Footsteps Daycare

Footsteps Daycare 1 St. Peters Way, NORTHAMPTON, NN1 1TP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 3 November 2017 26 February 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

 The new manager and her staff team are very ambitious and committed to providing high-quality care and learning. They have implemented many new initiatives to further strengthen areas. For example, they have recently introduced a parents' representative to encourage parents to be more actively involved in the setting.  Staff provide a very stimulating learning environment. Children are excited and follow their own ideas well as they choose from the carefully considered toys and resources. For example, staff working with toddlers provide an area of the room for children to explore their concept of colour.  The staff and management team make good use of the monitoring of individual children's progress to address areas where they need additional support. All children make good progress relative to their starting points. Children with English as an additional language learn to speak English well.  Children are very happy and settled. Staff effectively nurture their well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always fully focus their support on helping children to achieve the identified next steps in their learning and to further develop what they already know and can do.  Although managers have taken steps to develop mathematical activities, staff miss opportunities to fully support older children's understanding and skills, such as counting, solving simple mathematical problems and using marks to explain numbers.

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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

 strengthen the sharing of information about children's identified next steps to help all staff working with children to further focus their support and differentiate teaching more specifically to build further on what children already know and can do  make the most of opportunities to extend older children's mathematical skills, particularly around counting, using mathematics to solve problems and using mathematical graphics.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching, indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including staff suitability checks, the self-assessment information, children's observation, assessment and planning records, and documentation linked to managing children's progress.  The inspector spoke with members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and held meetings with the managers and leadership team.  The inspector carried out a joint observations of staff practice and discussed monitoring and professional development.  The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection and from written feedback.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager ensures staff are alert and well deployed to supervise children. Staff receive safeguarding training and they know the procedures to follow in the event of a child protection concern. The premises are secure. The manager uses her effective recruitment and induction procedures alongside ongoing monitoring and professional development opportunities to ensure staff suitability and good practice. The new manager works well with her team to introduce new improvements to help raise outcomes for children. The leadership team provides strong and purposeful guidance to staff. There are effective procedures for delegating responsibility and supporting staff in their management roles after a period of staff changes. The manager considers the views of parents, including the many examples of high praise and any complaints. Staff keep parents well informed about their child's progress, including through a parents' evening.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Activities are enjoyable and engage children of all ages well. Staff are particularly skilled at supporting children's interests to promote their learning. For example, staff helped older children develop their imaginative role play as they progressed from playing with a pretend garage to washing a real car. Staff focus well on supporting children's understanding. For example, they use signing and pictures to help children understand words and expectations. Staff help younger children gain the basic skills to help future learning. For example, they support babies babbling and toddlers talking. Overall pre- school children receive effective preparation for school. For instance, staff teach children the sounds that letters represent. Parents of children attending pre-school attend parents' evening and find out how to help prepare children for school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children settle in quickly and they develop close relationships with staff. Staff implement the key-person system well throughout the setting, including during daily key-person time. Staff meet children's individual requirements. They support children's health, such as when teaching them to follow hygiene practices. They learn about their local community and the wider world in many ways, including visits from local police to discuss road safety with children and parents. Children explore diversity in different ways, such as learning to sing songs in Arabic to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Staff gather information about meaningful events, languages and cultural celebrations to create an inclusive setting.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make better than expected progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Pre-school children talk to their key person about their experiences at home and represent these events in drawing in their special book. Babies enjoy moving their bodies, copying actions while staff sing. Toddlers eagerly engage in a variety of exciting activities, including using their senses to explore. Pre-school children gain early literacy and mathematics skills and practise their independence confidently.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY465103 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 1088167 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 19 Number of children on roll 106 Name of registered person Footsteps Daycare Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 26 February 2014 Telephone number 01604239188

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reference number

Footsteps Daycare re-registered in 2013. It operates in the town centre area of Northampton. The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 16 members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one member with a qualification at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. 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

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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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