Little Foot Steps Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education and teaching is variable. Staff do not consistently implement a curriculum to meet the needs of all children. At times, activities and play opportunities are not organised to ensure that all children have the best learning experience.

As a result, some children do not develop a positive attitude to learning and are often unable to engage fully in learning opportunities.Despite this, children receive a warm welcome from staff on arrival. They eagerly join their friends to play and are encouraged to be independent.

Staff support children to identify their name tag on arrival. Children place their co...ats and bags on their named peg. Parents share that they receive daily feedback from staff about their child's day.

The robust settling-in routine provides parents with reassurance and comfort.Staff support children in building their physical skills. When playing outdoors, babies and young children use tunnels and slides to move their bodies.

They giggle as they play peekaboo with staff. Older children use bat and balls in group activities, which supports their hand-to-eye coordination. During outdoor play, children enjoy exploring nature and digging up mud using small trowels in search of minibeasts.

Children enjoy making choices in their play.

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

The leader works alongside staff to provide an appropriate curriculum. However, staff practice is not consistently evaluated to ensure that teaching and interactions are always of a high standard.

During regular supervision meetings with staff, the leader has not identified areas that require strengthening to support good practice. However, the leader does discuss staff well-being and how to support staff workload, which staff appreciate.The leader supports staff in planning for children.

However, the learning intentions are not consistently implemented to ensure that every child reaches their full potential. Some staff are unsure of what they want children to learn and how to plan activities to fully support their learning. As a result, sometimes, children lack focus, which impacts on their learning.

At times, staff do not consistently manage children's behaviour. Expectations are not consistently explained to children. As a result, occasionally, children find it challenging to regulate their behaviour, which impacts on their attitudes towards learning.

Children are familiar with the routines of the day. However, at times, routines interrupt children's engagement in play. This reduces time that children can immerse themselves fully in learning opportunities.

Staff know of the importance of supporting communication and language. This includes supporting children who speak English as an additional language. During play, staff talk with children to extend their vocabulary.

For example, children share their cooking skills in the role-play area with their friends. They involve staff, who show them real vegetables, such as potatoes, broccoli and onions. Children discuss with each other what meals they are going to prepare.

Babies and toddlers enjoy nursery rhymes and singing. They eagerly join in with the actions of each song, bringing the words to life.Staff provide children with opportunities to learn about mathematics.

Older children use a tape measure to see who is the tallest in the group. They involve staff, who introduce mathematical language, such as 'tall' and 'small'. In other activities, children begin to make comparisons between 'light' and 'heavy' vegetables.

This prepares children for developing their early problem-solving skills.Staff ensure there is a well-established key-person system in place. They get to know each child's needs through a settling-in process through which lots of information about each child is collated.

This helps children build a strong relationship with staff, which supports them to feel safe and secure.Staff support children in building their independence skills. Children learn the importance of washing their hands before meals and after using the bathroom.

They learn from an early stage how to feed themselves and how to take on and off their shoes. This prepares children for school.Children learn about what makes them unique.

Parents share family photos and information on their home life in a 'culture book', which is shared within the group. This supports children's understanding about other cultures and diversity.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have suitable knowledge of how to keep children safe and what their responsibilities are. They understand the signs and symptoms of abuse and who to report any concerns to. Staff understand the whistle-blowing procedures should they be worried about the conduct of a colleague towards a child.

Leaders ensure there are safe recruitment procedures in place. They complete regular, ongoing suitability checks to ensure that staff continue to be suitable to work with children. This keeps children safe from harm.

Staff complete daily risk assessment of both the indoors and outdoors to reduce the likelihood of accidents. The environment is cleaned regularly to support infection control.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen monitoring and development of staff practice to raise the quality of education so that it is consistently of a high quality plan the curriculum more effectively and consider more closely the intent and the impact of the activities to help raise children's achievements to a higher level help children to develop a deeper understanding of behavioural expectations, to further support their learning reflect on routines during the day so that children have time to engage fully in their play without interruption.