Second Steps Day Nursery (Hanningfield) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their day in the vibrant and exciting nursery environment. Staff create warm and welcoming spaces for children to explore, learn and develop. Children are keen and active learners. They enjoy participating in freely chosen as well as adult-led activities and are eager to join in. Staff have high expectations of the children. They know them well and confidently follow the children's interests and ideas when planning activities and resources. Children are provided with good opportunities to learn in the exciting outdoor areas of the nursery. They enjoy exploring the wooded area where they create games using natural materials. Children develop their love of books and stories when they visit the 'reading library', which is an old caravan and provides a cosy space for children to listen to stories and enjoy literacy.

Staff make good use of the local environment to enhance children's learning. The nursery is surrounded by wildlife, nature and animals, such as goats and alpacas. Children regularly go for walks in the local area to see these. As a gesture of kindness, children and staff have taken small bunches of flowers to local residents. Children learn about planting and growing when they plant and tend a range of herbs and vegetables in the vegetable plots. Staff hope to develop this further over the coming year.

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

• The nursery is one of a small chain of early years provisions run by the same company directors. All staff are well-supported by the operation managers. Staff receive effective supervision and coaching to help them to develop their skills. They regularly undertake training online as well as through team events. Staff comment that their well-being is given good consideration by the management team.
• Staff have effective procedures for working in partnership with parents and other professionals. Parents comment that their children really enjoy attending the nursery and they feel that the communication between the nursery and parents is good.
• Staff enhance children understanding of numbers, counting and early mathematical skills. They encourage children to count in everyday play, sort shapes and colours and consider simple calculations. Older children confidently count to 20 and are praised by staff who tell them that they are doing 'good counting'.
• Children are very familiar with the nursery routines such as tidying resources away when they have finished with them. The staff gently remind them of their motto, 'choose, use and tidy away', which the children do proficiently. On occasions, children's learning is hindered as staff rush them to finish their chosen activity in order to move to the next routine activity, such as going to the dining room for a meal or snack.
• Staff help children to learn about taking risks and careful play. Where accidents do happen, for example, in the extensive outdoor area, managers carry out a thorough review of what happened and any equipment and resources involved. Where necessary, risk assessments are further developed to help to ensure children's safety moving forward.
• Babies receive warm, caring interactions from their care givers. They enjoy a cuddle when needed and support to dress and undress when going outside. Staff across the nursery encourage children to develop independence in accordance with their stage of development.
• Children listen attentively as staff read to them. They enjoy singing sessions and use visual prompts to share with staff which songs they want to sing. Staff use clear language to help children to develop their speech and language skills. They pronounce words clearly and ask pertinent questions to extend children's thinking.
• Children enjoy a range of home-cooked meals, freshly prepared by the nursery chef. They sit together with staff and share calm and gentle conversations about their home life, trips away and what food they enjoy eating. Staff encourage children to clear their own plates when they have finished their meal and to re-fill their water bottles from the water dispenser. Children understand the importance of keeping well-hydrated.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching so that staff manage time effectively when delivering adult-led, group activities and routine activities and children fully benefit from such experiences.