First Steps Nursery School (Dore) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy as they enter the nursery and show eagerness and enthusiasm about their learning. They are very keen to participate in all activities that are available. This environment enables children to access all areas of the indoor provision. Children show confidence in their learning abilities and share their achievements with staff. In response, staff offer praise and recognition for children's successes and invite children to celebrate these. Children thrive and benefit from a highly ambitious curriculum that incorporates the seven areas of early learning.

Children's personal, social and emotional development is very well supported, with children's well-being a primary focus of the nursery, along with communication and language. Children's learning and next steps are tailored to individual needs and capabilities, including individual education plans. Children acquire appropriate skills very well. Inclusive practice is excellent and the provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is exceptional.

Children develop close attachments to the caring and nurturing staff, who provide the children with feelings of safety and security. Children behave remarkably well and form strong friendships with one another. Staff work hard to get to know and understand the children in their care. This is done by providing settling-in visits, which staff use to observe children while playing and then use this information to plan more activities based on the children's interests.

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

• The extremely dedicated leadership team leads by example and offers continuous support, encouragement and guidance to the highly qualified staff team. Leaders have excellent practices in place to promote staff's well-being. This includes development and training opportunities within the nursery as well as additional opportunities for discussions and reflection.
• Leaders are effective in decision-making that provides support for the whole staff team by arranging regular staff meetings and discussions. This ensure that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities for the nursery and how best to support the children and their families. Leaders and managers also use these meetings to identify appropriate curriculum activities for the children. Staff are also able to contribute to this process, which encourages a collaborative ethos.
• Children's progress is tracked and monitored meticulously so that appropriate next steps are planned to support children's development. Leaders provide staff with clear aims and objectives for what they want children to know and learn. Children make excellent progress and are ready for the next stages in their development.
• The nursery's ambitious curriculum focuses on developing children's physical, social and communication skills, along with a particular emphasis on early literacy and mathematics. For example, children are encouraged to make shapes that can be folded to create symmetrical patterns. This helps to develop an early understanding of these mathematics concepts. Children are also encouraged to look at books at regular intervals during their time at the nursery. This helps to develop a love of reading.
• Staff engage well with children and promote conversation skills by talking to children constantly during learning activities. For example, children play with the small figures and are shown words that support the activity. This builds on children's knowledge and understanding of words such as 'cat', 'mat' and 'bat' as well as the concept of rhyming words with the replacement of letters.
• Parents compliment the dedicated staff on how well they support children in their development. Parents are invited to contribute to children's online learning profiles. They are provided with information about what children are learning about at the nursery as well as daily care routines.
• The nursery is highly inclusive. Children with SEND excel in their development. Staff work in partnership with other professionals and help children focus their learning. Staff also provide consistency with rules and boundaries that support children's understanding and promote positive behaviour. Children behave well and demonstrate good manners.
• Children are encouraged to be independent. This is done through a series of activities, including being encouraged to make choices and decisions for themselves, self-dressing, washing their hands and toileting independently. This has an impact on children's personal development, as they understand more of their own capabilities and develop a sense of self-assurance.