Tiny Steps Day Nursery

Tiny Steps Day Nursery Christian Centre, Strudwick Drive, Oldbrook, MILTON KEYNES, MK6 2TG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/09/2013 31/08/2011

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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

 Children enjoy the activities provided by staff and are eager to try new experiences. They show good levels of independence, imagination and positive behaviour.  Staff plan and provide good educational programmes across the seven areas of learning. They provide interesting and challenging experiences.  The effective system for self-evaluation means that the nursery knows its strengths and weaknesses and is well placed to make continuous improvements.  Children play in a clean and safe environment where they learn to keep themselves safe through daily routines and activities.  The staff place a strong emphasis on establishing effective partnerships with parents and others in order to successfully meet the children's individual needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not provide a wide range of materials and resources to further ignite children's ideas and play experiences in the outdoor play area.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the four play rooms and the garden.  The inspector had discussions with the manager, parents, children and staff.  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, the nursery's policies, procedures and self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

Tiny Steps Day Nursery re-registered in 2007 and it is run by the Christian Centre church. The Chief Executive Officer of the Church Council manages the nursery on the church' council's behalf. It operates from purpose-built building in Oldbrook in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. There are four play rooms and an outdoor play area for the children's use. The nursery is open from 8am until 6pm each weekday. It is registered on the Early Years Register and is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are currently 130 children in the early years age range on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who are learning to speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 19 staff to work directly with the children and 18 of the staff have appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 extend the range of outdoor materials and resources to provide children with more choice, so they can follow their own ideas easily.

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who attend

Children make good progress as they join in a range of worthwhile activities, which are suitable for their age and stage of development. Kind and caring staff support and guide their learning by making suggestions, demonstrating tasks and helping them to achieve in order to promote their self-esteem and further challenge their skills. The nursery's systems for planning and assessment are effective in practice. Parents have open access to their child's 'learning journal' record, which identifies their progress and next steps for learning.

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who attend

Children's communication, language and literacy skills develop well as they listen to stories and ask and respond to staffs' questions during many activities. Babies and younger children particularly enjoy taking part in action songs and rhymes; they enthusiastically clap their hands and stamp their feet. Early writing skills are promoted well throughout the nursery. All children experience a wide range of early writing opportunities; for example, as they paint with their fingers, write on clip boards and use chalk boards in the garden.

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who attend

Staff plan more structured times with older children helping them further enhance their understanding of letter sounds as part of developing their communication, language and literacy skills. These more challenging experiences prepare children well for school. Staff help children's personal, social and emotional development. They are affectionate and provide lots of support for babies' and young children's emotional well-being, enabling them to move away from their carer and return for cuddles and reassurance. Children learn to share, listen to others and wait their turn with popular equipment as they play together. All children develop good independence skills, for example, as they learn to dress and undress and help themselves to toys and resources in the play rooms. Outside, however, they have fewer opportunities to select from a wide range of materials and resources to extend their own ideas. This affects those children who prefer to learn in

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who attend

There are many interesting activities to help children develop their understanding of colour, number, shape and size. Babies and toddlers enjoy stacking rings and filling and emptying containers. As they move through the nursery play rooms, they experience more challenging activities. For example, exploring how different sized pebbles displace water. Children make good progress in their understanding of the world. They thoroughly enjoy interesting scientific experiments, which help them to understand about rain clouds. Children enjoy digging in the garden and use technology such as magnifying glasses to observe the snails, worms and spiders. Activities, such as cornflakes, jelly and cornflour play provide them with the opportunities to develop their senses as they enjoy the texture, taste and smell of the different substances. Children enjoy using their imaginations when indoors, for example, as they play musical instruments and dress up in the make-believe

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who attend

areas. All of these activities help to prepare children well for moving on to school.

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

Children relate very well to the staff team, showing they feel emotionally secure in their care. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they freely move around indoor and outdoor spaces, engaging in activities that stimulate and interest them. Each child has a key person, who works closely with them to meet their needs and to promote their ongoing learning and development. Good behaviour is promoted through consistent positive reinforcement offered by staff who act as good role models. Children show a strong sense of belonging and receive encouragement and praise from the staff throughout the day, which effectively builds self-esteem and confidence.

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

Routines are in place to maintain children's good health. Babies sleep comfortably in individual cots and younger children have rest beds. Good nappy changing routines minimise cross infection; staff wear protective clothing and children have individual bed linen. Children's individual dietary needs are well catered for. All food is freshly prepared on the premises and attractively presented by the qualified cook. Children enjoy helping to prepare for lunch by washing and setting the tables; they enjoy sociable meal times and staff encourage and role model good manners. Suitable policies and procedure underpin the good health of the children, for example, health and safety, and sick child policies. Only senior staff administer prescribed medication to children and they keep accurate records. Several staff have attended training in order to administer an epi-pen. The nursery's gardens are attractively set up to capture the children's interest. Babies and

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

children experience outdoor play throughout the day; they use apparatus, which supports physical development. For example, older children ride around on tricycles, negotiating space and obstacles. Children enjoy building with large portable equipment such as crates and planks of wood. Children learn to keep themselves safe as they practise the emergency evacuation plan and learn about road safety. Their awareness of safety is also promoted as staff help them to learn to abide by the clear rules and boundaries of the nursery. For example, children know they have to sit down to cut with scissors. In the garden, children have further opportunities to learn about keeping safe as take small risks when climbing, balancing and sliding. Staff supervise the children well. They allow children time and space to experiment as well as offering a helping hand where required. The children's well-being is promoted positively.

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provision

The nursery is well led and managed. The staff team's good knowledge of safeguarding and the procedures to follow if they have child protection concerns means that children are protected. Staff place high emphasis on the safety of the children. Full risk assessments are in place for all indoor and outdoor areas and staff carry out daily checks to ensure that the children's environments are fit for use. Staff are extremely vigilant, making sure that children are safe as they play. There is closed circuit television in all play rooms for added safety and security. In order to support the children's well-being, all accidents are fully recorded and shared with parents so that appropriate care is followed up after children leave the setting.

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provision

The named person for behaviour management has attended relevant training and all staff cover this in their induction period. Children's behaviour is managed sensitively and staff come down to the children's level to discuss any inappropriate behaviour in a positive manner. Robust recruitment and a rigorous induction process ensure the suitability of all staff working with children. Several staff have remained with the nursery for several years, offering continuity of care to children and their families. Children benefit from care and support from skilled and professional staff.

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provision

The managers and staff are well aware of their roles and responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the learning and development requirements. Managers effectively monitor the educational programmes. Planning and assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure that staff act in the best interests of each child, particularity those who need additional support. This leads to timely and appropriate interventions. As a result, all children make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

Self-evaluation is effective and identifies the nursery's strengths and weaknesses, setting future goals and promoting continuous development. Survey questionnaires are used to obtain the parents' views, which help managers to analyse the effectiveness of their provision and to set clear goals for future improvements. Secure systems are in place for the ongoing support and development of staff, for example, one-to-one supervision, staff appraisals and meetings. In the event of staff underperforming, the manager describes a suitable procedures and supporting staff to improve their practice. Staff develop their skills through in-house and external training opportunities.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are very positive. Parents are well informed about their children's progress through parent evenings and verbal daily discussions with their child's key person. Furthermore, they receive summary reports on their children's stages of development and their next steps in learning. The nursery's newsletters and discussions with staff provide suggestions for activities for parents to do at home with their child. This further complements the activities covered at the nursery. During the inspection, all parents spoke very highly of the nursery and they reported that their children settle quickly and are extremely happy.

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provision

The nursery promotes inclusive practice and welcomes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and English as an additional language. Staff are quick to identify any learning and/or development concerns and work with other professional such as the educational psychologist and speech therapist to support children in the nursery. Staff establish good links with local schools and teachers come to meet the children and talk to their key person. The nursery provides a welcoming and stimulating environment in which the children clearly have fun as they learn through play.

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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 EY358858 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 936391 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 82 Number of children on roll 130 Name of provider Milton Keynes Christian Centre Date of previous inspection 31/08/2011 Telephone number 01908 672 999

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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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