Stepping Stones Nursery

Stepping Stones Nursery School Milford Baptist Church, New Road, Milford, Godalming, Surrey, GU8 5BE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 September 2015 23 February 2015

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Since the last inspection, the nursery management committee, manager and staff have made significant improvements to the overall quality of children's care and learning.  Children make excellent developmental progress in relation to their starting points, which successfully prepares them for starting school.  The nursery manager successfully influences the high quality of teaching practice as she works as part of the staff team to challenge children in their learning. She supervises staff effectively, monitors their practice and supports them to improve further their skills.  Staff provide children with a highly stimulating, varied and exciting learning environment that successfully motivates them to learn during their play.  Children are provided with exceptional continuity of care and learning. Staff work extremely effectively in partnership with parents and other early years providers to meet children's individual needs.

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This provision is outstanding

 Children develop outstanding confidence and independence because staff constantly respect and support children's interests, ideas and efforts during their play.  Staff provide children with an exceptional range of outings and experiences in the local community that successfully help them understand the world. For example, children take the nursery guinea pigs to the vet for check-ups, play the organ and ring the bells in a local church, travel on local transport and pick fruits and vegetables at a farm.

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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

 consider providing additional activities to further extend children's emerging ability to write their name and other simple words.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor play areas.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager of the provision in the playroom during a small group story time.  The inspector talked with staff, children and the manager at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation and checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of parents' views spoken to on the day of the inspection and from documentation.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. Staff use their expert knowledge of child protection procedures to effectively safeguard children's welfare. The manager completes all suitability checks for staff and members of the committee. The well-qualified nursery manager has an exceptional knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. She uses the knowledge she has gained during her training to make outstanding changes to benefit children. Staff have attended training that has enabled them to skilfully and effectively manage children's behaviour. The manager rigorously monitors activities and children's individual progress to identify and successfully reduce any gaps in their learning. Self-evaluation and the drive for continuous improvement are excellent.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff work exceptionally well as a team to meet children's individual needs. They use a secure online assessment program to successfully share and track children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff watch, listen and respond enthusiastically to the choices that children make during their play to effectively extend their learning. For example, staff skilfully ask children questions and give them plenty of time to do things for themselves. Children show great interest in looking at books and develop a wide range of vocabulary as they talk with staff. However, staff do not always fully extend children's pre- writing skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff give children's lots of individual attention and reassurance to help them settle, especially when they are new to the nursery. Staff constantly encourage children to develop ideas and find ways to solve problems. As a result, children successfully develop their ability to find new way to do things. Children persist during activities, concentrate exceptionally well and independently make complex and imaginative designs. Staff are excellent role models fostering a culture of mutual respect. Consequently, children are exceptionally well behaved, polite and form close friendships with others. Staff promote children's physical well-being extremely well. Staff have re-organised the garden area so that children can access resources and, as a result, children play eagerly and energetically. Staff talk with children about 'food that is good for you', such as when they plant, harvest and cook produce they grow in the nursery.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Outcomes for children are outstanding. Children are well prepared for their next stage in learning, such as school. They develop excellent independence in their self-help skills and in organising their activities. Children's language and communication skills are developing extremely well.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 120124 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 1007963 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 23 Name of provider Stepping Stones Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 23 February 2015 Telephone number 01483 427325

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Setting details

Stepping Stones Nursery School registered in 1990. It opens Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm during term time only. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are six staff employed to work in the nursery, all of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications. The manager holds a qualification at level 4, four staff hold qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2.

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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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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