Second Steps Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents

This provision is good • Babies and children settle well and are happy and content in the staff's nurturing care.

They form close attachments to key staff, which helps them to feel safe. • Staff enable children to make independent choices in their play and learning. Children lead their own play guided by staff who understand their learning needs well.

Staff encourage children to make their own decisions and use skilful questioning techniques to encourage their creative thinking. • Staff keep parents well informed of their children's progress and form close working partnerships with them. Parents are pleased with the care their children receive and say that staff are frie...ndly and approachable.

• Staff understand children's individual needs well. They are swift to recognise any delays in children's development. They seek the help of external professionals where necessary, to ensure that all children receive the support they need to help them make progress.

• All children make good progress from their starting points. Staff provide a good range of interesting and enjoyable activities that stimulate children's imagination and curiosity. • Leaders and managers evaluate staff practice and the activities they provide for the children.

Staff observe each other's practice and give constructive feedback to help raise the standard of teaching across the nursery. • Staff sometimes miss opportunities to extend children's understanding and interest in numbers, colours, shapes and patterns. • The outdoor area is not always arranged well to meet the learning needs of children of all ages and stages of development.