First Steps Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited for their day at nursery. They have secure attachments with the warm and caring staff, who know the children well and are attentive to their needs. This results in children feeling safe and secure.

The curriculum is rich, varied and exciting. Children of all ages are keen to explore the wide range of experiences that are interesting and capture their attention. The youngest children are fascinated as they explore the texture of different creative materials and resources. They develop their small-muscle skills as they roll balls and make marks. Older children immerse themselves in play. They build towers out of large blocks and laugh together as they topple over. They persevere for long periods of time as they experiment with different ways of building. All children make good progress.

Children are well behaved and enjoy the company of others. This is supported effectively by staff who are very calm and caring towards children. They continuously develop children's understanding of how to manage their own behaviour through positive reinforcement and by praising children for their achievements. This helps children to take pride in what they can do. Children learn good manners as they are supported to share and take turns from a young age. Older children form positive and close friendships with each other and enjoy each other's company.

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

• The long-standing staff team works well together. There is a strong team ethos and a shared vision for continual improvement. Staff feel well supported by the management team and appreciate the support and advice given. Leaders listen to any issues the staff may have and act on them quickly to support their well-being. All staff show dedication to achieving good outcomes for the children.
• Children are curious and keen to explore and create. They are encouraged to engage in activities to develop new skills. For example, they learn to use tools and different resources during sensory play. However, on occasion, less-experienced staff do not plan activities that take into account what children already know and can do. They do not adapt activities to help children test out their ideas and try different techniques and materials. As a result, not all children are able to engage in the learning opportunity.
• Overall, children's communication and language skills are well supported. Staff engage in conversations with children, listen attentively and respond to them. They use sign language to support communication with younger children. Staff read books animatedly and encourage children to recall parts of the story. However, sometimes, staff miss opportunities to extend language even further.
• At times, they use closed questions and can ask children too many questions. As a result, children are not consistently given opportunities to extend their language skills.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who need additional help are closely supported. Leaders and staff, such as the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), give high priority to working with other professionals. They identify and carry out interventions to enable children to achieve their potential and be well prepared for their move on to school. This inclusive approach means that children are given the time and attention they need to take part and make the most of what is on offer.
• Children are encouraged to be independent from the outset. For example, even the youngest children learn how to use utensils to serve themselves snack and lunch. Children confidently navigate their way around the learning environments and select the resources that they need. They put on their own coats for outdoor play and attempt to do up their zips and buttons by themselves. Children of all ages relish the opportunities to build independence skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents report on the good communication with regards to their children's care routines, learning and development. They say that they feel included and extremely valued at this nursery. Parents of children with SEND speak highly of the support they have received from the SENCo.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's skills in planning and delivering activities that focus more precisely on what children know and can do, so that all children are supported to learn new skills effectively
• support staff to improve their questioning techniques so that children make the best possible progress in their language development.