Little Footsteps of Dereham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children develop strong attachments with their key person. This helps to promote their emotional well-being and ensures that they feel relaxed and safe.

Children move confidently between the inviting indoor and outdoor spaces. When venturing outside, they often stop to share warm and friendly interactions with staff in the different rooms.Songs, rhymes and stories are a key feature of the nursery's broad curriculum.

Babies excitedly join in with group singing activities. They develop their confidence as they move their hands and bodies to join in with familiar rhymes and songs. Children with special educational needs a...nd/or disabilities (SEND) are keen to get involved with the range of experiences on offer.

They embrace new physical challenges, such as learning to use the purposefully designed steps on the new climbing frame. Children are supported to develop their understanding of different people, places and their local community. For example, they enjoy regular visits to a local care home for the elderly, where they take part in activities with the residents.

There are high expectations for behaviour. Children learn from the positive actions modelled by the staff. For example, they remind each other to use their 'walking feet' when carrying their plates at mealtimes.

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

Leaders have taken swift action to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection. For example, they have ensured that all children benefit from a key person who understands their needs and maintains regular communication with their parents. This helps to ensure children experience good continuity in their care and education.

In the main, children take part in activities that are planned effectively to build on their existing development. Staff recognise that some children have fallen behind in their speech and language development since the COVID-19 pandemic. While they identify the support children need to catch up, staff do not always best utilise this knowledge to promote children's speech and language at every opportunity.

Arrangements for the care of children with SEND are good. Managers ensure staff are deployed to offer direct support to children with more complex needs. Staff work closely with parents and the other professionals involved with the children.

They make good use of additional funding to source specialist equipment and deploy extra staff to meet children's specific needs.Children are encouraged to do things independently. For instance, staff plan for children to serve nutritional meals and pour drinks of water for themselves.

They praise children for working together to tidy things away. This motivates children to focus on tasks and develop pride in being responsible and helpful.Staff hold parents' evenings throughout the year to share and discuss children's progress.

Managers involve parents in decisions about their children's education. For example, parents are fully involved when it is time for their children to move into the next room or on to school. This helps to ensure that children experience a smooth transition.

Staff are alert to children's safety. They often take the time to explain risks to children. This helps them to develop a strong awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

For example, children know that they can protect themselves by applying sun cream and wearing a sun hat in warmer temperatures.Leaders, managers and staff put good thought into evaluating and enhancing the educational provision. For example, staff monitor children's interest in specific activities and make changes to help to extend the learning potential.

These changes, particularly in the outdoor environment, help to ignite children's curiosity and maintain their motivation to learn.Staff say that their well-being is important to their leaders and managers. They benefit from frequent supervision sessions that help them to build on their roles and feel valued.

For example, staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice and identify training and development opportunities. This has had a particularly positive impact on extending staff's understanding of how to support children's behaviour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Since the last inspection, there has been a strong focus on helping staff to improve their understanding of the nursery's policies and procedures for safeguarding children. This means that staff know how to identify concerns about a child's welfare and who they must report these to. Staff confidently raise any worries they have about the conduct of staff, and managers take swift action to notify the relevant agencies.

This helps to ensure children are protected from harm. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure children are cared for by suitable people.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide more targeted support for staff to help them consistently make best use of opportunities to develop children's communication and language skills.