Footsteps Atherstone Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery and are keen to come into the rooms and play with their friends. They build close relationships with staff and frequently sit on their laps or beside them to receive cuddles and reassurance. This helps children to feel safe and secure in their care. Staff organise exciting games outdoors which help children to be active and practise their physical skills. Children have fun and are keen to use their skills while they follow staff's clear instructions alongside their peers. For example, they giggle as they practise jumping in a sack alongside their friends. Their peers cheer and clap as the children reach the end. Staff give lots of praise for their efforts and achievements, which helps to raise children's confidence and self-esteem. Other children are eager to take their turn as the games continue.

Children behave well. Staff adapt their teaching and practice to ensure all children, including those in need of some support, are helped to understand the behaviours that are expected of them. Young children respond well to staff's reminders to use their good manners, while older children say 'please' and 'thank you' with little prompting. Children enjoy learning. They gain the skills and knowledge they need to prepare them for the next stages of their learning.

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

• The nursery curriculum has clear intentions for children's learning as they move through the nursery. Staff gather information from parents when children first start, which helps them to ensure children settle in well. However, they do not yet make the most of the time spent with parents to find out about children's prior learning so that they can prepare them for their next learning from the outset.
• Staff consider the interests of children and prepare enjoyable activities and experiences for them. However, these plans do not yet focus sharply enough on including the learning that individual children need.
• The promotion of independence in this setting is strong. For example, babies manage feeding and the use of cutlery and utensils from a young age. Staff recognise children's capabilities and encourage them to manage their personal care needs when they are capable. Older children manage tasks independently, including dressing themselves and fastening their clothes. This helps to prepare them well for their move on to school.
• Staff support children's development of communication and language well. Babies say the words they know from the pictures they look at with staff and with their peers. They are keen to find the toys in their room which relate to these words, such as a zebra and a giraffe. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language well. They use familiar words in their home languages alongside English to support their understanding.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the support they need to continue to make progress in their learning. The setting's special educational needs coordinator liaises effectively with parents, other professionals and key staff to ensure that children receive the right help and enjoy their experiences alongside their peers.
• Children are keen to engage in play alongside staff and with their peers. Babies show delight when staff prepare water to wash baby dolls. Babies excitedly point and say, 'bubbles, bubbles', and are ready to join in. Older children enjoy being creative and experimenting with paint. Staff encourage their creativity as children discover what happens when they use wooden hammers to make paint splashes across their paper. They talk about the colours they have used and the shapes they have made.
• Managers ensure that staff receive the training and support they need to continue their professional development and fulfil their roles and responsibilities. The arrangements for monitoring staff's teaching practice are effective. Staff say they feel supported and listened to by managers.
• Parents are happy with the nursery and specifically comment on the good communication from staff at collection time and the information they receive online. Parents say they receive regular updates about their child's care and learning and are happy with the progress their children are making. Parents say that staff are friendly and approachable.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• gain further information from parents about children when they first start in order to find out what they know and can do, to enable staff to decide and prepare from the outset for what children are ready to learn next
• ensure the activities and experiences provided to children focus more precisely on what they need to learn to help them to make the best possible progress.