Stepping Stones Playschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff are caring and nurturing in this welcoming nursery.

They get to know children and their families well. As a result, children develop good relationships with adults and each other. This contributes positively to children's overall well-being and their desire to learn.

The manager and staff have high expectations for all children. Staff have a good understanding of the age range that they are working with. Children play with toys that interest them because staff know them well and extend their learning 'in the moment'.

This supports them to make good progress. Children enjoy exploring indoors and outside. ...They use their imaginations as they fix the 'car wash' by using real tools and 'cook' with real food in the mud kitchen and role-play corner.

Children are creative and make structures with magnetic shapes and a range of 'junk'. They think critically as they work out what they need to finish their designs. Children have developed strong bonds with their key person and demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure.

When children arrive at the nursery, even the youngest children separate from parents confidently. Overall, children behave well as staff use effective strategies and tools, such as different-sized egg timers, to help them learn to negotiate and take turns.

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

The manager enthusiastically works alongside staff, supporting practice.

She knows her staff well and spends time each day sharing information with the them. However, the manager does not always use the supervision process to consistently focus on raising staff's knowledge and skills.Parents talk highly of the nursery.

They are kept well informed through an electronic communication system, regular discussions and newsletters. Staff have introduced the 'home challenge' which supports parents to extend their child's learning at home. For example, the current mathematics challenge has encouraged children to measure their family members to see who is the tallest.

Staff help children learn how to be responsible for others. Children help to care for the setting's pet ducks, feeding them and collecting their eggs. This teaches children empathy and how to care for living things.

During home visits, staff collect valuable information from parents about children before they start. This helps them to establish starting points. Staff regularly review children's development, including completing the progress check for two- to three-year-old children.

However, there are differences in the quality of some of these checks as not all staff follow the setting's procedures to ensure the consistency and detail of information shared with parents.All children have good opportunities to explore age-appropriate technology. They learn about cause and effect as they play with the light board, pressing buttons as they light up in a random sequence.

Children engage in friendly competitions and practise their emerging literacy skills as they record how many lights they have pressed. They are supportive of each other's efforts as they work together, demonstrating kindness as they take turns and compare their scores. Children behave well.

Children benefit from lots of activities to support their physical development. They enjoy healthy foods during sociable snack times and choose when they play outside in the fresh air. They take manageable risks as they work together moving long branches and sticks to make a den.

Children are encouraged to develop their own independence through a range of opportunities and tasks. The environment is well organised and enables children to freely select toys and resources. Routines are well planned to support independence.

For example, even the youngest children are encouraged to get changed into their outdoor clothing and shoes by themselves. All children help themselves to snacks and pour their own drinks. They clean away their plates and cups, ensuring they leave their space tidy for the next person.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning through good levels of curiosity, concentration and enjoyment. Artwork and creations are displayed with pride. Children find their name and photograph to place with their work, so everyone knows who made it.

This promotes self-esteem and confidence as staff celebrate children's achievements.Staff focus on ways to help children acquire new language. They provide ongoing commentary as children play, engage in conversations and give them time to think before responding.

Staff read stories on request and use props effectively to capture children's interest. Children are learning to listen. They join in with familiar refrains, speculating about what happens next.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and the staff team understand how to identify the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is at risk. They clearly understand how to report any concerns about children's welfare or the behaviour of another adult.

They have a broad understanding of wider safeguarding issues and how to identify and report any concerns. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all staff are suitable. Thorough induction and ongoing support from the manager ensure staff remain alert to their responsibility to keep children safe.

Staff are vigilant in their supervision of children. Continual risk assessment of the play areas, inside and outside, promotes children's safety.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the consistency of progress checks for children aged between two and three years, including the short written summary of the prime areas of learning develop the supervision process even further to raise staff's knowledge and skills to the highest level.

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