Little Footsteps Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and engaged in learning. Relationships between staff and children are strong and children settle in quickly and grow in confidence.

Staff have high expectations of every child in their care. The key-person system is well implemented throughout the nursery. Spending time with their key person supports children's learning and emotional well-being.

Children behave very well. They quickly learn about the nursery routines and the simple rules that are in place for their safety. The rules are displayed as visual pictures so everyone can understand them.

The atmosphere in the nursery is very calm a...nd staff gently encourage children to play and learn together. Staff are always there to remind them about turn taking and being kind to each other. The older children love playing games.

Pairs of children had to go around the nursery and seek out different coloured objects to fill their bucket. They giggled with delight, as they shared the task together back on the carpet to see who had the most objects. The babies love different songs and rhymes, especially 'walking in the jungle'.

Staff hid animals in shredded paper and children had fun listening attentively to the sounds that the different animals make.

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

The manager and the provider have a vision for the kind of provision they want to run. The manager conducts regular meetings with the staff to monitor their performance and support them to gain future skills.

Staff know the children well and, as a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress from their starting points.Staff have meaningful conversations with the children. They understand how important communication and language is for children's future learning.

They track children's language and work hard to close any gaps. As children progress through the nursery, they develop into confident talkers. Staff read plenty of books to the children, using lots of expression and emphasising new words for them.

However, sometimes, when questioning the children, staff do not give enough time for children to answer with their own thoughts and opinions.Parents speak highly of the nursery and staff. They appreciate the regular information that they receive about their children's care and learning.

They feel that they can contact the nursery at any time about their child. During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff sent a video to parents about the nursery to keep in touch.Children demonstrate good listening skills and move between routines with minimal disruption.

A strong emphasis is given to children becoming independent and managing their own personal care needs. For example, children enjoy brushing their teeth after lunch and are helped to 'squeeze' the toothpaste onto the brush.Children learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

They enjoy snacks and meals and staff talk to the children about being healthy. Staff encourage good hygiene procedures to help tackle the spread of infections. As a result, children learn why it is important to wash their hands regularly.

They enjoy physical play with slides in the large garden and enjoy throwing balls into hoops. They go on outings to the local park. Children enjoy cutting out pictures to make a 'wish list', helping develop their hand muscles for writing.

Children are motivated to learn. Babies are enjoying mark making with crayons and learning the words 'under' and 'over' using a small parachute. Older children can recognise their name and confidently name colours and shapes.

Children learn about life cycles, such as that of the butterfly and the frog. They enjoy singing and dancing together. In quieter moments, the children will pick up a book, laying on the carpet reading together.

The manager and staff build on the curriculum to develop children's knowledge and skills. They carry out termly assessments on children to swiftly identify gaps in learning. The activities and resources available reflect children's interests.

However, the manager and staff do not always use resources and activities to support children to experiment, explore their ideas and further build on knowledge gained.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection, including the wider aspects of safeguarding.

The manager ensures staff undertake regular training, so their knowledge remains current. Staff confidently describe the action they would take if they had concerns about a child's welfare or a colleague's practice. They implement effective risk assessments that help to ensure children can play in a safe and secure environment.

Robust systems are in place to ensure the continued suitability of staff. The manager and staff team work together to ensure that all children are fully supported and kept safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's interactions and questioning skills so that they understand the importance of giving children more time to think and respond to help develop their speech and language skills even further review activities and resources to make sure they enable children to explore and test out their ideas in order to extend their thinking and learning.