Stepping Stones Nursery

Stepping Stones Nursery Stepping Stones Nursery, Main Road, Weston, CREWE, CW2 5LD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 June 2016 12 May 2011

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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

 All staff are extremely sensitive to meeting children's needs. They plan sharply focused activities that are well matched to the development needs and interests of all children. This helps to promote and support children's current interests and next steps extremely well.  Partnerships with parents are very strong. The nursery shares ideas with parents about how to support their children's learning at home. This successfully helps children to continue to become confident learners and be ready for the next steps in their learning.  High expectations, vision and drive from the management team ensure the nursery maintains their excellent, high-quality standards. Staff continually implement ways to build on their current outstanding performance.  Staff have excellent links with the local and surrounding schools. Information about what children know and can do is shared with teachers from local schools. Staff plan

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This provision is outstanding

specific focused activities for pre-school children in their last term at the nursery to comprehensively support and prepare them for the move to school.  Staff have high expectations for all children's achievements, including children who speak English as an additional language. Additional support is offered to promote children's progress and offer them challenging and interesting learning experiences. Children learn about the importance of similarities and differences in their own and others' cultures, beliefs and backgrounds.  Self-evaluation is robust, precise and accurate. The management team knows the strengths of the setting and uses the views of others to set achievable targets for rapid improvement and outstanding practice.

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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

 assess the impact that the continued programme to build on professional development has on maintaining the already excellent outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the provider and the quality improvement officer. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are involved with, and have an excellent understanding of, safeguarding policies and practice to ensure children's safety is promoted. Staff know the signs of abuse and where to refer any concerns they may have about the care of a child. Monitoring and assessment of individual and different groups of children's development are excellent. Staff swiftly identify children who are not making typical progress and work with parents and outside agencies to quickly close any gaps in children's learning. Comprehensive and robust supervision, appraisal and mentoring strategies are in place for staff. Peer observations include staff monitoring and observing each other's practice to help improve teaching through robust reviews by the management team. The manager is currently working on ways to enhance the professional development of all staff even further as part of her high expectation and vision for the setting.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

All children have plentiful opportunities to explore and use their senses. Teaching motivates and interests the children extremely well. They show great enjoyment as they use the milking station to try out their skills at milking a cow. Staff show high expectations of children's learning. They challenge and extend children's thinking as they play alongside them. Older children follow on with their learning from a Forest School activity as they explore life cycles. All children are extremely well supported by staff to develop their communication and language skills. Staff model new language extremely well as babies begin to communicate and develop their vocabulary. Older children confidently explain to staff what they are doing and what they want to achieve from their play, asking for support from staff when needed. Staff inspire children's imagination as they extend activities. They encourage children to persevere or continue with their chosen task as they

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

offer motivation and praise for their efforts.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

An exceptional range of equipment is in place which provides children with exciting and inspirational activities and experiences. This helps to ensure that children's progress is rapid as they are eager to learn in the interesting and invigorating environment. Children's understanding of healthy lifestyles is extremely well promoted by staff. The utmost priority is given to enabling children to be outside and physically active. Staff are fully effective in managing children's behaviour. They create a calm and peaceful environment where children learn to listen, follow instructions and develop respect for each other. Staff extend and enhance children's understanding of their local community as they look at the cows and the tractors in the neighbouring fields. Children relish their trips to the local train station and airport.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children, including those in receipt of funding, make excellent progress from their starting points. Older children acquire the skills, knowledge and attitude that help to prepare them well for starting school. Children are eager and motivated learners who show an avid interest to engage in plentiful activities and experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY348836 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 849459 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 0 - 11 Total number of places 96 Number of children on roll 112 Name of registered person Stepping Stones Nursery (Weston) Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 12 May 2011 Telephone number 01270 252299

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reference number

Stepping Stones Nursery was registered in 2007. The nursery employs 23 members of childcare staff. Of these, 21 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including one with level 4, one with level 5 and one with level 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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reference number

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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reference number

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

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