First Steps Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and keen to attend. They build warm and loving relationships with staff and friendships with other children. Babies benefit from a nurturing environment in which they explore freely and safely, and staff meet their care routines consistently. Children make their own activity choices which staff support to encourage their interests and curiosity. They behave well and understand what is expected of them. Staff are good role models who listen respectfully to children and guide them on how to treat others with kindness.

Staff deliver a well-planned curriculum to support children's individual goals. This includes helping them to become developmentally ready for their transition through the nursery rooms and to school. Children benefit from additional experiences, such as music and movement sessions and trips to the local shops to buy ingredients for cookery activities. Children engage well in their play. Babies join in singing action songs with delight and laugh when they splash in water play. Older children create models with construction and creative materials and play imaginatively.

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

• Staff know the children well. They monitor and assess their learning from the start to plan and support their on-going development. Staff provide challenges to build further on what children know and can do. For example, children in pre-school enjoy games to develop their understanding of numbers and quantity. They learn to solve problems, such as experimenting how to make sandcastles stand up.
• Staff help children to develop confidence to manage tasks independently. Babies learn to feed themselves and older children learn to wash their hands and put on their coats. Staff celebrate children's achievements on the 'Proud Cloud' display to build their self-esteem. Staff respond well to children's spontaneous ideas to motivate them to learn more. For example, toddlers hunt for bugs in the garden and then create a spider activity indoors to build on this interest and to learn more about the creatures.
• Staff support children's health and physical development effectively. For example, older children enjoy energetic team games and making obstacle courses in the garden. Babies climb and roll on soft-play blocks and join in action songs. Toddlers ride wheeled toys and play ball games. Children enjoy healthy meals and snacks together. However, on occasions, staff do not all help children learn to hold and use their cutlery safely to develop their understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.
• Children develop a love of books. Babies enjoy interactive stories and freely choose books for staff to read. Older children engage well in group story times and read books with their friends in the cozy den. Staff ask children questions to encourage them to think, and use books and activities to develop their vocabulary. However, at times the pre-school playrooms become very noisy, and the voices of some quieter children are missed when they talk to staff.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff keep them informed of their children's well-being and progress. Parents share very positive views of the nursery. For example, they like the safe and secure environment and how staff work with them to meet their children's individual goals and needs. Staff liaise with external agencies to address any gaps in children's progress, and use additional funding responsibly.
• Leaders have good oversight of the provision, and work with staff to make on-going improvements to the quality of care. They follow effective vetting procedures and staff development to help ensure all staff are suitable to care for children. Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They know about the risks to children and the correct procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child or adult to safeguard their welfare.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more consistent guidance to help children to learn how to use cutlery appropriately and safely at mealtimes
• develop the organisation of activities in the pre-school rooms to ensure the voices of all quieter children are included fully.