Silver Steps Day Care Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their day. They wave goodbye to parents and carers at the gate. Children are greeted by smiling staff who show them into the foyer to remove their coats and place their belongings on their labelled coat peg. Children confidently do this, recognising their names on the labels. They find their friends and begin playing with or alongside the other children. They work together with their peers in the role play area, creating delicious plates of pretend food and pouring drinks for each other.

Children behave very well. They are kind and caring towards each other. Gentle discussions fill the room as children sit with and speak to staff. They talk about the activities they are engaged in, for example making gingerbread people at the dough table. Children excitedly retell the story of how the fox carried the gingerbread man across the river on his back. Children think carefully about how they build constructions across the large tray for the fox and gingerbread man to cross the pretend river. Their ideas and thoughts are well supported by staff, who are on hand and encourage them to use familiar and new words to articulate their thoughts.

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

• The members of the management team have worked hard since the last inspection to improve their understanding of safer recruitment. They ensure that appropriate checks are carried out on all staff to assess their suitability. Staff have reviewed the organisation of large-group activities. They now separate younger and older children at story time. This enables staff to tailor the stories and discussions to match the concentration span of the children more effectively. Staff continuously build on their knowledge of how to deliver an effective curriculum.
• Parents speak highly of the management team and staff. They comment that they know their child's key person and have regular and purposeful communication with them about how their child is developing and progressing. Parents say that they are looking forward to parents' evening, when they will be able to go into the pre-school and see the environment in more detail.
• Children listen attentively as staff read them stories in an enjoyable and animated way. They join in with familiar parts. Staff supporting the story activity enable children sitting at the back to stand up to see the pictures. They help them to retell the story and contribute to discussions about what happened, or could have happened. Staff introduce new vocabulary to enhance and extend children's communication skills.
• Generally, staff place great emphasis on further developing children's communication and language skills. However, some staff do not give children enough time to consolidate their thinking when asking questions. They occasionally ask too many questions in quick succession, so children are not able to think about their answer, or they answer the question for the children.
• Children develop a greater understanding of numbers and weight as they use scales to weigh the ingredients to make gingerbread biscuits. Staff encourage them to stand where they can see the numbers on the scales. They talk confidently to them about weight and how much of each ingredient they will need. Children use their physical skills to mix the ingredients together. They talk about the way the ingredients change during the mixing process and how the mixture feels and smells.
• Children enjoy practising their cutting skills as they cut pictures from printed sheets to make their own storyboards to tell the story of 'The Gingerbread Man'. Those needing help are assisted by staff, who model how to hold and cut with the scissors.
• Children enjoy a mid-session snack and drink. They help to prepare for this part of the routine by clearing some of the toys away to make clean space on the tables. Children sit with their key person and friends in their key-person group. Staff set the tables with colour-matching cups, plates and place mats. They peel and prepare the fruit. While this is a nice way to present snack time, it provides limited opportunities for children, especially the most able, to develop problem-solving skills and further enhance their independence.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• raise staff's understanding of the importance of effective questioning to help children to further enhance their critical thinking
• review activities and group times to further enhance children's opportunities to develop independence.