Little Stepping Stones Day Nurseries

Little Stepping Stones Day Nurseries Argento Tower, Mapleton Road, London, SW18 4GA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/02/2014 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 quality of interaction between staff and children is good and contributes well to children's progress.  Planning is thorough and leads to a broad variety of interesting activities that are challenging and enjoyable to children.  Staff keep very good assessment information on children, including high quality regular observations which links well to planning.  Children have strong, warm relationships with staff, which helps them to feel happy and secure.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Although children learn well from the activities provided, there is scope to develop this further through improving displays based on different concepts or on children's interests.

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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 interaction between staff and children.  The inspector tracked the progress of several children.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation.  The inspector held a discussion with management.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, staff and children spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Little Stepping Stones Day Nursery opened in 2013. It is situated in a residential area of Wandsworth and opposite a park. Children have access to the park for outdoor play. Little Stepping Stones is open from 8am to 6pm with extended hours available on request. It is open 52 weeks of the year and closed for public bank holidays. The nursery receives early education funding to provide free places for children aged two- and three-years-old. The nursery supports children learning English as an additional language. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently five members of staff who work directly with the children, including the manager. They all have appropriate early years qualifications. The manager holds Early Years Professional status and four staff members are qualified to level 3. There are currently 26 children in the early years range on roll.

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

 develop further ways to enhance children's learning, such as through displays linked to children's interests or different concepts.

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who attend

Children make good progress in this highly organised nursery. Staff plan carefully to meet the individual needs of children. They provide a broad variety of stimulating, challenging activities based on areas of learning and children's interests. Children choose their own resources to create their own play, which allows freedom and independence. Staff provide balance in adult-led activities to provide more structured learning.

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who attend

Children practise their language skills in conversation as they gather excitedly in the home corner. They learn to cooperate and negotiate roles as they create stories together. Staff make timely interventions in children's play to ask open-ended questions that support children's language development. Children decide to use a workbench and use good small muscle control as they handle screwdrivers, hammers and pegs to create their own designs. Staff support children effectively while they complete puzzles of different levels of difficulty. Staff support children's learning by encouraging children to look at the shape and colour of puzzle pieces to find matches in the frame. Children recognise their names on cards when they arrive at the nursery and this supports their early literacy skills. They practise their drawing and early writing skills by tracing marks in oat grain and also use paper, pencils and crayons. Although children learn from wall displays of their work, there

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who attend

are no displays that children can interact with, which link to their learning or interests. Children operate technology independently by using computer tablets to play simple games. For instance, they match letters to sounds, which supports their early literacy skills. Staff make the most of every day opportunities to teach children different mathematical concepts. For example, as children play with construction sets staff ask children to count the bricks and use mathematical language, such as 'taller or shorter than'. Overall, these experiences help children to develop a good range of skills for later use in school.

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who attend

Babies enjoy crawling over to the bright, attractive book corner to find their favourite stories. Staff read books to babies in lively tones. They support their language development well by naming objects and characters in the story. Babies express their creativity while they play with spray foam and pasta. They explore different materials in 'treasure baskets' and staff teach babies new words to describe the materials.

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who attend

Although the nursery does not have its own garden, it makes full and effective use of the facilities in the adjacent park to promote children's physical skills. Children learn to climb, balance, and move in different ways on a range of equipment. They also have regular 'Teddy Tennis' sessions at the local recreation centre. During these sessions, children learn physical coordination skills and learn to cooperate and follow instruction well. As a result, children have good physical abilities.

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who attend

Children who learn English as an additional language make good progress. This is because staff use a range of strategies to support children, including visual aids and key words in home languages. This helps children to communicate and helps them to feel valued. Staff keep thorough and efficient digital records on children's progress. They carry out high quality regular observations and collect other evidence of children's skills. Staff evaluate this well to inform planning. Staff carry out the required progress checks on children aged between two and three years and provide written summaries to parents. This helps parents to seek additional support for their children should this be needed at any early age.

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who attend

Parents have very good opportunities to be involved in their children's learning. For instance, they have secure access to digital assessment information maintained by staff and this gives parents clear evidence of their children's development. Parents add their observations and comments on their children's progress to records. Parents also share their observations on a 'wow' board in the nursery, which staff use to inform planning. Staff talk to parents daily and this provides good opportunities for parents to exchange information regarding children with staff.

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

Children are very secure and happy at this warm nursery. They form strong bonds with staff who spend time finding out about children's individual personalities when they first arrive. For instance, they provide activities based on children's interests and this helps children to feel valued and content. Staff readily adapt routines to cater for the needs of babies and this helps them to settle well. The nursery is bright, colourful and well-organised and resourced. Staff teach children to behave in safe ways. For instance, they talk to children about how to cross the road safely, and encourage children to travel through the play tunnel one at a time. Children behave in safe ways. For instance, they walk indoors to prevent accidents. They have good self-care skills. For example, they wash their hands independently at appropriate times and put on their shoes by themselves. Staff change nappies in comfortable, clean,

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

attractive areas, which helps children to feel content.

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

Staff encourage children's independence well. For instance, during snack time children pour their own drinks and select from healthy fruit and vegetable snacks. They feed themselves independently at meal times and eat balanced, nutritious meals. Staff cater for special dietary needs. Children develop healthy habits because they take daily fresh air in the adjacent park where children practise a variety of physical skills on different equipment.

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

Children behave well. They know what is expected of them and often match staff's clear expectations of behaviour. Staff are fair and gentle with children and this supports children's good behaviour. They use praise to motivate children to behave in positive ways. To support children further, staff also use visual picture cards to remind children of agreed rules for behaviour. Children spend time getting to know staff and routines of new group rooms before transferring and this helps children to settle readily. Staff teach children about difference by celebrating and discussing special events. For instance, children make craft items to celebrate Chinese New Year.

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provision

Staff take good steps to keep children protected from harm. Management has closed circuit television covering entrance points and all group rooms and this helps to prevent intruder access. Staff are vetted well for their roles and this helps to protect children further. Children's safety is supported further by effective implementation of all required policies and procedures to keep children safe. For instance, staff have good knowledge of procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child.

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provision

Staff are supervised regularly and this help to identify issues of underperformance. Where needed, support is offered to improve staff practice. Appraisals are in place and indicate training needs of staff. As a new nursery, staff have attended mandatory courses, such as first aid and safeguarding to protect children from harm with plans for further training.

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provision

Management has good systems in place to monitor the quality of staff practice. For instance, it carries out regular staff observations and provides feedback to staff to improve performance. Management checks the quality of work related to assessment frequently through efficient digital systems. In addition, management reviews planning regularly to check for quality. A tracking system is in place to identify children's stages of development. This helps to indicate children who are in need of support so that appropriate action can be taken.

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provision

Staff have effective partnerships with others involved in children's care and learning. For instance, staff work closely with the local authority early years team provide advice and support on early years matters. Staff have good links with parents by providing good opportunities for them to contribute to their children's learning.

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provision

Management has good insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery because it regularly reflects on all aspects of the provision. This reflection includes the views of parents and staff. As a result, management has formed key priorities for development, such as the introduction of recorded stories on headphones to support children's literacy skills. The nursery operates successfully and has good capacity to maintain this in future.

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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 EY467575 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 931940 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Little Stepping Stones Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07866606010

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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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