Partou Little Big Steps Day Nursery & Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Babies and children form strong bonds with the caring and friendly staff at this setting. Parents have complete confidence in staff and say that they work so hard and give so much enthusiasm, energy and support to the children.

Children's care routines, dietary requirements and additional health needs are sensitively and conscientiously followed. Staff ensure children have enough to eat and drink and get the rest they need. The managers help staff review and improve arrangements.

The two-year-olds in the larger room are benefiting from smaller lunchtime groups, offering children a calm mealtime and quiet nap times.Staf...f think through their curriculum carefully, linking this to children's age and individual learning needs. Children develop their independence skills and sense of responsibility age-appropriately across the whole setting.

Babies are sensitively encouraged to feed themselves with their spoon and try very hard. Children serve themselves food at mealtimes and pour their own drinks. Staff help the children to clear away their items and scrape their plates.

Pre-school children help to sweep up too. Children learn considerable skills. They are keen to do things for themselves and smile broadly as staff praise them for their achievements.

Older children learn to manage their toileting needs. Staff focus on developing children's skills and lead useful discussions to help children prepare for their move on to school.

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

Children make good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Each child's key person carries out observations and assessments on children's learning. They act promptly if children are behind expected development, liaising with parents and the setting's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), putting in place additional support.Staff share lots of information with parents through discussions, meetings and the setting's new online app.

Parents say they are well informed. However, staff have not developed a two-way sharing of information with other provisions the children attend to provide a consistent approach for children across all aspects of their lives.The members of the management team have all undertaken higher-level child protection training to ensure they can lead robust practices at the setting.

Staff know what to do if they are worried about the children or if they have concerns about another member of staff. They understand the importance of dealing with any concerns in a timely manner to get children the help they need and to keep them safe.Staff plan beneficial group times.

Those working with the babies make the group times fun and are skilled at engaging them. Babies clap and follow movements to songs. They giggle happily during their 'welcome time'.

However, for some of the other age groups, staff do not suitably minimise distractions, and children's attention and involvement do not develop as much as possible.Babies and children enjoy climbing and using equipment inside and outdoors. Children show good skills as they play beanbag games with staff.

Older Children play imaginatively with their friends, balancing well as they use the obstacle course as their route to the 'beach'. Staff are deployed well to offer attentive support to children. They help children take turns and share resources.

They watch and offer children reminders to ensure their safety while still allowing them the freedom to challenge and develop their skills and confidence.Staff get down to babies' and children's level as they play and help develop children's vocabulary. Older babies excitedly toddle after bubbles in the garden, clearly saying 'bubble' as staff model the word for them.

However, at times, some staff do not adapt their teaching and interactions to ensure children's understanding and extend their emerging communication.The members of the new management team work together cohesively to lead good practice at this setting. They review all aspects and help affect change and improvements.

They ensure there is close monitoring, supervision and mentoring of staff, including new staff and agency staff. The parent company's increased resources offer useful training to the staff. They also beneficially pair staff up for training and then help them work together to apply and implement the new knowledge they have acquired.

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: nextend the sharing of information with other settings the children attend to help provide a consistent approach for children across all aspects of their lives minimise distractions during group times and help develop children's listening and attention further support staff to consistently adapt their teaching and interactions and extend children's understanding and their emerging communication as much as possible.