Step by Step Childcare

Step by Step Childcare St Aidans Church Hall, St Oswlads Road, Leicester, LE3 6RJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children have positive relationships with the staff who care for them, this results in them feeling secure, safe and happy.  Positive steps are taken to promote children's health and well-being through the use of appropriate records, policies and procedures, a balanced diet and access to the outdoors.  Staff sensitively support children in settling into the group, enabling them to cope with being away from their parents and making friends.

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It is not yet good because

 Children have few opportunities to independently select resources to support their play and ideas.  The key person system does not always meet the needs of children who attend on a less regular basis.  Those in charge have not yet fully established systems such as regular staff appraisals, to monitor and track the quality of teaching and the educational programmes.

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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 voluntary and compulsory parts 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 observed activities, tracked children in the room and the outdoors and viewed samples of children's progress records and planning.  The inspector interviewed the manager regarding leadership and management.  The inspector spoke to two parents to gain their views of the setting.  The inspector spoke to children's key persons.

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Information about the setting

Step by Step Childcare was re-registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated on the outskirts of Leicester City and is managed privately. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a community building and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs four members of child care staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round with the exception of two weeks at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 5pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 35 children attending who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about the setting

The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 develop appropriate arrangements for supervision of staff and develop a culture of support, coaching, team work and continuous improvement to promote the interests of the children.  improve the effectiveness of the key person system to ensure that every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs, with particular reference to children who attend an a less regular basis.

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

 extend opportunities for children to make independent choices in their play to support their learning and ideas

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

 improve the monitoring of the educational programmes to ensure that children are challenged appropriately across all seven areas of learning; ensure that this is consistently supported by staff, particularly during adult-led activities.

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who attend

Staff plan appropriately for most children, as a result, they make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. They observe children during their play and use this knowledge to plan a range of interesting activities. However, some children attend on a less regular basis than others and staff do not use what they know about them to plan effectively for their individual needs. Generally, appropriate teaching methods are used to enable children to have some opportunities to be challenged in their thinking and learning, for example, as staff ask 'Where does this go?' and 'What noise does the elephant make?'. However, this practice is not consistent as staff are not using supporting guidance effectively, such as the 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage'. This leads to learning experiences that are not fully matched to children's needs.

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who attend

As children arrive, they settle into play with the toys and become occupied in the range of resources on offer. However, there are limited opportunities for them to choose additional resources and make independent choices to extend their play and ideas. Nevertheless, they enjoy their time at the setting and are happy and relaxed. Most children enter the setting confidently, greeting staff and familiar peers by name. Less confident children are managed well by staff who offer comfort and guide them to toys that they know they like. Consequently, children are quickly reassured and parents are happy to leave them.

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who attend

Children develop suitable skills for their future learning and school readiness. For example, they take boots and shoes on and off and dress up and play in the home corner. Younger children particularly enjoy the role play area, using their imagination well as they dress up as cartoon characters and fire fighters. Children enjoy creative activities, such as, painting, play dough modelling and sticking, using appropriate tools to support this and developing their physical skills. However, adult-led activities do not sufficiently challenge or offer differentiation to children. For example, during a craft activity, all collage items are pre- cut, meaning that children do not practise or extend their skills, such as their ability to use scissors. Children enjoy the outdoors, running and jumping and squealing with glee as they pick up the snow and throw it at staff and the inspector.

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who attend

Children have suitable opportunities to make marks, for example, they use pens and pencils, explore the shaving foam and paint freely. They have access to a range of books and enjoy story time at each session, sometimes with the accompanying use of story aids. This helps children to learn that print has meaning and supports their early literacy skills. Children's communication skills are developing appropriately. Staff use visual time tables and seek familiar words from parents of children who have English as an additional language, enabling all children to have an active role in their play and learning. Overall, children of all ages use developmentally appropriate toys and games that help them to build and construct and look at number, shape and colour. As a result, they begin to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. Some children begin to use numbers as they play, for example, children pick up a number of pencil crayons and

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who attend

attempts to count how many they have. Children's knowledge of the wider world begins to develop as they engage in activities that teach them about festivals, such as Diwali and Christmas. Positive images are displayed to ensure that children gain an awareness of others. Staff have a 'board' that depicts the varied languages that children speak within the setting, supporting children's sense of belonging.

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who attend

A suitable range of information is displayed for parents to see how children learn at the setting. Parents have some opportunities to develop children's learning at home, for example, staff share what children have done each day, giving ideas to those parents that wish to extend this further with their child. Staff use their assessments to complete summary documents as children start school in order to effectively support their transition to the new environment.

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

Children's sense of belonging is supported through the secure attachments they have with all staff. They are greeted warmly which enables most children to leave their parents and settle quickly and easily to their play. A key person system is in place which supports most children in the setting well, enabling staff to tailor the environment to suit their needs. However, the needs of children who attend on a less regular basis are not effectively planned for across the prime and specific areas of learning.

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

Children behave well and listen as staff guide them to the rules for behaving appropriately, for example, not to run and to share and take turns. Staff praise children for behaving well which increases their confidence and self-esteem. Children begin to know and understand the routines of the setting and take it in turns to inform the whole group of specific activities, such as, 'tidy up time' and 'wash hands for snack'. This further contributes to their sense of belonging. Staff promote children's understanding of how to stay safe well. For example, they role play how to exit the building safely when using the outdoor play area and encourage them to tidy up their toys so that they 'don't trip over and hurt themselves'. Further to this, children regularly take part in the emergency evacuation of the setting in order to understand what to do in the event of a fire.

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

Children manage their own personal hygiene throughout the day, taking themselves to the toilet and washing their hands independently with only the very young children needing assistance in this. Snack times are used to promote children's awareness of healthy eating as they are offered a range of fruit and milk only. Those who stay all day are encouraged to bring a healthy packed lunch. Children have opportunities to plant and cultivate various fruits and vegetables each year, using 'grow bags' in the outdoors. Staff comment that children love to taste what they grow, further supporting their awareness of foods that are good for their health. Daily opportunities to play outside are offered each day, supporting children's physical skills.

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provision

Children are safeguarded as the manager and her staff team have a clear understanding of what to do if they have a concern regarding a child's welfare. In addition, all staff attend training in safeguarding to ensure that they are up to date with any changes in legislation and of their roles and responsibilities. A sound range of policies and procedures are in place and available to parents, enabling them to have an awareness of the setting's responsibilities to support children's safety and well-being. Risk assessments are in place and monitored regularly to ensure that indoor and outdoor areas are safe and suitable.

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provision

Suitable recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that all those working with children have completed appropriate vetting procedures, including references and a Criminal Records Bureau check. In addition, all staff and students have an induction to the setting to ensure that they are fully informed of the policies and procedures in place. Good staff deployment ensures that children are always appropriately supervised and required staff:child ratios met. Students are not included in the ratios or left unsupervised with children at lunchtimes, contributing to children's safety and well-being. Although opportunities arise for staff to take part in training to further their skills, appraisals are not offered to enable the manager to monitor their practice or secure opportunities for further professional development. This is a legal requirement and leads to some gaps in the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly for children who attend less

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provision

Arrangements to evaluate the provision are in place and an action plan has been established to allow the manager and her team to identify and work on areas for improvement, contributing to their continuous improvement. For example, it was noted that story time was not fully meeting the needs of all children; this has been adapted to ensure that children can take an active role in this, supporting their concentration and participation. Although staff have a suitable knowledge of the revised Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, this is not effectively monitored by the manager to ensure that this fully supports each individual child's learning and development.

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provision

Partnership working with parents and carers is of sound quality. Staff speak to them each day about their child, telling them how they have been and what they have done, ensuring they are suitably informed of their child's learning and development. Parents speak favourably of the relationships they have with staff and comment that they can discuss any issues that may arise. Suitable links with external agencies ensure that those children who have identified needs, gain the support that is required. Suitable arrangements are in place to ensure that staff work with other settings to support the continuity of children's learning when appropriate.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary 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 EY451566 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 894013

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Amanda Margaret Gibbs Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07751700544

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Type of provision

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

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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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