Footsteps Day Nursery & Preschool

Footsteps Day Nursery & Preschool Chalfont St. Peter Football Club, Mill Meadow, Gravel Hill, Chalfont St. Peter, GERRARDS CROSS, Buckinghamshire, SL9 9QX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/03/2013 27/11/2012

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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

 Staff build up good partnerships with parents based on a wide range of effective systems to share information. Parents provide positive feedback about the nursery and the staff who care for their children.  Children gain many skills to help prepare them for the move to school. They develop independence and they listen attentively when staff and other children are talking.  Children of all ages in the nursery enjoy singing and using musical instruments. Staff place a strong emphasis on using rhymes to develop communication and language.  The nursery is well organised and efficiently managed. There is enthusiastic drive from senior staff to evaluate practice and improve standards to benefit children's care and early education.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 the organisation of the baby room does not help babies develop their mobility very well.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 observed activities in two rooms and the garden.  The inspector had discussions with parents, staff and children.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, policies, risk assessments and staff records.

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Information about the setting

Footsteps Day Nursery and Pre-School is a privately owned nursery that registered in 2011. The nursery operates from rooms in Chalfont St Peter Football Club in the village of Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire and children have access to an outdoor play area. The intake of children is mainly from the local residential area.

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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. The nursery opens on weekdays from 7.45am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 79 children between three months and four years on roll in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Support is also provided to children who are learning English as an additional language. The nursery employs 12 members of staff, half of whom have suitable early years qualifications.

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

 review the organisation of the baby room so that babies have more opportunities to develop their mobility.

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who attend

Children are developing a good range of skills that prepare them for school life. As they move through the nursery, they spend more time in small group activities. These times help to develop their attention span and ability to listen when others are speaking. Staff interact well with the children and they extend children's thinking with effective questioning. Children enjoy contributing to shared story times, demonstrating effectively their knowledge of well-known nursery tales such as 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. The staff respond well to children's interests and use their ideas for planning short topics, for example based around favourite stories. Children follow through with their own ideas during play, deciding what to build in the construction area or making signs to display on tables. They are keen to visit the writing area where they enjoy mark-making and some are able to write the letters of their names. Children of all ages participate in activities that

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who attend

develop their coordination and control. They make patterns as they carefully place coloured pegs in a board or pour water into a cup. Babies explore colourful objects in wicker baskets and enjoy early mark-making with paint. There is a good emphasis placed on using songs to develop children's communication and language. Babies respond enthusiastically to rhymes and clap along with simple beats. They cheer at the end of each song, as staff give encouraging praise for their efforts. Babies develop positive self-esteem through this staff interaction. Children use their imagination to express ideas, and those over two years old play with a wide selection of art and craft materials. During the day, the creative art area is in frequent use as children decide to paint, use soft dough or make collages. Staff bring in different areas of learning, for example using different techniques to make simple mathematical shapes. Children

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who attend

correctly identify the blue triangles they are using to make pictures and they print with circles. Other examples of children's efforts show how carefully some of them can use scissors to cut around a shape. This demonstrates their growing control and coordination, which are useful physical skills to have for when they start school. In the outdoor area, children use large equipment, such as bicycles, to enjoy play that is more energetic. The older children also take part in an activity session that links physical play with numbers, using a wide range of fun activities. Staff make sure babies visit the outdoor play area in small groups so they can use equipment to encourage active play. Staff encourage babies who are just learning to walk and there are some resources for them to hold on to and push along. However, at times in the baby room, there are is not enough equipment to encourage them to pull up and develop their early mobility.

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who attend

Children are developing a good awareness of the world around them. They play with a wide range of resources, such as dressing up clothes and dolls that raise their awareness of diversity. Staff introduce celebrations from festivals different to the children's home backgrounds to help them respect others. Photographs show how families contribute to special occasions, which reflects well on the attitude of the staff to promoting inclusion. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support and staff work closely with parents and other professionals. Staff monitor all children's development effectively using a mixture of dated notes and photographs. They demonstrate a good understanding of child development as they track children's progress and identify any gaps. Staff note specific areas of development, such as speech, that may require extra support and they keep parents well informed. They prepare concise and perceptive

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who attend

progress checks for two-year-olds to share with parents and staff encourage parental feedback on their child's development.

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

Children know who their key member of staff is at the nursery and, when they are settled, they are happy to leave their parents. When children need extra reassurance, following a return from holiday for example, staff respond quickly to their needs. Children move confidently between activities and play sociably with others. Staff remind them when their actions are not kind, such as knocking over a friend's model, and situations are calmly and consistently addressed. Children behave well at nursery and they are learning to manage their feelings in a group. Staff are currently concentrating on the emotional needs of the younger children in the nursery. For example, the addition of a mirror at child height in the baby room is supporting the babies' awareness of themselves. Staff are also creating photographic collages of children's families so that they can talk about people who are special to them. These actions by staff demonstrate their strong awareness of the

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

importance of supporting children's well-being.

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

Children take part in outings to an allotment and forest area. These trips provide many positive benefits to children's health as they spend time in active play outdoors and learn about the natural world. The nursery cook shows the children how to make dishes like vegetable soup or apple crumbles from the produce they help to grow. This helps children to understand where food comes from and to make healthy choices. Children develop independence as they sit sensibly at meal times and manage cutlery to feed themselves. They look after their belongings, storing them safely in a named tray and they collect their coats from named pegs. Even the youngest toddlers know to put on a safety helmet before riding a bicycle outdoors. Children are familiar with good hygiene routines and if they become unwell at nursery, staff take good care of them.

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

Overall, children use a wide range of resources that cover different areas of learning. Staff organise the large room for the children over two years old effectively to offer many worthwhile activities. Children make independent choices about what they wish to play because they can choose freely from equipment such as an art trolley. This prepares them well for the transition to school. Staff respond positively to recommendations, relating to resources, from previous inspections. For example, by purchasing good quality display areas for books so that children are more tempted to select stories for themselves. Staff undertake audits of the nursery and review the accommodation and resources as the nursery grows. A recent successful bid for a grant to renew the outdoor play surface shows their positive attitude to improvement.

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provision

Staff have a competent understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They maintain a safe environment for the children by conducting daily checks. Additionally, staff record longer written risk assessments of many aspects of the nursery day. Before children play outdoors, for example, staff check that the area is secure and they supervise play outdoors. Since the nursery is located in a shared building, staff spend time over the weekend cleaning and preparing the accommodation so that it is ready for the early Monday morning start. Staff have a good awareness of the safeguarding policy and they know the steps to take to follow up concerns. Staff make sure parents are aware of the importance of the nursery's role in addressing child protection issues. During the day, the staff keep the premises clean and they are attentive to maintaining good hygiene, for example when changing children's nappies. Staff provide clean travel cots and

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provision

mattresses for children to have a daytime sleep, as they require. Staff keep the premises warm and comfortable for children and they can override the thermostatically controlled heaters if the temperature falls. Staff collect information from parents regarding any special dietary requirements of the children and they ensure consents are in place to administer medication. A knowledgeable and experienced manager leads the nursery and the day runs smoothly. The staff are clear about their roles and, now that numbers have increased, they use a daily planner to ensure they share tasks fairly. There is a detailed recruitment procedure in place and the manager has updated her training in how to follow safe recruitment guidelines. New staff follow a set induction procedure, signing off areas as they become familiar with aspects like safeguarding. All staff undergo appraisals and they receive good support to attend training to extend their professional knowledge and skills. The manager

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provision

works directly with the children and she is well placed to monitor the quality of the staff interaction with children. The staff respond well to advice from other professionals and they are keen to act on initiatives that help to improve the outcomes for children. A recent project is providing a good incentive to focus carefully on the needs of the younger age range. The willingness of staff to evaluate their practice and make changes is a good indicator of their capacity to make improvements.

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provision

Staff meet regularly to discuss planning and how to include activities to meet the needs of the children in their key groups. The comments recorded in the learning journals of the children show that staff have a good understanding of what children can achieve at different ages. Staff receive training in their specialist roles, for example in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make strong links with local schools since some children attend both settings. Staff share newsletters and visits so that they are better informed about the children's day at a different place. This knowledge helps them provide good continuity of care and early education. Staff are reassuring to children who have to set off for school in the afternoon after a nursery lunch. Parents are particularly pleased with this aspect of the nursery's care and they provide many positive comments about the staff. Parents learn about their children's

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provision

progress through discussions, diary comments and parents' evenings. As a result, parents say they feel well informed and able to contribute to their child's learning.

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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 action. 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 EY430730 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 908139 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 79 Name of provider Chalfont St Peter Football Club Date of previous inspection 27/11/2012 Telephone number 07939881846

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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