First Steps Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the exceptionally well-organised learning environment. They demonstrate that they are very happy and settled and eager to learn. Staff place high expectations on knowing and celebrating each child's uniqueness in this setting. For example, their likes and learning styles are thoroughly considered to ensure that they excel in their learning and development. Behaviour is exemplary. Children show kindness and empathy towards one another. For instance, they enjoy playing with magnets, and when they realise that they have a lot more magnets than their peers, they willingly share what they have. Children smile and say thank you. They listen attentively and respectfully to staff members. When staff play a 'tidy-up' song all children enjoy the responsibility of tidying up and helping each other. These experiences help to build children's excellent social skills.

Children's independence skills are supported very well throughout the day. Routines are very well established. Children all know to wash their hands before snack time and do so without prompts. They help themselves to snack and pour themselves a drink of water or milk. Once they finish, they place their name on a 'I've had my snack' board. Children thoroughly enjoy this responsibility, older children quickly start to recognise their own names. Children serve their own dinners. They thoroughly enjoy the freshly prepared meals, and the majority of children help themselves to a second serving. Once finished, they discard any food in the bin and stack their plates up for collection. These routines help children to be well prepared for their next stage in their education.

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

• Leaders and managers have planned a highly ambitious and broad curriculum for all children. All staff know the curriculum extremely well and work harmoniously to deliver it. The quality of teaching across the nursery is outstanding. Staff know each and every child exceptionally well. This is reflected in children being highly engaged in their play and learning throughout all the rooms in the setting. Staff place great focus on the interests of the child and harness these interests to plan a curriculum that they thoroughly enjoy and excel in. For example, some children start the setting timid and shy. Staff carefully elicit their interests and children now demonstrate high levels of confidence and are building their friendship groups.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make exceptional progress from their starting points. The SEND coordinator is passionate about her role and works closely with other external agencies and parents to create highly effective target plans for children. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience and disseminates this with her team, to ensure all staff have the optimum skills to support children. All staff are well informed of these plans and celebrate collectively when children achieve their milestones. For example, when children start to use three words together to make a sentence the staff rejoice and share this news joyously with other staff members.
• Parents comment of the 'phenomenal' service that the setting offers. They say that the setting offers help and support from the onset of their child's journey. Parents speak of the in-depth feedback and extended conversations that happen on a daily basis. They comment on how well the staff know the individual interests of their children and the weekly emails they receive, asking about their children's current interests. Parents comment that the vocabulary used by their children is of such a high level and accredit this to the work staff do with their children. They feel fully supported to continue learning at home. For instance, they have access to a parents' lending library that consists of various books and resources. These resources help them to continue their child's learning at home.
• Staff work relentlessly to instil a love of books and literacy. For example, when children show a keen interest in space and planets. Staff introduce the children to books about aliens. They then bring the book to life when children pretend to embark on a rocket ship to the moon. Staff introduce new words, such as 'astronauts' and 'Neptune'. Children delight with excitement and share their feelings with their peers. These experiences help to foster a great love of books and helps to improve children's literacy skills by extending their vocabulary.
• Staff value parent's contributions. The setting goes to great lengths to know what children's current interests are at home, so that they can build on that in the setting. Children flourish through secure emotional attachments with staff members. For example, when children engage in fixing puzzles together, they show great excitement and eagerly share their accomplishments with staff.