Footsteps 123 Nursery

Footsteps 123 Nursery Jimmy Macs Activity Centre, Jim McDonald Centre, McDonald Court, High View, Hatfield, AL10 8HR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 October 2017 Not applicable

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The managers have not fully implemented regular, effective and robust systems for the supervision of staff to raise their teaching skills to consistently good levels.  The managers do not effectively monitor the educational programmes or track children's progress sharply enough. This does not help to target support and teaching as effectively as possible.  The managers do not make effective use of self-evaluation to help them identify areas which require improvement to raise outcomes for children.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are well deployed. They play alongside children and actively encourage good behaviour. They manage children's behaviour positively through the use of praise.  Staff form secure relationships with children and their families. They share information with parents and encourage them to be involved in their children's learning. Parents are very happy with their children's progress.  Staff encourage children to be independent. Children are encouraged to serve their snack, pour their drinks and feed themselves.  Children enjoy being outdoors and have daily opportunities to benefit from fresh air. They enjoy riding on bicycles and running around in the spacious outdoor area.  Staff carry out appropriate risk assessments to ensure that children play in a safe environment indoors and outdoors.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 implement an effective procedure for the performance management of staff so that any gaps in their confidence, knowledge or skills are promptly addressed and they are supported to continually improve. 26/10/2017

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 improve the monitoring of the educational programmes to identify where individuals or groups of children may have gaps in their development and support staff to take appropriate action to address these swiftly  make greater use of self-evaluation procedures to precisely identify strengths and areas to improve further to help raise outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery managers. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to many parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The providers have worked very hard to establish this new nursery. However, some aspects of the management of the nursery are not fully effective. Self-evaluation is not being used effectively to help identify strengths and key weaknesses. For example, the systems to manage the performance of staff are not fully in place. Managers do not use observations of staff practice and supervision well enough to evaluate teaching and identify areas to improve. Staff know children well and generally identify the next steps in their learning. However, the managers have not fully implemented the systems to monitor and track children's progress. Safeguarding is effective. The managers ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and all staff know what to do if they had any concerns about the welfare of a child. Staff follow robust procedures with regard to the use of mobile phones. Risk assessments are completed and secure doors prevent children from

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

accessing unauthorised areas in the centre. Staff are deployed effectively and ratios are maintained at all times.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching is variable. Some adult-led activities are not planned well enough to capture children's interest and extend their learning so that all children make good progress. Nevertheless, children benefit from a well-resourced learning environment where staff offer some suitable experiences. Staff gather information from parents about their child's abilities when children first start at nursery. Some staff build on this information with their own observations and assessments, and use this to plan activities linked to children's interests. For example, children enjoy learning about animals. They bake 'giraffe cakes' and create their own animals using recycled materials.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The key-person system is effective. Children form secure attachments with their key persons. This helps them to settle well and contributes towards their emotional security. Staff give babies cuddles for reassurance and support them while they enjoy their meals. Children's behaviour is good and appropriate for their age. Staff help children to value their own and other people's differences. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and understand the importance of washing their hands before mealtimes. Care practices are handled sensitively. They include liaising with and working closely with parents in relation to children's toilet training.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Weaknesses in the teaching mean that children do not make the best possible progress across all areas of learning. Nevertheless, children grow in confidence as they make choices about what to do. They play cooperatively and learn to share. Children are developing good language skills. They confidently hold conversations with staff, friends and visitors to the nursery. Overall, children are learning the basic skills in preparation for their move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY544298 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1115046 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person Natasha Skutela

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01707 357696

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reference number

Footsteps 123 Nursery registered in 2017. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including the manager who holds a qualification at level 4. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8am 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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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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