Stepping Stones Day Nursery

Stepping Stones Day Nursery South Way, Bognor Regis, PO21 5EZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14 November 2017 Not applicable

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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 Outstanding 1

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This provision is good

 Staff support for children’s behaviour and welfare is exceptional. Children show high levels of curiosity, confidence and motivation to learn.  Throughout the nursery staff create a highly rich and stimulating learning environment, which ignites children’s interests and eagerness to learn.  Staff show consistently good teaching skills. They engage with children in enjoyable, exciting and well-planned learning experiences. Children make good progress.  The very committed and dedicated management team works extremely cohesively to help ensure the nursery runs successfully. The team’s attention to staff performance and training is given strong priority.  Partnership working with other professionals is very good. For example, the community nursery nurse visits the nursery to discuss and carry out children’s two-year-old progress checks.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The children’s key persons sometimes miss opportunities to talk to children’s parents and build high-quality relationships with them.  On occasions, staff miss opportunities to further enhance the communication and language experiences of children aged two years and under.

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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 key-person responsibilities in the younger age groups to improve partnerships with parents to an outstanding level overall  enhance the under-twos' communication and language skills even further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children, observed the children's play activities indoors and outdoors, looked at the available resources and read relevant documentation.  The inspector held a meeting with the directors, managers and nominated person to discuss their leadership and management, including self-evaluation methods.  The inspector spoke to a sample of parents and took account of their views.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. Senior management is extremely proactive in managing safeguarding issues, responding to complaints and effectively training staff to ensure they have up-to-date knowledge. The senior managers are forward-thinking and passionate about providing a quality service and continually look at inspiring ways to improve. They are successful in motivating and guiding the staff team, such as through effective coaching and training. The management team monitors children's progress closely and is responsive to children who it identifies as requiring additional support. Parents praise the nursery highly and they feel that their children are thriving because of their experiences within the nursery.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Throughout the nursery there is a strong emphasis on effective learning. Children are fascinated by the exciting play spaces. They consistently explore and discover for themselves, such as in the mud kitchen outdoors or with ice, shaving foam and animals. The staff's strong teaching skills help to motivate children to learn, such as when they provide paint, pegs and cotton wool for children to use. All the staff are on hand, at children's eye-level, to support their play experiences, such as when they role model how to form the first letter of children's name in coloured sand. Focused activities with older children, such as an enthusiastic song time with props and skilled questioning, help children to count and problem solve. Staff motivate boys to read with friends by tapping into their interests; for example, by introducing enjoyable superhero books.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children flourish in a very carefully considered, safe environment where they learn to take managed risks. Older children play exceptionally collaboratively outdoors and relish the challenging play equipment, such as the slopes and climbing apparatus. Fresh air, exercise and a hearty, healthy hot meal at midday contribute highly successfully to children's growth and development. Staff working with children in the younger age groups pay close attention to children's care needs and offer comfort and cuddles when they are unsettled. Staff implement personalised strategies for those children identified as needing extra support. Lots of enjoyable, exciting play takes place alongside the staff with whom children have built a strong bond. Staff pay excellent attention to children's health and safety because it is central to everything they do.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop valuable skills for their future learning because staff are knowledgeable teachers. Children listen well and take turns during adult-led activities, such as when they select a face and use pens to draw how they feel. Older children show focus in their learning, talk confidently about being a 'motivated monkey' to adults and are highly proud of their monkey sticker. They attempt to write letters of their name and learn to count and recognise numerals. Babies watch adults carefully and then copy them, smiling happily, for example, when adults sing and do the actions of favourite rhymes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY541467 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 1117145 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 133 Number of children on roll 198 Name of registered person Regis Community Arena Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01243 871044

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reference number

Stepping Stones Day Nursery has operated since 1992 and re-registered in 2016. The nursery operates from 7.30am until 6pm from Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. There are 42 staff including the manager and bank staff. All staff working directly with the children have appropriate early years qualifications. One staff member holds qualified teacher status and another holds early years professional status. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Staff support children who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and children who are learning English as an additional language.

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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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