First Steps Nursery

First Steps Nursery First Steps Nursery, 25/29 Thanet Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 1UA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 March 2018 12 November 2015

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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

 Parents are highly appreciative of the daily, detailed communication they have with their children's key person. They say that their children are happy and that staff are supportive. Staff advise parents in how to support children's learning at home.  Behaviour is exemplary. Children collaborate effectively and demonstrate a strong ability to take turns and share. Relationships are extremely warm and trusting and this helps to support children's emotional well-being. Children have outstanding levels of engagement and motivation in their learning.  When children start at the nursery, there are discussions between parents and children's key persons to establish children's starting points and next steps. There are effective systems in place to check children's progress, identify gaps in learning and take steps to address these.  Where there is shared care with other providers, including school, staff exchange

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This provision is good

information about children's achievements and daily needs. This helps to support consistency in children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff do not skilfully use questioning techniques to extend children's learning and understanding to an outstanding level.  Children's opportunities to use mathematical language and extend their understanding of mathematical concepts are not always maximised by staff.

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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 staff's teaching to build on their already good questioning techniques to help enrich children's learning even further  make the most of the opportunities to maximise children's use of mathematical language and develop further their understanding of mathematical concepts.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding children and managing their behaviour.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of the staff and looked at records of children's learning and progress.  The inspector and the manager observed members of staff interacting with children and discussed their practice.  The inspector read the evaluation documents and discussed these with the deputy manager.  The inspector spoke to a range of parents and children and took their views into consideration.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. All staff have a thorough understanding of how to keep children safe. They know who to contact if there is a concern about a child's safety or welfare. There are appropriate risk assessments in place to help ensure that children are safe at all times, including when on outings, such as to the local park. Self-evaluation is good and identifies appropriate areas to improve. For example, staff have developed the outside area to allow greater free-flow access for children. Leaders provide effective support for staff to help them improve their knowledge and skills. They have regular one-to-one opportunities to discuss their practice. There are appropriate systems in place to identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff observe children as they play and learn and use this information to plan future activities to help support their continued progress. Teaching is strong. Some teaching is better than good, such as staff's promotion of children's physical development. Staff provide children with a wealth of opportunities to make marks using different implements. This helps to support their excellent early writing skills. Staff skilfully encourage children to manipulate dough and use a range of tools to create different shapes. This helps to support the muscle development in their hands and fingers. Staff teach older children to write their names and simple words accurately. They promote children's excellent imaginations. For example, children use a wide range of collage materials and printing to create interesting pictures. Staff skilfully support children's language skills, repeating words and phrases clearly to help their pronunciation.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. For example, they understand you shouldn't eat too many sweets because 'your teeth will fall out.' Staff support children's independence extremely well. The youngest children learn to wipe their own noses with a tissue and thoroughly wash their hands before eating as they follow the pictorial guidance. They competently unwrap their own packages from their lunch boxes. Children confidently and freely choose their own resources and activities from the extensive range available. Children's physical development is extremely well supported. For example, they benefit from regular exercise in the soft-play room, visits to the local park as well as using the outside space. Children develop an in-depth understanding of the similarities and differences between different cultures in the world. They cook and taste a range of foods and listen to stories from other countries and

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

cultures, sometimes read by parents or grandparents.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are well prepared for school or the next stage of their education. In some areas of their learning they make outstanding progress, such as in personal, social and emotional development. They listen with high levels of interest to stories and understand how books work. Older children can recall the main events of a book in sequence.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127184 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1126846 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 1 - 4 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 137 Name of registered person Hazel Ann Warren

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 12 November 2015 Telephone number 01843 294256

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reference number

First Steps Nursery registered in 2000. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 5.30pm, for 50 weeks of the year. It receives government funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three, and four years. There are 18 staff. Of these, 17 hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 or above. One member of staff holds qualified teacher status and one is an apprentice who is not part of the ratios.

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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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