for babies to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others and what makes them and their families unique
• consider ways to fully support young children to express their preferences, particularly with regards to exploring activities to their satisfaction before moving on to another.