First Steps Beaumont Leys

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children rush inside when they arrive and quickly settle. Staff welcome them and ask them how they are feeling. Children are keen to get involved in the activities on offer. They put their arms out as they balance to walk along a beam outside. As they jump off, they clap their hands in delight at their success and staff praise them. Children develop their large physical skills well. Staff support children to have a go at tasks they find challenging. They show children how to fit small constructions pieces together and provide encouragement and support as they have a go themselves.

Staff skilfully plan activities that build on what children already know and can do. They regularly talk as a staff team about why activities have been planned and how they support the next stages of children's learning. For example, children show an interest in finding out about different minibeasts when they spot a spider on a walk in the local area. Back at the setting, children become engrossed in exploring different types of minibeasts and identifying their body parts using magnifying glasses. Later, staff help the children find out more about the minibeasts by supporting them to find photographs of minibeasts in non-fiction books. Staff read the information about the different minibeasts to the children to help broaden children's knowledge.

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

• Since the last inspection, all staff have attended training on how to develop children's communication and language skills even further. Staff repeat words back to children to help them develop their pronunciation of words. They are secure in what they want children to learn from activities. The provider is reflective about what they do well and how they would like to improve further.
• Staff helps parents with any ongoing worries or concerns they have at home. Parents speak positively about the extra help they have received about toilet training or helping their children to not use a dummy when speaking at home. Staff provide parents with suggestions of activities for how they can support their children at home in the next stages of their learning. Parents particularly enjoy the sessions at the setting where they can stay and play with their children.
• Staff encourage children to develop a healthy lifestyle. At snack time, staff talk to children about the importance of drinking water or milk throughout the day. Children confidently share the different types of fruit they have for snack. They talk to staff about what they have eaten for breakfast. Staff support children to understand the importance of eating breakfast and talk about foods which are healthy. They talk to children about the importance of brushing their teeth and visiting the dentist regularly.
• Staff are skilled at supporting children with their mathematical development. Throughout the day, staff encourage children to use their counting skills and use mathematical language. Children confidently mould cakes made out of play dough for an Eid celebration. They talk about halving cakes so they can share with their friends.
• Staff support children to take part in routine times of the day, such as circle time when they come in at the start of the day. They explain what activities children can take part in during the day. Later, children share experiences with staff of what they have learned during the morning before lunch. They share books with staff and sing nursery rhymes together. Occasionally, group times for some children are too long.
• Overall, staff interact well with children during their play. They talk to children about their feelings, such as if they are feeling happy or sad and why. Staff talk to children about what they could do to cheer themselves up if they are feeling sad. Occasionally, staff's interaction with children are not as purposeful, therefore, some children do not always receive as many high-quality interactions.
• Staff encourage children to be as independent as possible. They confidently put their coats on and zip them up. Staff extend their dressing skills even further by supporting children to put on different dressing-up clothes, including hats and different types of shoes. Children also pour their own drinks at snack time and try and open their own lunch boxes and packets at snack time. This supports children for their eventual transition to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff interactions to enhance the quality of teaching even further
• develop group times, so children are not sitting for too long.