Stepping Stones Nursery

Stepping Stones Nursery 55 Glanville Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 2DD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 5 April 2016 10 June 2013

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Children's development, especially their communication and language, physical, personal, social and emotional development, is supported well by experienced and qualified staff through good-quality teaching.  All children make good progress, including those who are learning English as additional language.  The experienced manager has made positive improvements to the nursery. For example, she strengthened the use of observations, assessments and planning to help ensure all children have relevant learning experiences.  The manager and staff effectively review children's progress to help them identify any development gaps and help children catch up with their peers.  Staff effectively promote children's well-being and prepare them well for school. For example, children are happy, confident, motivated, engaged and eager to learn.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children do not always have the best learning opportunities to learn about and use technology.  At times, not all staff promote children's independence as effectively as others.

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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

 extend further the opportunities for children to explore the use of technology  encourage better staff consistency as they promote children's independence.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out observations on interactions between staff and children.  The inspector carried out joint observations with the manager.  The inspector spoke to the manager, owner, staff and parents during the day.  The inspector looked at samples of relevant documentation.  The inspector used observation and assessment documents to assess the impact of teaching on the children's development.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager and the owner are ambitious and strive for improvements in all areas of the nursery. They use self-evaluation effectively to prioritise areas for improvement. For example, positive improvements to the large outdoor space engage children well, and keep them motivated and interested. The manager is a strong role model for the staff and regularly monitors their practice and how they observe children. The staff are well- supported by the manager who encourages their professional development with various training opportunities. This has helped improve their quality of teaching and the nursery environment. Safeguarding is effective. All staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about children's welfare. Staff make effective use of additional funding to promote individual children's outcomes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children have access to a wide variety of resources, such as pinecones, wooden blocks, wooden crates, and different sizes and types of tubes. The staff use these successfully to encourage children to explore and develop their creativity, problem-solving skills and imagination. The staff skilfully support children's learning; for example, they know when to interact and how to extend learning opportunities by adding extra resources. They develop children's communication and language well, such as with good questioning to get children to think. The staff assess children regularly through detailed and effective observations and know the children well. They plan focused activities based on children's next steps in learning and their interests. Staff take note of detail from parents about how children are progressing at home.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

There is a homely, welcoming and calm feel to the nursery. The key-person system is effective and children have strong bonds to support their emotional well-being and gain confidence. Children behave well and staff remind them how to behave in a positive and calm way. They teach children about how to stay healthy, for instance, by eating nutritious food, following good hygiene practices such as hand washing, and from planting vegetables in the garden.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress from their starting points and all are within the typical stage of development for their age. They develop their use of mathematics well; for example, they count and identify shapes as they explore the garden. Children like to practise their early writing skills, such as when using the chalks outside. They are well- prepared for their next stage of learning, as well as for the moves through the nursery and to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY276264 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 1028388 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 11 Name of provider Natalie Alexandra Greatbatch Date of previous inspection 10 June 2013 Telephone number 01865 717139

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Setting details

Stepping Stones Nursery registered in 2003 and is privately owned. It is situated in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The nursery opens from 8am to 6pm each weekday, for 51 weeks of the year. There are five staff who all hold appropriate childcare qualifications. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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