First Steps Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have fun in the well-equipped outdoor area. Older children are enthusiastic about the new football goals.

They show good skills in kicking and aiming the ball to score penalties against a member of staff. Younger children enjoy being with their older siblings now that restrictions due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic have eased and they can play together again. Older children show care and concern when playing with others or exploring nature.

They hold a spider carefully on their hands to let others see and remind younger ones to be gentle, so they do not squash it. The children are fascinated by the thr...ead the spider spins and tell adults that it uses this to make its web and to get down from high places. They then return the spider carefully to the nearby plant.

Indoors, children build a complicated train track with ramps, twists and turns. They let the toy trains run down the track, comparing how fast they can make the engines go.

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

Staff support children's communication well.

They recognised that some children were not making the progress that they were capable of and introduced interventions to help. Children have fun joining in small group times, singing, signing, playing guessing games and learning new words. All children, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities or those who are learning English as an additional language, have made great improvements in their speaking and listening skills.

Leaders and managers have made many changes since the last inspection, including constructing a new building, changes to staff and reducing the numbers of children who attend. They have supported staff, children, and families well through these changes. For example, they encourage staff to access training to gain more skills and knowledge to improve the quality of teaching further.

For parents, they have encouraged staff to maintain two-way communication with them throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes. Staff send parents photographs and videos with activity suggestions for what children can continue learning at home and keep parents informed about any changes.Key persons know children well and provide play activities to follow what interests children.

For example, when children ask to play with the dough, staff help them to make it. Staff provide simple picture and word recipes and the ingredients needed. They talk with children about how the flour changes when water is added.

They ask questions but on occasion they do not leave sufficient time for children to respond or think of an answer. They make sure children at the activity all get a turn to stir the mixture. However, staff do not spot when other children want to join in.

Children are confident, make choices about what they would like to do and recognise when they might need help. Children choose to play in the nature area. Younger children balance across the wooden logs and ask for adult support to help them jump down from the highest one, landing safely.

Older children discuss different topics with staff. They talk about whether lava is hotter than the sun. Children agree with staff suggestions that they could look at books or the computer to see if they can find this out.

Children show curiosity and understanding that books and technology can provide more knowledge.Children's behaviour is good, overall. Staff support children to share and take turns.

Children show care and consideration for others and use conventions, such as please and thank you at mealtimes. However, there are occasions when staff miss chances to support well-being and care better. For example, at lunchtime, although children can choose when they would like to eat, sometimes there is no space available and children are disappointed as they must wait.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers make sure staff complete updated training for safeguarding. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about children's welfare.

Staff also know who to contact if they have concerns about the wider safeguarding issues around child sexual exploitation and extremist views. Staff understand how to make a referral or contact other agencies if they have a concern about the behaviour of an adult. Staff carry out risk assessments to keep children safe.

They provide places for children to play, rest and sleep. Although children do have cots and sleep mats, staff do not always use these for sleeping children as well as they could.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure staff support children in ways that help engage them in different activities, including providing sufficient time for children to think and express their ideas nimprove routines to make sure that children's needs are met more effectively.