Little Stepping Stones Day Nurseries

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are eager to attend nursery and are welcomed in by friendly staff. They come in happily and quickly settle to play with their friends.

Staff know children well and support their emotional needs effectively. Children develop close bonds with the staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Staff provide a wide range of fun activities for children to choose from and support children in their play effectively.

For example, children invite staff to join in with their role-play tea party and confidently retell their favourite stories using different props. Staff have systems in place to monitor children's pro...gress. However, they are not quick to implement robust strategies to support those children who need extra help with their learning.

This means that not all children make the best possible progress. Staff encourage children to be independent learners. For example, younger children confidently explore the toys and make choices in their play.

All children are encouraged to dress themselves before going outside. Older children confidently serve themselves at mealtimes and attend to their own self-care needs. Children are sociable and build friendships with their peers.

They are kind and caring towards each other and behave well.

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

The manager and the owner work well together. They are passionate about making improvements to the provision and practice and have taken steps to improve the quality of the nursery.

For example, the manager and owner have worked hard to address the safeguarding and welfare requirements actions raised at their last inspection.Overall, the quality of education has improved. The manager and staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn.

They plan activities based on children's interests and next steps in learning. Staff have a clear intent for each activity and implement it effectively to support children's development. However, children who need additional help with their learning do not always get tailored and robust support to help them catch up with their peers.

Therefore, not all children make good progress.Staff work well as a team. They have regular meetings to evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery and reflect on their practice and the experiences they provide for children.

The manager makes good use of training, supervision meetings and peer observations to develop staff's knowledge and experiences, to help to improve practice and outcomes for children. For instance, recent training around behaviour management has supported staff in their understanding of how to deal with challenging situations.Staff support children's developing language well.

They introduce words, ask questions, use repetition and act as good role models for communication. For example, staff enthusiastically talk to children while they are on a walk. They talk about the natural wildlife and what they can see and hear.

Partnerships with parents are effective. The manager and staff keep parents up to date with their children's learning. For example, staff use an online tool that parents can access at home, and parents are regularly invited in for parents' evenings to discuss their children's progress.

Parents are positive about the quality of care their children receive at the nursery.Staff encourage children's literacy skills effectively. Children enjoy listening to a range of stories and demonstrate their writing skills during play.

For example, older children confidently write their names in chalk and sound out the letters familiar to them.Children's physical well-being is supported well. Staff ensure that children take part in daily outdoor activities at the local park.

In addition, they provide healthy meals and drinks and encourage children to try new foods. Children also learn about the importance of dental hygiene. They enjoy brushing their teeth each day and learn about the impact of different foods on their teeth.

Occasionally, staff do not consistently organise transition times during the day effectively. This means that younger children are sometimes left waiting too long and become unsettled.At times, staff do not organise large-group activities for younger children as well as possible.

This causes children to sometimes lose interest and become distracted.Staff have high expectations of all children. They have a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour, which ensures that children know what is expected of them.

Children behave well and have good attitudes towards their learning. For example, they listen to staff at tidy-up time and help to sweep the floor. Staff help children to understand about turn taking and sharing.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Since the last inspection, the manager and staff have all completed safeguarding training and have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. They have a good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and an understanding of a range of safeguarding issues.

Staff know the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care, as well as the whistle-blowing policy. The manager has robust recruitment and induction procedures in place. Staff complete regular risk assessments to ensure that the nursery is safe and suitable.

They follow comprehensive procedures with regard to the recording of accidents.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve support for children who need additional help with their learning to help them make the best possible progress.27/10/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the planning of daily routines to reduce the amount of time that younger children have to wait without being occupied nimprove group times for younger children to ensure that all are engaged and do not lose interest.