Footprints Nursery Bollington Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Parents and carers accurately describe the nursery as a place where children feel safe and thrive. Staff expertly combine high-quality care with teaching that stimulates children's curiosity and knowledge. This is evident in the way that staff use books and stories. Toddlers hear staff reading a story that has simple, repeated lines. This captures their attention and they eagerly cross the room to listen. Pre-school children become deeply engaged in revisiting and discussing a favourite story. Staff listen closely to what children say. This helps them to check and extend children's knowledge. Staff's skilful involvement helps to promote children's confidence and conversation skills. Children make rapid progress in learning to communicate.

The nursery team supported families extremely effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some parents describe the nursery as making the difference between them coping and not coping. Staff kept in regular touch by telephone and via an online application. They read stories to children via the internet. The excellent communication supported parents to advance children's learning at home. It helped children to return successfully to nursery when the time came. The manager intends children to gain the skills they need to form positive relationships and think for themselves. Children's progress towards this goal is demonstrated by their consistently positive behaviour and readiness to learn.

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

• Leaders and managers are conscientious and determined. Their vision for high-quality practice is rooted in their superb knowledge of how children learn. The manager communicates precisely what she wants practice to look like. She teaches staff to use questioning techniques that provoke children's thinking. Staff ask questions in a considered way and give children time to answer. Their high-quality interactions help children to become powerful learners.
• Children's meaningful vocabulary grows rapidly, because staff provide exciting first-hand experiences. This is demonstrated really well when children go for a ride on a service bus. They already know what a bus looks like. The outing helps children to find out what buses are for and what it feels like to ride on one. In a further example, tots go outside to find snails. There are no snails out today, but children add the words 'silvery trails' to their vocabulary.
• Well-developed leadership and teamwork help everyone to promote children's welfare and progress. Room leaders carry out a daily staff briefing. They pass on messages from parents. They tell staff about planned events, such as visits by children who are preparing to move rooms, which helps staff to provide tailored support for every child. Children feel happy and secure, because everyone works together in a friendly way.
• Staff help children to notice, from a young age, what is the same and different about themselves and other people. They look in mirrors. They study books that reflect the diverse population of modern Britain. Staff in the toddler room extend children's experience further when they mix play dough in different skin tones. Children make circles of dough and have fun adding eyes, noses and spectacles. Children learn to respect other people's views and beliefs.
• Staff work highly effectively with other professionals. When children attend two provisions, staff visit partner settings to share information about children's preferences and progress. When children have special educational needs and/or disabilities, managers and staff play their part in devising and enacting multi-agency plans. Managers use additional funding wisely. All children make excellent, sustained progress from their starting points.
• Managers coach and support staff to establish highly consistent routines throughout the nursery. This is one of the fundamental principles that underpin the nursery's curriculum. Staff teach children to follow the routines. By the time children are ready for school, they are self-assured participants in their own education. Pre-school children set the tables for lunch. They confidently bring the sand timer when they need to resolve a disagreement about sharing a toy.
• Parents who commented are unanimous in praising how well the staff team know their children. They say that babies benefit from care that celebrates their individual personalities and promotes their emerging self-determination. Parents are particularly admiring of staff's positivity. They say that staff inspire them to try out new activities with children at home and that the nursery is part of their team.