Footsteps Nursery Dosthill

Footsteps Day Nursery Sherbourne, Old Hedging Lane, Dosthill, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 1LD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/03/2014 11/09/2009

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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

 All children make good progress in this inclusive and very welcoming nursery. Staff are strongly focused on protecting children's safety and promoting their emotional well- being, which ensures all children build strong and trusting relationships.  Staff ensure children enjoy lots of opportunities to explore the outdoors and participate in activities, such as Forest School sessions, which effectively promotes their health and physical well-being.  Staff work very closely with parents, external agencies, and other practitioners, such as school teachers, to ensure all children are fully prepared for transitions, both within the nursery and on to school.  Staff demonstrate a very strong drive and a passion for continually improving the quality of the nursery. They are committed to developing their own skills and the experiences provided for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not make full use of all opportunities during activities to even further promote the mathematical skills of older children.  Older children are not fully supported by some staff to achieve a high level of self- confidence by, for example, enjoying the responsibility of carrying out small tasks during group activity time.

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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 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 all five playrooms and the outdoor areas, and completed joint observations with the manager.  The inspector held meetings with the managers of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers included in the self- evaluation and those spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the staff and children about the daily routines, children's individual learning and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies and procedures, including safeguarding and complaints, children's assessment and planning records and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

Footsteps Day Nursery was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Dosthill, Tamworth, and is one of a group of registered provisions privately owned by Footsteps Day Nurseries Limited. The nursery serves the local area and has strong links with the local schools. There are enclosed outdoor areas available for play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 26 members of childcare staff. Of these, 25 hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 3, including one with Early Years Professional Status and two with a degree. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 120 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend older children's learning for mathematics during activities by for example, using language such as 'more' and 'fewer' and using vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting

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

 enhance opportunities for pre-school children to develop their self-confidence, by carrying out small tasks, for example, selecting photographs from a basket for themselves at group time and placing on a display board.

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who attend

Children are well prepared for school and supported in their next steps in learning because staff have a strong understanding of how children learn through play. Children benefit from seeing their work and photographs of themselves at play displayed throughout the nursery. This develops their confidence and self-esteem and raises their awareness of the similarities and differences between themselves and others. In addition, staff work closely with parents to become familiar with all languages spoken at home in order to support children to use those languages within the nursery environment. All staff are constantly observing children during their play and the key person takes responsibility to reflect upon and monitor the amount of progress children make in all aspects of their learning. Staff also obtain information about children's learning from parents, carers and other specialist agencies, which is collated and recorded clearly in children's development folders. This

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who attend

information is used effectively by staff to build on children's strengths and close any gaps in their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from one-to-one support from consistent staff and are supported to progress at their own level and pace. Consequently, all children are making good progress towards all the early learning goals, given their starting points.

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who attend

Staff seize the opportunity to enhance children's learning of the natural world in many different ways. For example, all children thoroughly enjoy taking part in Forest School sessions at least once a week in a designated part of the garden. Children aged two years are encouraged to investigate and develop their own ideas alongside enthusiastic staff who join in the fun of exploring. For instance, when some children show interest in a worm wriggling in the dirt, staff carefully place it in their hand so children can take a closer look. Children develop their communication and language skills as they tentatively model language, such as 'worm', and are introduced to new words used by staff, such as 'sticky' and 'squishy'. Staff support children to use their imagination and to think critically as they consider ways of painting with warm water. Some children choose to make marks on a blanket using a paintbrush, while others use a stick to carefully paint water onto the

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who attend

fence and a wooden wheel. This develops their early writing skills. Children also develop their physical skills as they enjoy splashing in a mud pit and use spades to dig.

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who attend

Staff ensure all children are fully included and enjoy success. For example, all pre-school children sit and listen well as they start their day participating in a large group activity. Children confidently name others who are present after being shown photographs by staff and consider which key group each child is a member of. This develops children's self- esteem and gives them a sense of belonging. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included and demonstrate great excitement when shown their photograph. However, staff do not take full advantage of promoting children's independence and self-confidence. For example, they do not encourage children to select photographs from a basket for themselves, and children are not enabled by staff to peg photographs on a line displayed on the wall. Children confidently use number language in their play and count reliably from one to 20. For example, children identify that there are

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who attend

19 children present and five adults. However, staff do not use this opportunity to fully challenge children to use language such as 'more' and 'fewer' or to use vocabulary involved in subtracting and adding.

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who attend

Children aged under two years benefit from choosing to play indoors or outside throughout the day. They demonstrate interest in the world around them as they thoroughly enjoy exploring a huge array of stimulating resources, many of which are made of natural materials, such as wood. Young children develop their mathematical skills as they explore empty cardboard boxes of different shapes and sizes. Staff skilfully tune into their curiosities and engage children in cooperative play as they demonstrate how to post different items into long cardboard tubes. Children respond well and show complete surprise as they shake the tubes to make a noise. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development and promotes their physical skills.

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

Children develop strong bonds and attachments with all adults in the nursery, but especially with their key person. As a result, they enjoy consistent and sensitive care from familiar adults, which successfully promotes their emotional well-being. All children and their families enjoy smooth transitions from home into the nursery. They benefit from getting to know their key person during home visits, and parents are able to share important information about their children's individual care and learning needs. This supports children and their families to enter the nursery with confidence. Older children show they feel safe and secure as they confidently say goodbye to their parents and are motivated to join in with the nursery routine. Babies and young children demonstrate they are well settled as they confidently explore their surroundings and show interest in visitors. As children get older, they are supported very well to be emotionally prepared for

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

the next stage in their learning, such as moving into a different playroom or on to school. For example, children benefit from regular visits to their new playroom or school with their key person, and school teachers benefit from visiting the nursery to form new and trusting relationships.

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

Staff are deployed well throughout the nursery and support all children to manage their behaviour and feelings. For example, staff prepare pre-school children in good time for a change in the routine and support children aged two years to safely shuffle down the stairs on their bottoms. This also develops children's physical skills and supports them to take responsibility for their own safety. Children behave well and learn to show respect for each other. For example, they are encouraged to put up their hand when speaking during a large group activity and are supported to pay attention to others by using their 'listening ears'. As a result, children are confident, develop strong friendships and cooperate well with each other.

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

All children are learning the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy sociable mealtimes and have their individual dietary needs very well met. Staff and the nursery cook work closely with parents and information is shared with regard to children's allergies, likes and dislikes and religious dietary requirements. This ensures all children enjoy suitable home-made dishes each day. Staff support all children to develop their independence and self-care skills. For example, older children help themselves to a drink of water throughout the day and are supported to select fruits, such as oranges, for snack. The indoor and outdoor areas are organised well, providing children with varied and exciting opportunities to play and explore and enjoy fresh air and exercise. This supports their physical well-being. Older children negotiate the space outdoors safely when pretending to go on a 'bear hunt' and all children enjoy participating in sports

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provision

All staff demonstrate a very strong understanding of their responsibilities to ensure the nursery meets the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements. Staff are recruited and vetted rigorously to safeguard children, and all staff monitor children's welfare closely. The majority of staff have accessed training in the area of safeguarding and are confident about the actions to take if they have concerns about a child. The nursery maintains clear and concise policies and procedures, which are regularly updated and shared with parents and staff. Ratios are maintained well and staff are deployed effectively to ensure all children's needs are well met. Clear and concise risk assessments are completed by staff and all hazards are identified and minimised. This results in children benefitting from a safe and secure environment, both indoors and outdoors.

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provision

The management team work closely with staff to monitor the practice within the nursery and the educational programmes. Senior managers check the planning and assessment of children's learning and track the progress different groups of children are making. As a result, appropriate interventions are sought and welcomed from other professionals, such as speech therapists and paediatricians. This helps to close gaps in children's learning. Staff provide each other with mutual support and work together as a team to promote continuous improvement. All staff benefit from regular supervision and appraisals with senior managers and comment on the good support they receive. A continuous training programme ensures staff are constantly updating their knowledge and improving their practice. For example, some staff are trained in High Scope and there are plans for others to attend training in Forest School. This means that children's learning experiences are

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provision

constantly enhanced through the improvement of staff's knowledge and skills.

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provision

Staff develop very strong relationships with parents and carers, which contributes to promoting children's learning, well-being and development. Parents spoken to on the day of inspection demonstrate complete satisfaction in the service provided. They comment on the dedication of staff to meet the individual needs of all the children and feel the nursery provides 'outstanding pastoral care and curriculum'. Some parents particularly value the commitment shown by staff to meet the cultural needs of children and feel that staff listen and value their views and opinions. Others comment on the value of attending 'stay and play' sessions to see what children do and how they interact with others. Managers demonstrate a passion and drive to improving the quality of the nursery. They consider the views of staff, parents and children to successfully identify the nursery's key strengths and areas of improvement. Priorities for future improvement include the completion of an

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provision

outdoor classroom to provide children with outdoor learning experiences in all weathers and to continue implementing the High Scope approach.

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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 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 EY234198 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 872537

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 120 Name of provider Footsteps Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 11/09/2009 Telephone number 01827 268082

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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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