Happy Steps

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children of all ages arrive eagerly at the nursery and leave their parents with confidence.

They are greeted warmly by attentive staff and show excitement to see their friends. All children feel very welcome, safe and secure in the inclusive nursery environment. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who receive additional funding are supported well.

They benefit from positive extra attention where needed and begin to close any gaps in their learning. Babies explore with confidence, show good curiosity and enjoy sharing their experiences with staff. They are physically active and d...elight in going down indoor slides, riding on rocking horses and rolling balls along the floor.

Older children enjoy well-planned activities, such as making play dough, and show strong independence and physical development. For example, they carefully cut up fruit for snack, get dressed for the garden and manage their toileting needs. Children respond positively to staff's high expectations of them and are keen to give things a go.

For instance, children thoroughly enjoy regular forest school sessions in the local woodlands. They learn about nature, create and build with natural objects and learn to take measured risks. Yoga sessions are also a firm favourite for children, who eagerly learn to follow instructions, balance, and regulate their breathing.

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

The ambitious manager is well supported by a strong and experienced senior team. Together, they reflect closely on the children who attend the nursery and how to meet their needs. They provide a challenging curriculum that successfully builds on children's learning and broadens their experiences.

Outdoor learning is a key focus and children benefit from exciting experiences in the local community. For example, children observe nature on visits to the beach and learn about history through visits to local castles. Children enjoy regular play in the stimulating nursery garden and also develop strong physical skills inside.

For instance, two-year-old children skilfully use a rope to climb an indoor ramp.Staff know the children well and assess their development closely. They plan successfully to support children's next steps in learning and follow their interests well to help make learning enjoyable.

For example, pre-school children show great concentration and motivation as they carefully screw nails into wooden blocks with a screwdriver. Younger children confidently count as they add ingredients to make play dough, and babies explore the sounds they can make as they shake tambourines.Overall, staff support children with SEND well.

Staff identify their needs closely and put in place effective strategies, such as 'now and next' boards, to support children's understanding of routines. However, at times, strategies in place to support children with language delay are not followed consistently. For example, sometimes, staff miss opportunities to repeat children's speech back and model correct pronunciation and sentence structure.

Overall, however, staff support children's language development successfully. They commentate well on young children's play and actions and engage older children in plenty of interesting conversations. Children confidently express their ideas, share their views and use speech to develop their play.

They learn and use new words through activities. For example, as they explore weighing scales, they learn the words 'equals' and 'balance'.Staff are strong and positive role models to children.

They offer clear and consistent messages about their expectations, and children behave very well. By reading a popular book, children learn how to express their feelings through colours. They begin to understand and regulate their feelings, with staff support.

For example, children confidently tell staff if they are feeling happy, calm or sad throughout the day and use colours to represent their changing emotions.The manager knows her staff team well and offers good training, support and coaching. She spends time observing staff in the playrooms and supports their emotional well-being sensitively.

Despite the good support in place, there are areas of staff practice to develop further to achieve the highest quality of teaching, such as more effective questioning techniques. There is scope for the manager to further embed staff's professional development and offer even more tailored individual support.Parents are very appreciative of the high levels of support they receive and feel fully involved in their children's learning.

They comment enthusiastically on the benefits of the 'lending library' and regular feedback on their children's development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff regularly update their safeguarding knowledge through training, supervision and staff meetings.

Staff are often questioned about their knowledge to check their understanding. They confidently know the signs that would cause them concern about a child's welfare, including signs of neglect and extreme views. The manager and staff know who to contact should they have a concern and how to access outside support when needed.

They know the importance of working together to monitor children's attendance and changes of behaviour to help protect them from harm. The manager and staff provide a safe and secure environment for all children.

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 the good support for staff's professional development, to identify further improvements even more precisely follow the good strategies in place for children with language delay more consistently, to support their communication skills further.