Two Steps Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children receive warm support from the kind and nurturing staff team to help them to settle in quickly.

Staff are understanding of, and attentive to, children's emotional needs. They offer comfort and reassurance to children when they need it so that children feel secure in the setting. Children's feelings are validated, and they are helped to communicate these in different ways.

Children confidently describe how they are feeling by using different coloured characters from a familiar book. They know that the yellow character means that they are happy. The curriculum is implemented effectively to provide every child wit...h a wealth of learning experiences.

Staff use their deep knowledge of child development to adapt activities to meet the individual needs of children who attend. Children show interest in exploring dough. Staff use these opportunities to provide additional challenge for children to help strengthen their small hand muscles in readiness for writing.

They sing songs to children to encourage them to roll the dough. Children are provided with thin resources to stick into the dough, such as pipe cleaners and spaghetti sticks. This helps them to practise their pincer and tripod grip, ready to hold and control a pencil.

Children thrive in exploring the world around them. They are closely supervised by staff as they go out in the local area looking for leaves and sticks for a planned activity. Children learn about how to keep themselves safe.

They know when to wait before crossing roads. Children listen carefully for any cars that may be approaching and are eager to identify the colours of cars they see.

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

Leaders and managers are ambitious about providing high-quality experiences for children within the local area.

They have recognised that there are currently delays in children's early literacy development. As a result, they have built their curriculum around books to support children to develop a love for reading. The nursery has enrolled on a project focusing on children's literacy development.

They work with parents and other professionals to provide opportunities for children to extend their learning further at home.The key-person system is implemented effectively to meet children's individual needs. Key persons know children well.

They use their knowledge of children's interests, combined with their regular assessments of children's development, to identify precisely what each child needs to learn next. Children are provided with an array of activities that are tailored to help them to make good progress in their learning and development. Children become deeply engaged in these interesting learning experiences.

However, on occasions, staff disrupt this by moving children on to the next part of the routine without giving them time to finish what they are doing.Staff take time to carefully explain their expectations to children. When sitting down for group time, staff model how to cross their legs and ask children to copy.

They explain how this stops their feet from hurting others. Staff regularly praise children and provide details of what they have done well. At tidy-up time, staff thank children individually for what they have done, such as tidying up the cars, and reward them with a sticker.

This motivates children to behave consistently well.Staff take every opportunity to sing to children. Children communicate what songs they would like to sing by selecting from visual prompts available to them.

Staff talk to children throughout the day. They model words and ask a range of questions, which further exposes children to a wide range of vocabulary. However, when children talk, staff do not always listen to what they are saying.

They often reply back with a question. This means that children are not consistently supported to develop their conversational and thinking skills.Leaders and managers provide high levels of support for staff.

Staff receive regular supervision opportunities to discuss any concerns they may have and explore ways to develop their own knowledge and skills. Leaders and managers ensure that staff attend regular training that is focused on areas where they need more support. Staff have a thirst for continuous learning.

They comment positively about the training they receive and the impact this has on their teaching skills and practice.Leaders and managers have robust arrangements in place to support children who show delays in their development. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to identify any support strategies that may be needed to help every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to reach their potential.

Leaders and managers are passionate about building relationships with parents and carers. They offer regular stay-and-play sessions to support children to feel comfortable in new environments. Activities are provided for parents, such as sessions around healthy eating, which focus on improving outcomes for children.

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: support staff to recognise when children are engaged in their play and learning to minimise disruptions to this nenhance the opportunities for children to build on their communication and language skills to further extend their thinking and learning.