Footsteps Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy the time they spend at the warm and welcoming pre-school. They have formed strong attachments with staff and demonstrate that they are emotionally secure. Children show that they feel comfortable as they play alongside adults or enjoy sitting on their laps when listening to stories.

Effective settling-in processes are in place and staff know their key children well. They confidently talk about children's individual characteristics, including their abilities, likes and dislikes. Children make good progress in the setting and explore the environment with confidence and ease.

They have a positive attitude t...o their learning and behave very well. Children take part in activities with enthusiasm and excitement. For instance, during the inspection, children pretended there was a monster with red spots in the pre-school.

They used natural resources, such as planks of wood and logs, to create a jail for the monster. They worked together to move the wood and commented that they had found a heavy wooden door for the jail.Children are eager to engage in activities that develop the skills they need for their future.

They thrive in the language-rich environment. Throughout activities, staff introduce new words to enhance children's vocabulary. Children develop a love of books and stories from an early age.

They listen carefully and attentively to familiar stories and accurately predict what might happen next.

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

The manager is aware of the potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's learning and development. She has identified that after the national restrictions, some children need more support to develop their social and communication skills.

She has worked closely with parents and staff to support children to catch up in these areas.The manager and staff have high expectations for children's learning and development. Staff monitor children's progress over time, to ensure that the learning experiences offered, help them to develop across all areas.

They quickly identify gaps in children's progress and implement plans to help them to catch up. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive well-tailored individual support. Staff work closely with outside professionals where necessary and share expertise to help children catch up in their learning.

Staff have developed good relationships with parents. They gather a wealth of information from them prior to the children starting. This information is used by staff to help children to settle and to make sure learning opportunities meet their current needs and interests.

The focus on children's creative thinking is very strong. Children choose activities for themselves and use these in creative ways. For example, they use metal cups and pans as drums, and wooden spoons as drumsticks.

They bang each to create different sounds and identify that one type of metal makes a louder sound than the other.Staff provide engaging experiences, to help children develop an understanding of their wider world. For instance, children eagerly hunt for worms in the garden and look at these through magnifying glasses.

Staff use these interests to promote children's mathematical development, such as encouraging them to count the number of worms and compare their sizes.The passionate manager and deputy lead their staff team very well and create a highly positive atmosphere for staff well-being. They offer valuable support and training for staff's professional development.

However, there is scope for even more support to fully embed training for newer and less-experienced staff, to help strengthen their good practice further.Children have respect for one another and listen to adults, responding quickly to their instructions. For example, they quickly tidy up when asked.

Overall, children gain a good understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. They benefit from healthy snacks and plenty of fresh air and exercise through regular outdoor play. However, staff do not consistently encourage children to follow good hygiene routines.

For example, children are not always reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet and wiping their noses.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders have thorough recruitment and induction procedures in place to check that staff are suitable to care for children.

The premises are clean, safe, and secure and staff carry out checks to maintain good standards. Leaders ensure that staff undertake safeguarding training and attend meetings to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff are very knowledgeable about how to keep children safe.

This includes the wider aspects of safeguarding, such as female genital mutilation and 'Prevent' duty. They know the signs to look out for in children and their wider families, and know who to report these concerns to, including to agencies outside of their organisation.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to strengthen and embed support for newer and less-experienced staff to help raise their good level of practice higher strengthen the consistency of hygiene practices to support children's understanding of the links between good hygiene and good health.