Playsteps Day Nursery

Playsteps Day Nursery The Hub, Church Place, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 5EH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 February 2017 8 October 2014

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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

 Self-evaluation is successful. Leaders effectively include the views of staff, parents and children to help identify areas for improvement, to continually improve outcomes for children. For example, children's ideas led to a parent and child football event to strengthen parent partnerships.  Leaders and staff support children and their families very well. They work in effective partnerships with other professionals to support children's specialist care and learning needs, to help children make good progress.  Leaders have developed effective systems to support the well-qualified staff. For example, staff have regular supervision and team meetings. Leaders closely observe and monitor staff teaching practice, making sure that staff support children's needs well.  Children behave well. Staff are caring and are good role models for children. For example, they help children understand how to take turns, share, and to be kind and

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This provision is good

respectful to others. Babies develop close and affectionate relationships with staff and feel secure.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not consistently organise some activities or changes between activities effectively to maintain children's interest and learning.  On occasion, staff respond too quickly after asking younger children questions. They do not give them enough time to think and answer for themselves before asking the next question.

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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

 review the organisation of activities and routines to ensure children remain interested and engaged  give younger children more time to respond to questions and process their thoughts.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the activities and the quality of teaching throughout the setting.  The inspector held discussions with the leadership team and spoke with children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at a sample of documentation, including staff suitability checks, self-evaluation documents, observations, assessments, planning records, and documentation linked to checking children's progress.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation of staff practice and discussed this with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a secure knowledge of child protection and know what to do if they have concerns to ensure children are protected. Leaders update policies and procedures regularly to ensure they reflect best practice. Leaders ensure that staff are fully aware of updates to policies. Recruitment and induction procedures are rigorous to help ensure the ongoing suitability of staff. Staff are supported well with training opportunities to update their professional expertise and benefit children's learning. For example, staff have used their new knowledge to make changes to the environment, to support less confident children to feel secure.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They plan engaging activities. Staff complete regular assessments and leaders monitor children's achievements, to plan effectively and narrow any gaps in learning. Young children engage in their play for significant amounts of time and enjoy the activities planned for them. Toddlers relish exploring rice and learn about capacity as they fill and empty containers. Staff work well with older children's interests to plan for their learning. For example, children eagerly engage in pretend space station play. They use information books and colourful displays to learn the names of planets and use magnifying glasses to look at asteroid rocks.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff support babies and children well to understand about similarities and differences between themselves and others. For example, staff work in partnership with parents to create displays with images of children's families and people who are important to them. Staff support children to develop very good independence skills. For example, babies make independent choices about the colour of the paint they are going to use and they squeeze their own paint from bottles. Older children confidently serve themselves at mealtimes. Children have good opportunities to be outdoors on a daily basis, practise their physical skills and take part in woodland activities.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop good skills to prepare them well for the next stage in their learning, including going to school. For example, older children develop a good understanding of number; they identify and discuss high numbers they see on thermometers. Children are confident, happy and motivated to learn. All children make good progress. Children are very observant and confidently discuss their discoveries, such as water in the bottom of their cups feeling colder than the area that contains no water. Children's early literacy skills are developing well. For example, younger children learn how to create stories, contributing their ideas to the storylines.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY321164 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 1070750 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 - 4 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 117 Name of registered person Playsteps Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 8 October 2014 Telephone number 07973 619 406

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reference number

Playsteps Nursery opened in 2006. It is located in central Swindon, in Wiltshire. The nursery opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year round, with the exception of one week between Christmas and New Year. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 24 staff working with the children; of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 6, five hold a qualification at level 5, 14 hold a qualification at level 3, and three are qualified at level 2.

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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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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