Footsteps Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and excited to attend this nurturing setting. The key-person system ensures that staff know the children well. Children form strong bonds with staff, who support and care for their well-being. New children enjoy receiving cuddles and support from staff. Children settle quickly, feel safe and secure and are excited to play with their friends. Staff develop activities that build on children's interests. Children are motivated and engage with learning well. Staff promote children's independence effectively through everyday activities. Babies help to tidy away toys. Toddlers start to use the toilet and learn to wash their hands. Pre-school children scrape their plates after lunch and clear away their knives and forks.

Staff create a well-equipped learning environment that ensures the children benefit from valuable experiences, both indoors and outdoors. Babies use a range of senses to explore treasure baskets and 'shiny' objects. Toddlers access the outdoors as they excitedly exclaim that they are 'going on a bear hunt'. Pre-school children use their fine motor skills as they manipulate play dough into 'poppies' for Remembrance Day. Staff skilfully support children and help them to develop the skills needed for their future learning.

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

• Managers and staff have a strong ethos for the setting. They focus on supporting children to be 'school ready' and to have the best start in their learning journey. Staff have regular supervisions and observations of their practice. Managers also monitor staff well-being and staff know they can ask managers for help and guidance to improve their practice.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff implement early intervention strategies quickly. Children benefit from targeted one-to-one support when needed. These interventions are having a positive impact on children's progress and development.
• Staff develop children's communication and language in a variety of effective ways. For example, staff model good language and use signs for words. They talk to the children throughout the day. Babies enjoy singing time and they excitedly repeat words and carry out actions. Staff working with toddlers focus on helping them to learn new sounds and words. Pre-school children learn new vocabulary as they discuss 'teeth', 'enamel', 'calcium' and 'cavities'.
• Staff skilfully create excitement in their storytelling. For example, they introduce the author and illustrator. Pre-school children name other books by the author, helping them to recall past stories. They discuss their favourite story and how the characters might feel. Children develop a love of books.
• Children learn how to keep themselves healthy. Staff discuss the importance of exercise. They tell children to drink water after physical exercise to 'rehydrate'. They have activities to discuss oral health as well as healthy and unhealthy foods for their teeth. Although staff help children to understand about healthy lifestyles, they do not provide children with consistent messages about making healthy choices.
• Staff support children's learning well. They help develop concepts and sequence the curriculum to ensure learning is challenging. They help children to recall past events and build on these to secure their knowledge. However, staff sometimes interrupt children's play and do not allow them the freedom to explore and experiment for themselves.
• Parent partnership is strong. Parents report how happy they are with the setting and how much their children have developed and flourished. Staff give regular feedback to parents, both verbally and through an online app. They have parent evenings to discuss their children's progress and support for their next steps.
• Staff plan activities that help children to develop their physical skills. Outdoors, staff support babies as they walk on balance beams and see-saws. Children squeal excitedly as they jump and splash in puddles. This develops their confidence and gross motor skills. Indoors, pre-school children build on their fine motor skills as they use scissors and mark make. Babies skilfully put pegs into holes, developing their hand-to-eye coordination.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase opportunities for children to explore their own ideas, to develop their thinking skills even further
• provide children with consistent messages about healthy eating, to further support their understanding about healthy lifestyles.