First Steps Childcare @ Chichester College

First Steps Childcare @ Chichester College Chichester College, Westgate Fields, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1SB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 July 2015 21 November 2011

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is outstanding

 Children relish their time at nursery and are very happy and relaxed. Staff provide a wide range of exciting activities, which stimulate and motivate children to become active learners.  The management team is committed to providing provision of the highest quality. There are excellent systems to monitor and evaluate staff practice, through performance management and supervisions, to identify ongoing training needs. Staff undertake training to increase their teaching skills and are encouraged to gain further qualifications.  The quality of teaching throughout the nursery is excellent. Staff help children make exceptional progress in their learning.  Children benefit hugely from the highly successful partnerships between the staff and parents, ensuring key information is shared between them.  All children are respected and valued, and staff are sensitive to children's individual needs. Children form strong attachments to staff, which helps them develop confidence

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This provision is outstanding

and self-esteem that helps them learn.  Children feel very safe and secure in the nursery. There are excellent arrangements for safeguarding the children. All staff have a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 build even more on the already strong practice across the nursery to extend children's learning, supporting children's ability to think things through in response to questions asked by staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke to children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed staff's interactions with children and the quality of teaching in the indoor and the outdoor learning environments.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and sampled other documentation, including safeguarding information.  The inspector completed two joint observations; one with the deputy manager and one with a senior member of staff.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to during the inspection.

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who attend. This is outstanding

Children flourish at the nursery. They thoroughly enjoy their learning and achieve extremely well in relation to their starting points. Management and staff create a challenging and stimulating environment, where the atmosphere is incredibly positive and encouraging. Children develop excellent communication skills and chat happily to one another, and to adults. Staff use high quality teaching methods to support and challenge children's learning. For example, staff help children to sound out their names and make marks for the different letters. Staff give lots of praise and encouragement for children's emerging writing skills, which in turn greatly boosts children's self-esteem and confidence, preparing children very well for school. Young children are extremely well supported by the excellent interaction of the staff that care for them. Staff effectively ask simple questions at the children's level to help extend children's learning and understanding. Staff

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who attend. This is outstanding

assess and record children's progress highly effectively.

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outstanding

Children are welcomed into a warm and friendly setting by staff who meet the children's welfare and learning needs with great success. Staff help all children to develop independence and be ready for the next stages in their learning. Children behave extremely well. They are developing relationships with each other and interact extremely well together. Staff fully promote the children's health and safety within the nursery. Children are secure and safe, feeling a sense of belonging. One of the main strengths of the nursery is how staff manage the children's move onto the older age groups. Staff in each room prepare the children and parents extremely well, so each child is confident to move up. Children are also exceptionally well prepared for their progression to school.

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provision is outstanding

The management team and the staff team work extremely well together. They have an excellent understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They have a strong commitment to achieving excellence in all areas. The manager and staff monitor the educational programmes and children's progress thoroughly. This ensures children have access to a wide range of learning experiences that help them make excellent progress across all areas. There are excellent systems in place to monitor and evaluate the nursery. The management team has actively sought the views of the staff, parents and children to identify the nursery's strengths and areas for development. They have correctly identified the need to build on how staff help children think things through in response to some questions. Staff liaise extremely well with the other providers that the children attend. This results in a fully shared approach to children's care and learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 113485 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 825033 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 142 Number of children on roll 199 Name of provider Chichester College Services Limited Date of previous inspection 21 November 2011 Telephone number 01243 532043

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Setting details

First Steps Day Nursery registered in 1990. It is one of three settings owned by Chichester College. It operates from purpose-built premises on the campus of Chichester College, in the Chichester area of West Sussex. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding for early education for two, three and four-year-olds. The nursery employs 31 staff to work with the children. Of these, 30 hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is training on an apprenticeship. One member of staff is an Early Years Professional.

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Setting details

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

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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Setting details

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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Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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