First Steps Cornwall Ltd - Porthleven

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have excellent relationships with all the staff. Due to COVID-19, parents drop their children outside of the front door. Children have adapted to this and they hang up their belongings independently, and soon become engaged in playing together. They are happy, safe and content in the nursery. Babies seek out familiar adults for cuddles of reassurance when visitors enter the room. Staff swiftly use techniques to distract children, such as initiating an activity. All children clearly enjoy the company of their friends, as well as time playing and learning on their own. They show exceedingly high levels of self-control and respect for others.

Children develop their natural curiosity and explore independently. They persevere calmly and quietly towards the goals that they set themselves. For example, older children continue to try, several times, to scoop water out of the bottom of a large tyre into saucepans. They are proud to tell staff how much water they have collected.

The management team is aware of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's personal, social and emotional development. The team put strategies quickly into place to support children with this. For instance, staff encourage children to take part in small-group activities to develop their social skills.

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

• Senior leaders of the nursery have a clear vision for the setting. They develop a broad and an ambitious curriculum to ensure that all children make good progress in their learning and development. The curriculum has been carefully considered and devised to reflect the diversity and range of children and families that live within the community. Children of all ages benefit from meaningful learning across all areas of the curriculum.
• Older children develop their communication and language skills well. They enjoy a language-rich environment. Staff introduce new words to extend vocabulary. They are good role models and engage in purposeful discussions with children throughout the day. Children discover that Eskimos live in igloos and estimate that they would need a million gallons of water to make an igloo. However, this is not consistent across all areas of the nursery. Staff interactions do not always move children's learning on or extend their thinking.
• The special educational needs coordinators (SENCos) quickly identify any areas of concern in a child's development. They welcome other professionals into the setting to provide advice for staff and parents. The SENCos help staff to make plans to adapt the curriculum to meet the children's learning needs, while further assessments are undertaken. Staff consider how additional funding is spent to ensure it makes the intended difference for children.
• Parents comment positively on the partnerships between themselves and staff. They state that staff are friendly and supportive, and that their children are happy and settled at the welcoming nursery. Staff work hard to communicate with parents and share the children's experiences at nursery in diverse ways. Parents keenly talk about the regular updates they receive about their children's development, so that they can continue the support at home.
• Staff support children to learn about healthy lifestyles. They ensure that children have fresh air and exercise and make healthy eating choices. Children practise their physical skills indoors and outdoors. Older children learn to climb up confidently and roll down slopes safely. Babies are given the guidance and space to help them develop core strength and balance. They climb up the steps confidently to the indoor slide and negotiate ramps with confidence.
• The experienced owners and managers, along with their deputy, lead the staff effectively. All staff are well supported. There are systems in place to monitor and discuss staff performance. Staff have the opportunity to attend training courses to enhance their professional development. They feed back their training to the team and implement changes to enhance their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff development to ensure that all interactions continually focus on building children's knowledge.