First Steps Nursery

First Steps Nursery School Lane, Yateley, Hampshire, GU46 6NW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/01/2014 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

 The staff team is well qualified and continue to access further training in order to improve outcomes for children.  Children are prepared well for transitions. As younger children move between rooms within the nursery, they are well supported in joining a new age group of children.  Children are provided with an interesting and varied learning environment both indoors and outdoors which enables good progress to be made in all areas of learning.  The management team identifies some relevant areas for development drawing up clear plans for the future, so showing the ability to drive continuous improvement of the provision.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not make the best use of the information that they gather from parents at the very start of minding arrangements, to help target planning more effectively to strengthen children's current achievements.  Although staff often encourage children to become independent, they miss opportunities during meal times to further develop these skills for the older children.

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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 children's play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the observations.  The inspector and manager undertook a joint observation of a teaching activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning portfolios and records, planning documentation, the self-evaluation form, a selection of policies, development plans and staff suitability records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of three parents spoken to on the day and looked at a number of questionnaires from parents.

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Information about the setting

First Steps Nursery opened in 1992. It operates from one purpose-built, single story building and a converted house next door. These buildings are within the grounds of Yateley School campus. Children are cared for in three separate age groups - Babies, Toddlers and Pre-School. All rooms have access to toilets, hand washing facilities and nappy change areas. A large, additional room provides space for lunch times and group activities. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The nursery opens from 8pm to 6pm Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks a year. There are currently 101 children, aged from three months to four years, on roll. The nursery is in receipt of nursery education funding for two, three and four year olds. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is able to support children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. A team of 21 staff work with the

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Information about the setting

children; two staff hold early years qualifications to level 6, one at level 4 and 14 at NVQ level 2 and 3. Yateley's playscheme operates from The Yateley Centre. The main session runs from 10am to 3pm, with optional early and late sessions. It offers a range of activities including swimming, art and craft, sports, dance and drama. Children have access to extensive playing fields, sports hall, drama hall and gymnasium. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Home From Home Breakfast Club opens from 7.30am to 9am, Monday to Friday, during term time. Home From Home After School Club opens from 3pm to 6pm. The Home From Home Club collects children attending Westfield Infant and Primary Schools, St Peters and Yateley Infants School and staff collect children from these schools. Staff have suitable qualifications and are committed to updating their knowledge by undertaking further training.

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

 strengthen the two-way flow of information, particularly relating to gathering consistently in-depth information from parents about each child's experiences at home when children first start at the nursery

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

 create further opportunities for children to move towards independence, for example let them lay the table or prepare and choose their own snacks and serve themselves at mealtimes.

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who attend

The atmosphere in both buildings operated by the day nursery is calm and purposeful. Children arrive keen to take part in the activities provided and settle quickly. Staff create an interesting environment and use good teaching techniques to engage children; therefore, children are eager to take part in the wide range of challenging and interesting experiences offered to them each day. There is a clear focus on helping children to acquire communication and language skills and on supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development. Babies, toddlers and older children all benefit from attentive staff whose successful supervision and interaction provides them with much individual attention. Staff make good eye contact with children and give them plenty of time to talk, think and form their answers. They encourage children's independence at most times during the day and children persevere and keep trying. Children respond well

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who attend

to the praise they receive, for example when successful at putting on their coat and shoes to go outside. As a consequence they develop in confidence and self-esteem as they progress through the nursery. They benefit from support and encouragement from staff who deploy themselves effectively and work well together to enhance children's learning both indoors and in the various outdoor environments.

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who attend

Children develop good communication skills as they are encouraged to speak clearly and politely to their friends and to adults. They confidently ask for resources and play materials or request help from staff. Babies and younger children are encouraged to repeat sounds or words while using the musical toys or looking at books. They are encouraged to recall past experiences as they look at photographs and talk about the things they enjoyed and the friends they were with. Older children demonstrate good control and coordination when using pencils and crayons as they draw their own pictures. They are able to pick out their name card at registration or snack time and enjoy talking with their friends as they try to recognise each others names. Older children count well and recognise some shapes and numbers. They are able to use the language of size and quantity as they build and construct their own building site using blocks and other

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who attend

construction materials. They problem solve as they talk about pouring the water down the tubes and how big a container they need to catch it. Younger children talk about shape and size as they complete simple tasks such as moving the beads on the bead runners or choosing the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

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who attend

Children's physical development is given good emphasis. Babies are well supported as they learn to pull up against the furniture or members of staff who sit on the floor with them. They practise their newly acquired walking skills and learn to handle and manipulate musical toys with buttons to press. Older children successfully develop and extend their physical skills as they learn to scoot or use the ride on toys. They learn to balance and negotiate space as they play outdoors with their friends. The older children are all able to manage the stairs confidently as they move between the various rooms in the pre-school house.

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who attend

Staff plan children's experiences to cover the seven required areas of learning, both indoors and outdoors. Planning documents detail a successful programme of challenging and stimulating activities for all children. Staff talk with parents and ask them to complete a document for their children when they first start at the nursery. The information gained provides staff with a good insight into children's routine needs. However, this does not always provide in-depth details about children's learning and development at home. Therefore staff cannot always most clearly identify children's starting points in all areas of learning to best inform their planning for children's learning as soon as they start at nursery.

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who attend

Staff's ongoing planning for individual children is based on their own observations and assessments which are passed to each child's key worker. Key staff then make accurate assessments and plan clear individual next steps for each child. These are checked by room leaders and managers to ensure that children's next steps are accurate. This enables all children to make good progress in all areas of their learning and development. Assessments are also prepared for the progress check for two-year-old children to ensure that all children are developing at the expected rate. Any children needing additional help or support, such as children with any particular needs or who learn English as an additional language, are well catered for. The nursery work closely with their local authority and if it is felt that children and their families would benefit, other professionals are invited in to work with staff and provide further expertise.

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who attend

Staff work closely with parents to keep them informed about their children's ongoing learning and development. They frequently share children's learning portfolios with parents and encourage them to share information about their children's achievements at home.

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

All babies and young children are happy, settled and very much enjoy their time at the nursery, owing to the secure relationships established with all staff. Staff know the children in the nursery well but form strong bonds with the children and families for whom they take special responsibility. This robust key person system ensures that routines, such as sleep and feeding times, are individual to each child and agreed with parents. Care practices are good and children learn about healthy routines such as hand washing and using tissues to wipe their noses. As they do this, they are developing a reasonably good sense of independence and are gaining in confidence. All parents are offered the opportunity to purchase a hot midday meal for their children from the school canteen which can cater for all dietary requirements. Children sit together and enjoy their meal, whether it is a cooked meal or a packed lunch which they bring in from home. Although

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

staff encourage older children to feed themselves they do not take all opportunities during meal times to further develop children's independence; for example children are not encouraged to prepare or choose their snacks or to lay the table.

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

Children confidently make choices from the good quality and child-accessible resources and equipment. They move freely around the environment and are able to initiate much of their play and learning themselves. Children interact well with staff, asking for help or support if required. They chat confidently with staff about what they have done and what they have enjoyed. Babies' safety needs are well met and they play in safe surroundings with clean and well maintained equipment and toys. Toddlers and older children's understanding of safety is threaded through many daily routines and activities. They talk about being careful in the outdoor environment or using the stairs sensibly. They are reminded not to run indoors so they don't hurt themselves or other children. Children behave well and learn to play cooperatively with their friends and staff. They are learning that they must be kind to each other and take turns with equipment. Staff ensure that

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

children receive appropriate treatment if they have an accident or are ill. Staff complete accident forms and ensure that parents sign these to keep them informed about what happened and how their child was treated.

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

Staff organise the environment in all areas of the nursery well, to ensure it is interesting and welcoming for children and meets their learning needs. Babies and toddlers are provided with a good range of different activities and the pre-school house is clearly divided into learning zones or areas all of which are well resourced. The outdoor environment has been evaluated as an area for development and the nursery is currently purchasing new resources and making improvements for all ages of children.

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

Staff successfully support children as they progress through the different rooms within the nursery. Children visit the next age group before moving up permanently to ensure that they are familiar with both staff and the environment. They enjoy this process and get excited about their visits. They are helped to feel safe and secure as a member of staff from their current room will accompany them on this visit. The nursery children feed into a range of different schools and staff and management have made good arrangements for helping children to manage this process. They support children who may be able to visit their new school and encourage teachers to visit the nursery to talk to the children about this next step.

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provision

Management and staff all work closely to ensure that the nursery is efficiently organised and that routines operate smoothly on a daily basis. Staff turnover is low and many staff have been at the setting for a number of years. This provides consistency of care for children and ensures that staff know each other well and can work effectively together. They use a wide range of documentation which is stored confidentially and is easily accessible either in the office or via the computer system. The nursery's practice is fully inclusive and all children are welcomed. Management and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the welfare, safeguarding and learning and development requirements and ensuring staff suitability.

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provision

Robust systems are in place to ensure that all staff are suitably qualified and appropriately vetted. A good proportion of staff are qualified to level three and above. All staff follow clear induction and appraisal systems that ensure they are familiar with the settings policies and procedures. Systems are in place to oversee the supervision of management through the community manager at the school. Management identify staff training needs and make sure that these are clearly targeted to improve the settings already good practice. Since the last inspection there have been some temporary changes in management but this has not affected the quality of the provision provided. Accurate self- evaluation is carried out by management at the nursery, and takes into account the views of staff and parents. This evaluative process feeds into an improvement plan for the future of the nursery.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children's well-being are effective. The manager is the named person in charge of keeping children safe and she and many other staff have completed relevant training. All staff have an clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The implementation of a comprehensive range of policies and procedures and accurate completion of records, such as those of any accidents or injuries to children, ensures children's needs are well met and that they are fully safeguarded. Robust risk assessments take place regularly and any areas of concern are addressed. After a recent incident in the baby room, risk assessments have been strengthened and staff check the premises and equipment thoroughly on a daily basis. This shows that the nursery gives a high priority to children's welfare and well-being.

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provision

Management and staff track and monitor the education provided for children using a cohort tracking scheme. This helps them to ensure that good progress is made by all children in all areas of their learning and development. Staff and management form effective partnerships with parents and other agencies to ensure that any interventions needed are secured and children receive the support they need. Parent's opinions are sought regarding the organisation of the nursery through the use of regular questionnaires and changes are implemented accordingly. Parents demonstrate that they appreciate the staff's work and dedication and are pleased with the care and education provided for their children.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 110168 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 942108

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 101 Name of provider Yateley School Governing Body Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01252 746963

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Type of provision

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

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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