Early Steps Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The provider has made significant improvements since Ofsted's previous visits and is now meeting all safeguarding and welfare requirements.

However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of education. Leaders have not fully embedded a curriculum that provides children with appropriate stimulation and challenge to enable them to make the progress they are capable of. This does not support staff to know how to help children to engage in their learning.

At times, this impacts on children's behaviour. Despite this, all children enjoy their time at pre-school, and they confidently approach staff when they want to share... their thoughts and ideas. For instance, they proudly show staff the pictures they have made.

At these times, staff praise children appropriately for completing their task. This helps children to strengthen their bonds with staff.When teaching is successfully implemented by staff, children show a good attitude to learning and engage well.

They concentrate intently on their task, such as using different colours to make their own pictures. Leaders consider ways to provide children with a broad range of interesting experiences. For example, they use additional funding to arrange visits from outside companies, such as mobile zoos.

Children enjoy learning about the different animals, which helps them to build on their knowledge of their world around them.

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

As part of the improvements, a 'questions jar' has been introduced. This allows leaders and staff to test each other on aspects of practice, including safeguarding and the areas of learning.

However, leaders have not been completely effective in ensuring that practice among the staff team is fully consistent. Some staff are less confident in their interactions and do not recognise how to extend learning as children engage in freely chosen play. At these times, children do not benefit from good quality teaching.

In addition, the curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious across all areas of learning.The inconsistency in staff interactions sometimes results in children wandering aimlessly without engaging in purposeful play and learning. On occasion, this results in children showing unwanted behaviour, such as running in the classroom and snatching toys away from others.

When teaching is effective, staff provide children with good support to build on their knowledge and skills in their chosen activities.Leaders have made improvements to how the learning environment is arranged, and these are beginning to have an impact. This includes creating coloured zones to help staff to know which area they should be working in so that they deploy themselves better.

Leaders and staff are continuing to embed these changes.Overall, children are supported well to manage their behaviour. For instance, staff talk to them about the nursery rules during group times.

Staff use visual prompts to help children to remember the rules, which enables them to join in during these discussions. Additionally, when staff notice that children need support with their behaviour, they talk to them and encourage them to find a solution. This goes some way to helping children to develop an understanding of how they are expected to behave.

Adult-led activities are implemented well by staff. They plan interesting experiences that children are eager to join in. For instance, staff invite them to make their own 'spiders'.

Children focus their attention as they take part. Staff encourage them to share their ideas and knowledge, such as by asking children what they know about spiders. Children enjoy these conversations, which helps them to build on their language skills.

Staff are friendly and kind towards children. For example, they support children to build tall towers. Staff encourage them to count the foam bricks as they stack them on top of each other.

This supports children to develop their knowledge of number sequences as part of their mathematical development.Parent partnerships are strong. Staff provide parents with information about their child's routines and progress.

Parents receive good support for home learning. For example, they are given resources to take home to use with their children to build on their communication skills. Parents report that their children have developed good bonds with staff and they enjoy attending the pre-school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance the early years curriculum to provide appropriate challenge across all areas strengthen further the arrangements to monitor and support staff to target their interactions to more effectively extend children's learning.