First Steps Kindergarten

First Steps Kindergarten 42 Arlington Avenue, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5UD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 July 2018 7 February 2018

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 Leadership and management are not wholly successful in monitoring practice and providing support so that all staff have a good understanding of how to fully promote children's learning. That said, improvement has been made since the last inspection and all issues linked to safeguarding children and meeting their care needs have been addressed.  Some staff do not use observations and assessments effectively to plan activities that support and challenge children to reach the next stage in their learning.  The quality of teaching is variable across the staff team. Some staff do not identify a purpose for learning in the activities that they provide. Their teaching practice is not flexible enough to support children in exploring and developing their own ideas.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff address children's personal, social and emotional development well. A gradual settling-in procedure is agreed with parents and this helps children to feel emotionally secure at the outset of care.  Staff in the pre-school room support children's speaking and thinking skills well. The children readily engage in conversation with staff and they express themselves confidently. They spontaneously use mathematical language while they play.  Parents share positive views about the provision. They say that the relationships between their children and staff are strong and that communication systems are good.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 make sure that supervision of staff is wholly successful in providing guidance, coaching and training to ensure consistently good teaching and planning that continually promotes each child's learning 31/08/2018

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Due Date

 ensure all staff use information gained from precise assessments of children's learning to consistently plan challenging activities in order to help all children make best progress 31/08/2018

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Due Date

 provide opportunities for all children to explore and investigate, develop their own ideas and find things out for themselves in accordance with their different stages of development. 31/08/2018

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 develop resources for igniting children's natural curiosity and for supporting babies' sensory exploration and mark making.

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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 completed joint observations with the manager, and discussed teaching methods with her.  The inspector held meetings with the provider and the manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working in the setting.  The inspector took account of parents' views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The manager monitors staff practice in order to identify strengths and areas for improvement. However, supervision of staff is not currently strong enough to ensure that all teaching and planning for the next steps in all children's learning are good. Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are aware of potential risks and minimise these appropriately. They ensure that the premises are secure. Procedures for staff recruitment, selection, induction and suitability meet requirements. Staff are aware of the signs of child abuse and their responsibilities to prevent children from being drawn into situations that put them at risk. They know the internal and the local referral procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child. In order to make improvements since the last inspection, staff have updated their safeguarding knowledge and have completed other training online. Staff appreciate the support provided by a local authority

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

representative. A current priority for improvement is to develop a system of staff observing their colleagues and sharing ideas about how their practice could be improved.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff responsible for children aged under three years do not consistently use what they know about children to plan activities and provide support to ensure that every young child makes best progress. The quality of teaching is variable. That said, relationships between all staff and children are good. Staff interpret needs well as babies communicate through gestures and expression, although support for emerging speaking skills is not fully effective. Two-year-olds join older children playing in the outdoor role-play café. They ask children to make choices from picture menus and then collect the toy food from their kitchen. Pre-school children enjoy listening to stories. They respond eagerly to open-ended questions, anticipate and join in with repeated refrains.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff provide a welcoming environment; however, the available activities do not keep all children interested and are not inspiring enough. Children separate from their parents happily. They are settled and confident. Children are physically active. Staff encourage pre-school children to manage some risks for themselves, for example while they are climbing. Children behave well. They learn to share and take turns. Staff meet children's emotional needs effectively. They ensure that parents are informed and they prepare children well for a change of room as they move through the nursery.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children gain skills to prepare them for school. However, children under three years do not make as much progress as they can because teaching and activity planning for their learning require improvement. Children learn to manage their self-care needs and older children manage simple tasks, such as serving their own lunch. Pre-school children count while they play and name shapes that they see in the environment. They are learning that numbers represent quantities and letters represent sounds.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 200593 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 1125844 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 49 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person First Steps Kindergarten Partnership

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2018 Telephone number 01926 332122

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reference number

First Steps Kindergarten registered in 1997. The setting employs 11 members of childcare staff and nine hold appropriate early years qualifications. The provider is qualified at level 6 and the manager at level 4. Five staff hold qualifications at level 3 and two are qualified to level 2. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm all year round, except for bank holidays and a week over the Christmas period. The setting 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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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