Stepping Stones Uppingham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and relaxed as they come into the setting. They are greeted by their key person, who welcomes them enthusiastically, which helps children to feel safe and secure. Children separate from their parents confidently, as they wave goodbye and join their peers in activities, such as play dough making. Children learn to behave well, and their well-being is given high priority by practitioners. They are considerate of one another. For example, children support each other at lunchtime as they help pour drinks for one another. Children play energetically, and younger children are free to run around confidently and access bicycles independently, supporting their balance and coordination.

Children have access to a wonderful learning environment and benefit from practitioners planning a good-quality curriculum. They independently access a variety of exciting activities and experiences both inside and outside. The natural resources provided by practitioners are engaging, and children embrace these. For example, children access a large growing area outside, where they can access a considerable number of flowers to plant and grow, supporting them to develop their understanding of growth and nature. Children explore the water area alongside practitioners who support their curiosity, as they explore what happens if they use a colander instead of a bucket.

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

• Practitioners regularly observe and assess what children can do and use this information to inform their next steps to build on children's knowledge and skills. They plan an exciting environment to support children's learning, using the inside and outside. Children are eager to engage in the activities on offer, such as joining in a treasure hunt.
• Overall, the practitioners' teaching is good. However, some practitioners continually ask children questions about what they are doing, such as how big and what the colour is. These continual questions do not enhance children's progress or enable them to develop their own thinking.
• Children's good health is promoted by practitioners. They are provided with healthy snacks and lunches, and their individual dietary needs are well supported. Mealtimes are used as an opportunity to talk to the children about what they are doing and what they are eating, which helps them develop an understanding of a healthy diet.
• Children's independence is supported during snack and lunchtime as they are encouraged to pour their own drinks. Practitioners remind children to wipe their noses and encourage them to visit the toilet on their own.
• Children develop a positive attitude to learning. Practitioners support children to develop their storytelling and role-play activities. Children pretend to find an owl and then head to a bench and pretend to drink tea while re-enacting a familiar story.
• Practitioners know the children well and encourage them to make progress in their learning. For example, when children show interest in writing their names, staff build their confidence as they write their names for them to see and then offer plenty of encouragement as children attempt to copy.
• Practitioners work with other professionals and parents to provide targeted support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND are supported by attentive practitioners. For example, as they try to clamber out of difficult spaces, they are gently guided by the practitioner's hand. Children play and learn alongside their friends and make good progress in their learning.
• Practitioners support children's communication well. They read stories and talk clearly. During play and conversations, practitioners model language by commenting on what the children are doing. However, practitioners do not always provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning.
• Parents speak highly of the practitioners who work in the setting and say their children are excited to attend. They state they are kept well informed about their children's learning, and their transitions into the setting are particularly well supported.
• The manager has made many positive changes to the setting since it has become part of a trust. The practitioners' continuous professional development is important to the trust, and the team has recently attended some outdoor training that has further enhanced the outdoor space. Children spend a lot of time outside, engaging in the learning opportunities provided.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support practitioners to build on opportunities for children to develop and use their home language during play and learning
• develop practitioners' questioning skills to enhance and support the children to progress in their learning and provide them with the time to develop their thinking.