Footsteps Day Nursery

Footsteps Day Nursery Edward Spencer House, 221-223 Old Shoreham Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 1XR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/10/2012 06/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The enthusiastic, committed and skilled staff team work well together to help ensure children benefit from good levels of support in their learning.  Children are interested and keen learners, playing well independently or in small or large groups. All enjoy the time they spend at the setting, especially garden play.  Bespoke monthly newsletters ensure parents receive regular, relevant information. This helps them to feel involved in their child's learning and increases the opportunities for them to further this at home.  Children, staff and parents are fully involved in the self-evaluation process, helping the management team as they constantly strive towards improvement and continually improve their practices.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Not all rooms provide children with low-level visual stimuli to further extend their language skills through discussions about what they can see or feel on the walls.  Some staff are not consistently effective in engaging children in thought provoking conversations to further children's communication and language skills.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spent time observing children both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector discussed the leadership with the manager and nominated person.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled records and documentation relating to: children's progress and development; safeguarding; staff training and suitability, policies and self- evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 One parent was interviewed and their views taken into account. Further parental views were recorded via questionnaires presented to the inspector during the course of the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors sought the views of children through discussion with them and observation of their play.

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Information about the setting

Footsteps Day Nursery registered in 2003 and operates from a converted building in Portslade, East Sussex. Children have access to three rooms located on the first floor of the property. All children have access to a garden area. The nursery is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, all year round.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 75 children on roll. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who learn English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of staff. All of them hold appropriate early years qualifications and two have attained Early Years Professional Status. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 strengthen the educational programme in communication and language by a) developing consistency amongst the staff team in engaging children in thought provoking conversations and introducing new words; b) asking children open questions with many possible answers; and c) improving the low level stimuli in the bumble bee and caterpillar rooms to instigate further areas for discussion with children.

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who attend

The quality of the educational programme is good. Staff know children well and plan to ensure they make progress in their learning each week. They use their knowledge of each child to identify their next steps, and produce termly reports to share with parents that summarise ongoing developments. All children are progressing well in their learning and are generally working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age, given their capabilities and starting points.

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who attend

All staff are enthusiastic and many are skilful in their interaction with children. However, some staff miss opportunities to effectively question children about what they are doing, their thoughts or what could happen. This limits the ways some children are able to fully develop their communication and language skills.

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who attend

Children are keen learners and move around the setting confidently and independently. They engross themselves in their chosen play, whether this is independently with small world toys, with small peer groups in the garden, or as larger groups playing card games such as pairs. Children are well supported by staff and there is a good balance between child-initiated and adult-led play. For example, children enjoy playing with the sand in the sand tray and talk of finding treasure. Staff extend this play by finding some resources to use as 'treasure' and ask the children to close their eyes while they bury it. Consequently, children play with a purpose, as they dig with enthusiasm and glee to see what they can find. This increases the learning opportunities available to children in an exciting way by extending these based on their interests, ensuring they are eager to participate. Children with additional needs or who are learning English as an additional language receive

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who attend

appropriate support from staff. Bespoke individual education plans are devised as required, ensuring their learning is well-targeted and they are given every opportunity to progress.

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who attend

Parents are given monthly curriculum newsletters that are different depending on the room their child is in. They contain a wealth of information about what their children will be doing in the coming weeks, and also include song words or key stories they will be looking at; helping to increase the opportunities for parents to feel involved in their child's leaning and reinforce this at home.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The key person system is well established and helps to promote children's independence and well-being. Staff know their key children very well, ensuring their needs are well met and they are effectively motivated and challenged during their play. Staff demonstrate their caring natures, and offer children cuddles or support as required, ensuring their emotional needs are well met.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are well prepared for transitions and school. Embedded methods of communication with other childcare settings, as well as visits from teachers and photo books of each of the schools, all help children to become accustomed to the new arrangements and surroundings before they go. The role play areas are set up as schools and contain school uniforms for children to dress up in as they play. These methods, coupled with the effective teaching and learning at the nursery, ensure children are well supported during the transition processes.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Overall, the nursery is a stimulating and well-resourced environment, both indoors and out. Most of the learning environments are carefully planned to ensure the toys and resources available interest the children and offer sufficient challenge. However, the low- level walls in the caterpillar's room and the bumble bee's rooms are currently bare and do not help to encourage conversation, recognition or reinforce learning. The management are aware of this in the caterpillar's room, and plans have been put into place to improve this; but this is not yet the case for the bumble bee's room.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children behave well, and learn about sharing through helpful explanations from staff. Older children demonstrate good levels of self-control, and are easily able to wait their turn during large group games, such as pairs. Children are learning about how to keep themselves safe, for example, when using the garden or the stairs through gentle guidance and explanations from staff. All areas of the setting are safe and secure. Meal times are well organised and children enjoy the social experience. Older children are able to competently pour their own drinks. Younger children in the bumble bee's room are also able to enjoy the social interaction with their peers, as they all sit safely on low level chairs around a table. As a result, all children are currently able to competently feed themselves. The effective organisation of this time means all children are able to gain from the experience.

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provision

The manager and deputy have both attained Early Years Professional Status, meaning they have a very secure knowledge of the ways children develop and learn. Monitoring of the curriculum is effective. All other staff are qualified in childcare, meaning the children attending the nursery are able to benefit from their vast skills and experience. Regular meetings and supervisions ensure staff are well-supported with acquiring new skills. They attend regular training to update their knowledge, and are also encouraged to further their qualifications by the management team. All staff demonstrate they are enthusiastic and committed. Many have been at the setting for a long time, showing they are well supported and offering good levels of continuity for users of the nursery.

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provision

Thorough safeguarding policies and procedures help to ensure children remain safe, staff are suitable, and they are able to act in the best interests of the children in the event of a cause for concern. There is a safeguarding officer on site at all times who has attended advanced training in the subject. All other staff also attend training in this area, which is renewed every three years. There are comprehensive risk assessments for all areas of the setting and these are updated regularly. Staff are well deployed and daily checks are also completed, meaning children are able to play safely in the setting at all times.

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provision

The setting is very well organised. The management team constantly strive towards improvement and ensure the children, staff and parents are fully involved in the self- evaluation processes. Quality assurance modules, regular questionnaires and peer observations help to highlight areas for improvement. Findings from these are quickly actioned, ensuring plans are well-targeted and the process is continual.

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provision

Partnerships with parents, external agencies and other providers are well established and most parents feel they are well informed of their child's progress. The setting works hard to ensure these relationships make a strong contribution to meeting all children's individual needs. The management team are constantly looking at ways to improve the links with others, for example, they have recently set up 'parent mail' to enable them to reach all parents. Children with additional needs are well supported by their key person and the nursery's Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator. She works closely with outside agencies as required to ensure children receive the support they need.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY248780 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 822912 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 75 Name of provider Footsteps Day Nursery Date of previous inspection 06/08/2009 Telephone number 01273 416164

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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