Step by Step Day Nursery

Step by Step Day Nursery Monument Gardens, Benden House, Lewisham, London, SE13 6PY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 3 August 2017 10 December 2013

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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

 Staff plan exceptionally well to meet children's needs in highly successful ways. For instance, they place a lot of focus on planning for children's changing interests, which results in very high levels of engagement. Children make excellent progress.  Staff support children's understanding of the world exceptionally well. For instance, children tend their own urban garden where they grow vegetables and flowers. Children have an excellent knowledge of where food comes from and how things grow.  Staff are meticulous about safety. They carry out comprehensive risk assessments covering all areas and aspects of practice to protect children from harm.  The manager monitors the staff very effectively. For instance, she dedicates time in the group rooms to observe staff, talk with children, and check planning and assessment to ensure that children's needs are met exceptionally well. Closed-circuit television

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This provision is outstanding

cameras in each group room help her to closely monitor staff.  The manager is extremely committed to ongoing improvement of staff skills. For instance, staff have attended a rich variety of training courses, including a course on brain development in the early years, which has led to much greater awareness of how to meet children's developmental needs.  Children have excellent relationships with each other and learn about and respect others from different cultures. Staff manage children's behaviour highly successfully. Children are very aware of rules and behave exceptionally well.

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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

 continue to develop the already excellent partnerships with parents to support children's learning further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager of a group activity.  The inspector observed interaction between staff and children indoors and outdoors and spoke with children when appropriate.  The inspector tracked the progress of several children.  The inspector looked at some documentation and held a discussion with the manager.  The inspector spoke to parents, staff and children and considered their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The manager closely monitors particular groups of children to see if there are any underlying trends so that they can provide excellent additional support. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have an excellent knowledge of the clear procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child's welfare. The manager and owner carry out thorough background checks on staff to protect children from harm. They have both attended a safer recruitment training course. Although the manager has established numerous ways of working exceptionally well with parents, she recognises that this could be further improved. The manager has a very astute insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery and has identified highly relevant goals to contribute towards improvement.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff carry out regular detailed observations, which they evaluate very effectively to form highly accurate next steps for children's learning. They use this knowledge exceptionally well to provide highly challenging activities for children. Children make excellent progress. Babies enjoy a richly stimulating environment. For instance, they explore sensory bowls containing different textures and materials, and staff teach babies new words to describe their experiences. Older children have an excellent knowledge of letters and sounds, and many can recognise and write their own names. Staff provide children with excellent experiences, such as creative laboratories where children mix materials of their choice together to explore texture. They provide children with very well-thought-out physical challenges to support their development highly successfully. Children have exceptional early mathematical skills and some are able to add two amounts together.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff are extremely caring and nurturing towards the children. They treat them with the utmost respect at all times. Children are extremely able to do things for themselves. For example, even the youngest children are able to put on some items of clothing independently, and older children help to prepare snacks, lay the table and put away their bed linen on awakening from naps. Children have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe. For instance, they carry out supervised risk assessments in the garden, using photographs of things to look out for. Children have extremely healthy daily habits, such as eating freshly prepared, nutritious meals and snacks. They take part in excellent daily physical activities, such as challenging obstacle races. Staff fully explain the benefits of these routines and children have an excellent awareness of healthy lifestyles.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children use mathematical language very skilfully to describe size, shape and quantities. They are very curious and extremely keen learners. Children are extremely motivated to learn and supremely confident. They have highly developed imaginations. For example, in pretend play, they take on the role of different characters and make up intricate stories. Children learn excellent skills for their future learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 129055 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 1061345 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 54 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person Step by Step Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 10 December 2013 Telephone number 0208 297 5070

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reference number

Step By Step Day Nursery opened in 1994. The nursery is located in Hither Green, in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is open on each weekday from 7.45am to 5.45pm all year round except public bank holidays and one week's closure at Christmas. There are 11 staff members, nine of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. This includes one staff member who holds a degree in early years and one staff member who holds a qualification at level 5. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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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