Learning Steps Day Nursery

Learning Steps Day Nursery The Old School House, Parker Street, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 1ES

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Inspection date 6 February 2019 Previous inspection date 31 July 2015

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1 Outcomes for children Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

n The manager has completed a substantial self-evaluation of the setting. She uses this as a working document to help deliver care and learning practices of the highest quality. n Staff are fully committed to providing an environment in which all children feel valued and respected for who they are. British values are promoted in every aspect of nursery life, including respect and tolerance. n Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Staff work very hard to include parents in all aspects of their child's care and learning, for example through daily discussions and ongoing progress reports. n Regular and precise assessments of children's individual development ensure any gaps in learning are picked up on quickly, necessary intervention is put in place and gaps in children's learning are closed quickly. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who speak English as an additional language are provided for particularly well and make

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This provision is outstanding

excellent progress. The nursery employs a range of staff who effectively use their skills to help children to develop their use of the English language. n Staff work very closely with local schools and outside agencies involved in children's care, learning and development. This ensures continuity of learning. Where intervention is necessary, specialist help is swiftly secured to meet each individual child's requirements.

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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

n continue to build on the already excellent opportunities for staff's professional development in order to maintain the very high quality of practice demonstated.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector held a number of meetings with the registered provider/manager to assess the quality of leadership. n The inspector conducted a joint observation with the registered provider/manager to observe the standard of teaching and learning. n The inspector observed the teaching and care practices of staff. n The inspector analysed relevant documentation, including evidence of staff's qualifications and the suitability of staff in the nursery to work with children. n The inspector spoke to several parents and noted their comments.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

The nursery is very welcoming, clean, bright, well organised and well resourced. The manager's enthusiasm and approachable leadership style have helped her to build an extremely strong and highly skilled staff team. Staff clearly demonstrate the way they work together, pooling their skills and knowledge to provide the best outcomes for children. The manager adeptly shows her ability to be able to slip into the role of any practitioner, should they need to be deployed elsewhere in the setting. Robust recruitment, thorough inductions and regular appraisals ensure staff are employed because of their suitability, skills and knowledge. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have completed extensive training in this area. They have a thorough understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know who to report these on to should they have any concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff speak to children with the utmost dignity, respect and understanding appropriate to their age and stage of development. They use their exceptional knowledge of child development to consolidate children's learning and keep them engaged in extremely well-planned and purposeful activities. Babies enjoy joining in with familiar rhymes and learning about different forms of transport, such as trains. Toddlers enjoy recognising different animals from around the world and making Chinese lanterns. Pre-school children enjoy recognising numerals and the sounds that letters represent. Staff explain the purpose of each planned activity in detail and provide an excellent narrative throughout, which helps children to understand what is happening. Staff ask children an excellent range of questions to help to check their learning and encourage their recall skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children's behaviour is exemplary. This is partly as a result of the way staff involve them in a range of interesting, enjoyable activities. For example, children enjoy dressing as pirates and hunting for treasure outside. Children take part in a range of interesting outings. For example, they choose fruit from the local market and take part in the local scarecrow festival. This helps them to learn about the wider world. Children participate in a range of experiences linked to festivals that are meaningful to them, such as Christmas, Halloween, Bonfire Night and Chinese New Year. They learn about people who are the same and different to themselves. This helps them to learn respect for themselves and others. Children also learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They eat a range of healthy foods, exercise regularly on the interesting range of balancing and climbing equipment outdoors, take regular rests and drink fresh water daily.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

From their starting points, children make outstanding progress. Strong links with key workers help them to settle quickly. Children socialise well and learn vital life skills, such as independence and sharing. Speech and language, and numeracy and literacy are taught particularly well within the nursery. Children are being very well prepared for the next stage in their learning and their eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY272610 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10064142 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 - 10 Total number of places 58 Number of children on roll 80 Name of registered person Learning Steps Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 31 July 2015 Telephone number 01257 234455

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reference number

Learning Steps Day Nursery registered in 2003 and is located in Chorley, Lancashire. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including the manager who holds qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-olds and supports children with SEND.

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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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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