Stepping Stones Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, safe and contented at this welcoming nursery. Babies beam and grin as they shake musical instruments in time with music and song. They concentrate and persevere as they construct towers from cans. Babies develop the small muscles in their hands as they learn to turn the pages and lift the flaps in their favourite book. They laugh as they make the noises of the animals they find. Older children relish opportunities to get messy as they produce unique works of art. They scream with delight as they undertake science experiments. As children add ingredients to beakers and the bubbles overflow, children exclaim 'it's fizzing and bubbling'. They use knowledge from prior learning to recreate the reaction, mixing colours and scents to enhance the sensory experience.

Children develop both their strength and confidence during outdoor play. They squelch through mud, climb trees, negotiate obstacle courses they create and swing from the tyre swing. This helps children learn to challenge themselves and take managed risks. Children benefit from experiences and outings in the local area. They visit the library, which helps to embed a love of reading. They also visit a retirement home where they perform songs for the residents and learn about the residents' own childhoods. Children are well supported to make good progress in their learning and development.

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

• Leaders and managers have taken prompt and effective action to address the areas for improvement highlighted at the previous inspection. As a result, new staff receive a comprehensive induction programme before they start working with children. This ensures that they have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the most important policies and procedures, which helps keep children safe.
• Staff talk positively about the support and care they receive from the management team. They benefit from meaningful training, development and support. This has enhanced the quality of the education that staff provide. Staff plan challenging and enjoyable experiences that support the unique ways in which children learn.
• Staff have high aspirations of all children and are committed to implementing the nursery's curriculum to the best of their abilities. As a result, children make strong progress from their starting points. Staff provide a rich and varied curriculum which prepares children well for their eventual move to school.
• Leaders have a focus on supporting children's communication and language development. Staff read to children regularly, sing familiar nursery rhymes and use a rich and varied vocabulary. This introduces new terminology, which children go on to use in their play. However, leaders have not yet fully helped all staff understand the importance of pronunciation. This means children are not hearing words said correctly, including all the sounds that make up each word, which is necessary for the development of good speaking skills.
• Staff support children well to develop their independence skills. Older children benefit from taking on roles of responsibility, such as setting the table at mealtimes and tidying up after play. Staff support younger children to keep trying as they put on and take off their own shoes and coats. Children can pour their own drinks and serve their own meals with ease from a young age.
• Children learn from the kind staff team how to be considerate of others. They learn to recognise their own emotions and use the strategies taught to them by staff to manage how they feel. Children are polite, well-mannered and caring towards others, which helps them make firm friends at nursery.
• Leaders ensure that staff provide children with a curriculum that helps develop their understanding of the wider world. However, staff do not consistently support children to understand and value their own heritage or that of the local community to prepare them even better for life in modern Britain.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the meaningful communication they receive from the nursery about the progress their children make. They praise the close partnership working with staff when supporting children's health and dietary needs. Parents demonstrate the effective ways the nursery extends children's learning to home. For example, they are encouraged to help children complete mini storybook reviews. Parents say that the nursery staff contribute directly to their children's increased self-confidence and independence.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children to develop a greater understanding of their own cultural heritage and that of those in the local community
• consistently provide children with the correct pronunciation of words to help further enhance their speaking skills.