Early Steps Dudley

Early Steps Dudley Bank Road, Gornal Wood, Dudley, West Midlands, DY3 2NT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 December 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 Good 2

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This provision is good

 Leaders' evaluation of the nursery is good. They have high expectations of staff. Supervision of staff practice is effective to help ensure teaching is of a good standard and continues to improve over time.  Partnership working is strong to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work with other professionals to successfully identify programmes of support to help close gaps in children's development.  Staff work extremely hard to involve parents in their children's learning. From when children start at the nursery, key persons work with their parents to identify their children's capabilities. Staff use a range of ways to keep parents updated on their children's learning and to encourage them to support this at home.  The nursery has recently started to care for babies. They have recruited highly skilled staff who have a wealth of experience and knowledge in caring for children under two-

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This provision is good

years-old. Staff working with the youngest children provide sensitive and nurturing care giving experiences that help babies to thrive in their development.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not plan precisely enough for children's learning styles to fully promote their motivation during group times and engage them fully in play throughout day, specifically after mealtimes.  Leaders have not yet fully embedded ways to identify and compare the progress of different groups of children to help accelerate their progress even further.

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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 planning of children's learning to increase their levels of engagement and motivation further still  build on the monitoring of children's learning, to identify and compare the progress of groups of children, and ways to accelerate their progress to an outstanding rate.

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Inspection activities

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

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The providers have a strong commitment to keeping children safe and implementing robust child protection procedures. Staff know these in detail and are confident in applying them if needed. The providers continually update staff in changes to local and national safeguarding guidelines. All staff assess potential risks thoroughly and have taken steps to minimise these. Professional development of staff is having a positive impact on enhancing their knowledge and skills, such as supporting children's literacy development. Staff have used what they have learnt from training to enhance their teaching to help children to recognise letters and their sounds, and blend letter sounds together.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff teach children the skills they need for their next stage in their learning and eventual move on to school. They use their observations of children's learning to provide experiences that build on children's interests and help them to reach their next steps in learning at a good rate. Staff adapt their teaching to promote the learning needs of children of different ages. For example, they encourage babies to explore and make marks in flour to help promote their physical skills. Staff promote toddler's mathematical development successfully. They encourage them to count pastry cutters and toddlers say random number names. The oldest children independently complete small tasks that staff ask them to do, such as filling up a cup with water to add to the dough mixture.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The providers and staff have worked extremely well together to develop a stimulating and welcoming environment. Through their own evaluation of the nursery, they have identified ways to enhance the garden. For example, they have provided even more opportunities for children to practice their early reading and writing skills to support children's learning outdoors as well as indoors. Staff promote children's behaviour well, such as promoting turn taking and working together as a group to complete simple computer programs. The settling-in process is responsive to each child's individual needs and supports them to settle in quickly. Staff promote healthy lifestyles effectively, they show care and attention in supporting babies to try first foods.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress in their learning, including those two-year-olds who the nursery receives funding for. Children are confident communicators and they learn new words quickly, using them to describe the textures of dough. They have good mathematical skills and can compare and recognise different lengths, such as long and short. Children can recall their past experiences and discuss them with staff. When they smell the spice ginger, they say it smells like gingerbread. Children enjoy exercising outdoors and developing their physical skills, such as climbing up a ladder to the slide.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY494273 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 1031549 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 41 Number of children on roll 41 Name of registered person Early Steps Dudley Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07507984600

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reference number

Early Steps Dudley registered in 2015 and has been run by the current directors since 2016. The nursery employs 6 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. It 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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