First Steps Day Nursery

First Steps Day Nursery First Steps Day Nursery, 24 Cliff Road, HORNSEA, North Humberside, HU18 1LN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/01/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Positive relationships with parents are developed through effective induction and frequent communication. Information is continually gathered and exchanged for the benefit of each child's continual care, learning and development.  Children are happy, motivated and eager to learn. They show good levels of independence and confidently explore a stimulating, well-resourced and accessible learning environment, which successfully promotes independent learning.  All staff have a strong commitment to continually developing and improving the nursery provision to ensure that children receive good quality care.  All children make good progress in their learning and development and engage in an interesting range of hands-on learning experiences. Their communication, language and problem solving skills are well supported through effective teaching techniques.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The outdoor space is not fully utilised to support children of all ages to engage in a wide range of activities across all areas of learning. For example, there are limited opportunities for children to observe and investigate the natural world.  The information gained about individual children's progress is not always used to highlight small gaps in children' learning, or to analyse the impact the setting has on some of the areas of learning. For example, shape, space and measuring.

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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 in the ground floor playroom and the outdoor area. A tour of the premises was completed.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the owner and talked with children and staff, including key persons, at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at relevant documentation, which included evidence of the staff suitability checks, the self-assessment folder, children's observation, assessment and planning records. A representation of the nursery's policy and procedures documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and questionnaires, which parents had completed.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working within the setting, the provider's operational plans and a range of other documentation.

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Information about the setting

First Steps Day Nursery was registered in 2012. It is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is privately owned and managed. It operates from premises close to the centre of Hornsea a seaside town in East Yorkshire. The nursery serves the town and surrounding areas. The nursery is organised over two floors. There is an enclosed area at the back of the nursery available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery provides care Monday to Friday all year, other than bank holidays and a week at Christmas, from 7am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 26 children at any one time. There are currently 20 children on roll, who are within the early years age group. It supports children with special needs and/or disabilities and those, who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery receives support from the local authority. The nursery provides out of school provision for children, who attend school.

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

 develop further the use of the overview of children's progress, to enable staff to clearly identify any gaps in children's learning and to analyse the impact of the provision on the different learning outcomes for children

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

 develop the extended outdoor area, so that children, who learn best outdoors can access this area. Provide a wider range of outdoor play and learning experiences for all children. Introduce more activities for children to explore and investigate the natural world, for example, monitoring the seasons, observing bugs and spiders and taking part in gardening activities.

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who attend

Staff consistently observe children and use this information to identify and plan for their next steps in learning. Staff within the group have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of each child, who attends and are able to discuss their progress. This is accurately reflected in children's 'learning journeys'. They have started to implement an overview of the progress of all children, although, at present this is not used fully to identify any gaps in learning, for example, space, shape and measuring, or to analyse the impact of the provision on the different learning outcomes for children. Staff encourage parental involvement in children's learning and development. They ask parents for information at the time of entry. This is used on the child's profile to indicate the starting points in their learning, so that their next steps can be accurately identified and planned for. Parents receive verbal feedback at the end of the sessions and can view their child's

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who attend

'learning journey' at anytime. Staff offer more formal meetings throughout the year and operate an open-door policy. Consequently, parents are well informed about their child's progress and next steps and are able to support their child's learning at home.

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who attend

Children benefit from enthusiastic staff interaction, which motivates them to learn. For example, children keenly wrap up in coats and hats to play outside. This supports their physical development and also their understanding of their bodies as they talk about getting cold and warm and how the weather has changed. They come indoors from the blustery wind laughing with the staff, then choose to go straight back out to play in the roofed outdoor area, which is more sheltered. Children develop good communication skills as they talk about what they have done at home. Children's language is developed as staff engage freely with them. They comment about what is going on and ask lots of open- ended questions. Staff ensure that children have time to answer and reflect on what is said. Children's understanding and respect for books and reading is fostered extremely well within the setting. Staff engage all children in story time, consequently, they are keen

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who attend

to sit and listen both at story time and spontaneously throughout the session. Children develop good self-care skills and independence. They are able to put aprons on for painting and attempt to put their shoes and coats on for outdoor play. Overall, they are developing a good range of skills to support their future learning.

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

Children are settled and secure and develop strong bonds with their key person and the friendly and caring staff team. Secure settling-in arrangements means that children are able to separate from parents or carers confidently. They become increasingly independent in their personal care needs. Children understand the need for hand washing before lunch and snack, and after using the bathroom. They confidently inform staff that they have washed their hands.

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

Staff are consistent in their high expectations of children's behaviour. They are positive role models and create a calm and caring environment. Children learn to share, take turns and consider the needs of the younger children as they play, which helps them to build relationships. They consider the feelings of others as they talk with staff about what makes them happy and sad, and how others may feel. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement, which makes them feel proud of their achievements. Children's work is valued and attractively displayed. They talk about the lantern and fan pictures, which they have made for the wall display, which develops their sense of pride and self-esteem. Through activities and using resources that positively reflect differences, they learn to respect and value diversity and consider the needs of individuals. Staff have completed the progress check at age two years and shared these assessments with parents.

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

The nursery has made effective links with the school, who work with the nursery on joint ventures, for example, the people who help us. The group provides care for children before and after school, so children are aware of friends within the school. This helps ease children's transition into the school nursery and then to mainstream school. Staff are vigilant about safety. Risk assessments are completed and children's safety is monitored at all times. Children are encouraged to participate in helping to make decisions about their outings. They talk about when they can visit the park across the road again and know that they are waiting for the large pool of water to go before it is safe for them to visit. The discussions with staff raise their awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

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

The nursery environment is well maintained and positive practices are followed to support children's good health. Children bring their lunch from home and enjoy healthy snacks and drinks during the day. Indoor and outside play areas are used satisfactorily to support children's learning and benefit their health. Children of all ages explore the nursery environment confidently, accessing resources and toys of their choice from the wide range available. There are quiet areas for rest and easily accessible toilet facilities, which enable children to become increasingly independent in managing their personal care needs.

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provision

Leadership is good and management is effective because the provision has a good understanding of the responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. The owner and staff are committed and motivated to develop the nursery further. There is an overview of the curriculum through monitoring the educational programmes and the levels of delivery by individual staff. This means that the group offers a broad range of experiences to help children make good progress towards the early learning goals. However, the outdoor environment is not fully developed to provide purposeful opportunities to observe the seasons and the natural world. The basis of the teaching is good, as staff and management have a secure understanding of how children learn. Staff identify individual children, who are in need of support, such as those with special needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these children receive supportive and

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provision

appropriate intervention when necessary.

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provision

The owner has a good understanding of her responsibilities. There are effective policies and procedures in place to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, including arrangements for safeguarding and staff suitability. These are implemented consistently to create an environment that is welcoming, safe and stimulating. There are clear procedures in place for safeguarding and the designated person has appropriate qualifications. All staff have completed child protection training, so they are fully aware of how to respond to any concern about a child. Staff implement the required policies and procedures well. Written risk assessments are detailed and frequently reviewed, so that staff keep children safe, indoors, outside and on outings. All required documentation is effectively maintained, including the record of staff suitability. Management understands and carries out effective employment and vetting procedures in

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provision

line with the safer recruitment guidance. Children's health and safety is effectively safeguarded.

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provision

Staff's performance and professional development is monitored through six monthly appraisals, team meetings and informal discussions with staff are undertaken by the owner. These are effective and used to identify training for professional development. New staff are well supervised throughout their induction period, so that they successfully learn to adopt the setting's standards. Staff are encouraged to attend relevant early years courses. Also the owner attends best practice meetings, which are then cascaded to staff when back in the setting. Self-evaluation is completed by the owner and deputy, taking into account staff ideas, which encourages them to take ownership of the clear challenging targets for improvement. The feedback from parents' questionnaires is used for ongoing development of the nursery. The provision is working with the local authority development team to enable them to provide funded nursery places in the future.

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provision

Key persons complete learning journeys for their group of children. Staff use these photographs and pictures to find out how children enjoy a particular activity, event or situation. They focus their planning and teaching on children's requirements and interests. Parents express their views through discussion with staff and the questionnaires, which they complete. Younger children have daily diaries that link to their care needs. Consequently, strong partnerships are developed with parents. Parents and carers say how much the children enjoy coming to the nursery and how well they have progressed since starting nursery. The setting has effective arrangements in place for information sharing and partnership working with other providers and school. The group has also established strong links with external agencies, who work with families and children. As a result, there are effective procedures in place to identify all children's needs and help them

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provision

to make good progress in their development and learning.

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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 EY451795 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 880454

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 20 Name of provider Gail Marie Brown Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01964582211

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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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