First Steps Kindergarten

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

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Inspection date 8 May 2019 Previous inspection date 12 July 2018

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This inspection: Good 2

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

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This provision is good

n There have been significant changes since the last inspection. The manager has improved procedures for monitoring and supporting staff in developing their teaching practice. The manager and the deputy have helped staff to extend their practice for supporting children in exploring, investigating and developing their own ideas. n Staff challenge children effectively to reach the next stage in their development. They observe and assess children and provide activities that motivate children to learn while they enjoy their play. Children make good progress. n The partnerships with parents are strong. Staff and parents consistently share information to ensure continuity of care and learning for children. Parents share very positive views about the provision. n Staff give children's emotional security a high priority. Parents and children are prepared well for the change of room and key person as children progress through the

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This provision is good

nursery. n Children express themselves confidently. Parents of children who speak English as an additional language and have only recently arrived in England, say that staff have been extremely supportive. As a result, they say that their children have made very good progress in their social and emotional development as well as their language development. n Staff are clear about the signs of abuse and neglect and their responsibilities to protect children. They know the internal procedures and the local referral procedures that must be followed if a child is at risk. n Staff do not consistently help all two-year-old children to understand sharing and the way their behaviour affects other children. n Staff do not consistently give very young children the time to identify that they understand what has been said to them and then express their thoughts.

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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 extend support to help all two-year-old children moderate their behaviour and understand sharing and the way their behaviour affects other children n give very young children more time to understand what has been said to them and then express their thoughts.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector completed joint observations with the manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager and deputy. She looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting, policies and procedures. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager completes necessary staff suitability checks at the time of recruitment and selection. Procedures are in place to check staff's ongoing suitability. The designated safeguarding lead ensures that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff complete training in order to identify children at risk of abuse and to recognise signs of children being drawn into situations that may put them at risk. They minimise potential risks successfully. The premises are safe and secure. Staff-to-child ratios are good, and staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children are always supervised. The manager and staff value the support provided by representatives of the local authority to identify and address priorities for improvement. Continuity is addressed well for children who attend part time at the kindergarten and part time at another setting.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff support children well so that they acquire skills and the capacity to learn. They work successfully with parents and other early years professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs receive the additional support that they need. Staff effectively support pre-school children's mathematical learning. They challenge the children to work together in pairs, each pair using a bag containing bricks and sticks to build a bridge big and strong enough to hold 20 small coloured bears. Staff support young children in 'having a go' and exploring a good variety of textures and materials including paint, glue, cardboard boxes, glitter, coloured sand and sequins. Some children spontaneously decide to paint their hands and then their feet, others decorate the boxes. Babies explore natural, everyday resources. They delight in creating sounds by tapping wooden sticks while also joining in with some of the words to a favourite song. Staff

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

interpret babies' non-verbal forms of communication well.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The relationships between staff and children are strong. Children are physically active and enjoy activities outdoors every day. Pre-school children use their very good skills as staff challenge them to run at speed, avoid others, stop when told and then stand very still. Children eat healthy, varied food that is cooked fresh on the premises daily. The manager ensures that kitchen and childcare staff are aware of, and address, children's different dietary needs. Staff work with parents effectively with regard to young children's toileting. Children learn to manage their self-care needs independently and manage simple tasks for themselves, such as serving their own food.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress in readiness for the move on to school. They count while they play, spontaneously use mathematical language and use numbers to label quantities. Young children notice the marks they can make while playing with resources, such as shaving foam. Older children's pencil control is very good. They understand the link between letters and sounds. Children choose and select resources from boxes that are clearly labelled with words and pictures. Babies select, and can operate, toys with buttons and simple mechanisms.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 200593 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10092201 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 - 4 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 50 Name of registered person First Steps Kindergarten Partnership

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 12 July 2018 Telephone number 01926 332122

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reference number

First Steps Kindergarten registered in 1997. The setting employs 12 members of childcare staff and 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications. The provider is qualified at level 6, the manager is qualified at level 4, six 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 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.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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