Stepping Stones Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders recognise that children, particularly babies and younger children, have spent much less time away from their family unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. They share photographs of the nursery with children before they start, to help them to gain a sense of what nursery is like. Settling-in procedures are tailored to children's needs. The use of special family books is helping children to feel more assured as they separate from family members on arrival. This contributes towards children's emotional security. Relationships between staff and children are positive. Children listen to staff and respond perfectly. For example, they show patience when waiting their turn to climb over complex physical equipment. Children are happy and settled in this calm and inclusive nursery.

Leaders and staff aim to ensure that children 'enjoy their learning'. Babies, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), use their senses to explore materials, such as bubbles. They express their excitement through actions, including making sounds with their voice and clapping their hands. Younger children use increasingly good physical skills when completing an obstacle course. They show resilience when learning to throw and catch balls outdoors. Older children enjoy listening to the sounds that different musical instruments make. They gain an understanding of some mathematical concepts, such as fast and slow, when tapping and shaking their instruments in time to music.

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

• Leaders value their staff team. They have significantly reduced the amount of paperwork that staff complete, to enable them to spend more time with the children. This is helping staff to find out more about what children know and enjoy and is contributing to the well-suited learning experiences that staff provide.
• In response to the impact of the pandemic, staff are placing a sharper emphasis on supporting children's communication and language development. They are beginning to introduce additional visual aids to help all children to communicate more freely. However, at times, staff do not use highly effective teaching strategies to build fully on children's skills. For example, occasionally staff do not repeat words and phrases precisely for children to hear and say, to build on their early pronunciation skills. Additionally, during stories, staff do not swiftly extend on the conversations that children initiate. This does not support children to make the highest rates of progress in their early language development.
• The proactive staff ensure that children with SEND receive the early help and support that they need. They thread advice from parents, carers and health professionals into children's individual support plans, to help to close any gaps in their learning. Children with SEND enjoy the positive interactions from their key person. For example, they take interest in their key person rolling a ball up and down a ramp and begin to maintain attention for longer periods.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff keep parents informed about every aspect of their children's care and development. They invite parents to join them at specialist training events, to support children's care and learning needs at home. However, in contrast, staff do not form strong links with teachers from other settings that the children attend, to share information about children's ongoing progress. This does not support children's continued learning most successfully.
• Staff encourage children to share information about what makes them unique. For example, during songs children quickly define their favourite fruits. Additional funding is used well to encourage healthy lifestyles. For example, older children, including those with SEND, enjoy regular walks to local areas, such as the harbour. They use new exercise equipment, including balls and hoops, during outdoor play. This supports children to participate in regular physical activity and contributes towards their ongoing good health.
• Children demonstrate their understanding of the behaviour rules in place. Younger children respond well to staff and willingly share toys with their friends during water play. Staff use resources, such as puppets, to support older children to make links between facial expressions and feelings. Children express what makes them feel happy, surprised or frightened. They are considerate and know that actions, such as a hug, can help others to feel better.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to gain a greater understanding of the highly effective teaching strategies that they should consistently use to build on children's early language development further
• form stronger connections with practitioners from other settings that children attend, and share in-depth information about children's learning and progress, to help children to make more rapid and substantial progress.