Kids 1st Steps

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are confident and focussed learners. Pre-school children are developing a secure understanding of counting to and recognising, numbers from one to 10.

They revel in the challenge of learning concepts such as 'less' and 'more'. Toddlers show their understanding of technology by navigating interactive screens as they sing nursery rhymes. Children's physical development is well supported.

They are developing good coordination as they drink from open beakers and skilfully use cutlery at mealtimes to feed themselves. They take part in daily trips to the local park, negotiate climbing apparatus in the nursery, and p...articipate in specialist coach-led activity sessions.Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursery is providing children with even greater support in developing their communication and language and independence skills.

Staff consistently model rich and varied vocabulary correctly to children. Children's speech is clear and well developed. Children explain the 'golden rules' to staff at the start of the day, acknowledging that it is their own responsibility to treat others kindly.

Children happily play with their friends, creating dance routines to songs they are familiar with. Children are polite and understand what makes their friends unique.

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

Leaders are committed to the best possible outcomes for children at the nursery.

They have an accurate oversight of what children need to learn. Staff observations and assessments of what children know and can do are used to plan next steps in children's learning. This results in children progressing well from their starting points, with any gaps being rapidly closed.

Overall, staff support children's developing independence. Toddlers choose the activities that they want to take part in, and select books they would like staff to read to them. Older children use the toilet independently and always wash their hands without prompting.

There are some occasions where promoting children's independence could be enhanced further, such as allowing all children to attempt to put on their own coats, self-serve their drinks and enabling older children to choose their own books.Staff undertake communication and language screening assessments for all children and use this to tailor their support for each child. Younger children are read to regularly and take part in lots of singing.

In preparation for school, older children receive daily sessions from the well-qualified nursery manager to learn the sounds that letters represent. Where additional external support is needed, staff work collaboratively with parents and other agencies to put this in place. This all contributes to very strong outcomes for all children in their communication and language development.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staffing levels, leaders have, for some time, been required to work in ratio directly with the children. This has restricted opportunities to support the continuous improvement of staff practice. This means staff do not always know how to raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level.

For example, some staff focus on routine tasks, such as serving meals or tidying up, rather than children's learning.Parents are consistent in their praise for the nursery and the positive impact it has had on their children's development. They explain how they receive lots of information about how their children are progressing, what they are interested in, and how to help them extend their learning at home.

They say their children have progressed well in their speech and become much more confident and sociable since starting at the nursery.Staff talk about the good work-life balance they have. They explain how leaders are always available for help and are genuinely supportive of their well-being.

They explain how they are supported to develop in their career by being able to access lots of training and complete higher-level qualifications.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The nursery leaders have an excellent knowledge and understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.

They work closely with expert advisers from the local authority to raise this knowledge to the highest level. Leaders ensure that the staff have access to both in-house and external training to maintain their own knowledge of how to help safeguard children. Staff and leaders talk with clarity about the steps they would take if they had a concern for a child.

Staff are well deployed to ensure children's needs are always met. Where injuries to children occur, first-aid trained staff are always on hand to provide treatment promptly.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide consistent opportunities for older children to develop their independence support staff to continuously improve their practice, to raise the quality of their teaching to a higher level.

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