Stepping Stones Day Nursery (Heath Hayes) Ltd

Stepping Stones Day Nursery (Heath Hayes) Ltd Hayes Green Community Centre, Heath Way, Heath Hayes, CANNOCK, Staffordshire, WS12 3XP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 October 2017 25 April 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

 Children enjoy their time in the nursery. Practitioners are friendly and offer a very warm welcome to children and parents as they arrive.  Practitioners carefully use observations of children to plan a wide range of activities which helps them to make good progress in their development.  The nursery manager ensures that safeguarding is a priority and that practitioners receive up-to-date information to help them keep children safe.  The resources are well organised so children can explore their environment, develop their independence and have access to a broad range of experiences.  Managers have a good overview of the quality of the provision. They have high expectations of children and themselves, and this is a value shared by the staff team.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 At times, the organisation of some group activities does not help all children to fully benefit from the good learning opportunities available.  Although practitioners take account of information about children's development at home during their time at nursery, they do not routinely gather this information from the outset to help inform their initial assessments.

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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 information gathered from parents when children join and how this can be used to inform effective planning from the outset  review the organisation of group activities so that all children can make the most of the learning opportunities offered.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact of this on children's learning.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke with some parents and took account of their views.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager and deputy manager. She looked at evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to practitioners and children throughout the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Practitioners ensure safeguarding is a priority and know where to report concerns if they have them. The environment is clean and safe and practitioners are vigilant when supervising children. The managers and practitioners have created an environment in which children feel safe and secure. They work well with parents and children settle with ease when they arrive. Managers effectively evaluate the quality of the provision and they accurately identify key strengths and areas for development. This helps managers to identify targets and training which have the most impact for children. There are good systems in place for monitoring the progress of groups of children, which helps staff to identify and plan for gaps in learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Practitioners are knowledgeable about how children learn and use good teaching skills to progress children's learning further. They respect and value children's views. Practitioners provide a very good balance of adult-led and child-initiated play for all ages, knowing when to join in and extend play and when to allow children to explore for themselves. They extend children's communication skills as they model language and help older children develop children's early writing and number skills. Practitioners are skilled in using children's chosen play to encourage them to think about how to solve problems.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Babies form secure attachments with practitioners and develop their independence as they choose their snack and try to put their bibs on. They enjoy sitting in the comfy book corner and some giggle as practitioners read stories to them. Toddlers play well alongside each other, learning to share and take turns and show perseverance as they line up and stack foam bricks. Children are well behaved and they understand boundaries, with older children able to recall the nursery rules for being kind. Children are proud of their creations and what they achieve, calling practitioners over to have a look at their writing skills, or running to show parents their cotton wool pictures.

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Outcomes for children are good

Older children are helped to develop the skills they need ready for school. They develop good communication and language skills, talking to practitioners about what they are doing and using their imaginations. They begin to make letter formations on the whiteboards and recognise words which start with the letter of the week. Younger children enjoy exploring the natural environment as they find worms in the forest school area and get close to them with magnifying glasses. All children have plenty of opportunities to be creative during the day and they enjoy painting trees with water and making creations with glue, paper and shiny shapes. They develop their physical skills as younger children make castles and patterns in the sand and babies smile as they squish jelly between their fingers.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY368238 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 1102103 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 59 Number of children on roll 63 Name of registered person Stepping Stones Day Nursery (Heath Hayes) Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2014 Telephone number 01543 448933

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reference number

Stepping Stones Day Nursery (Heath Hayes) Ltd registered in 2008 and is run by a limited company. The nursery is open five days a week from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round, except for bank holidays. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are currently 14 members of staff working directly with the children; of these, two hold qualifications at level 5, eight hold qualifications at level 3 and three staff hold qualifications 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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