Footprints Day Nursery Wallsend

Inspection of Footprints Day Nursery Wallsend Wallsend Childrens Centre, North Road, Wallsend, Northumberland NE28 8RH

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at this nursery. They arrive happily. Since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, children leave their parents at the main door. Staff welcome them with enthusiasm. Their warm, friendly approach helps children to feel secure and ready to learn. Overall, the curriculum is challenging and supports children's learning well. Pre-school children become excited as they set up their 'fairy garden' outdoors. They demonstrate strong language skills and talk with each other as they play. Children in the 'Butterflies' room sing and perform actions to nursery rhymes and songs. They clap their hands and pretend to put their 'Peter Rabbit' ears on. This helps to support children's awareness of rhythm and rhyme. Very young children who are new to the nursery show that they feel safe as they settle into their new daily routines. They begin to smile as they sit with staff and explore interesting objects, such as crunchy autumn

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The provision is good

Children's behaviour throughout the nursery is good. Children respond very well to routines, such as tidying up. They confidently know where resources go and place them in their correct place. Pre-school children develop resilience and cooperate with others when things do not always go as planned. For instance, when the spray bottles children use for painting stop working, they try to fix them. When this is unsuccessful, children share the remaining bottle that is functioning well and spray paint together on the screen.

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need to do better?

n Staff provide excellent support for children's communication skills. They are highly skilled in recognising when children's speech development has been impacted, for example during the COVID-19 restriction periods. Staff superbly incorporate songs and rhymes as children play, which helps children to join in and use single words and phrases. n Overall, support for children's early literacy skills is good. Staff sit alongside children and look at books together. Children concentrate well. They point to the pictures and help to turn the pages, which extends their early reading skills well. However, staff have not fully explored how they can best support children to develop their early writing skills as they progress through the nursery, to raise their achievements even higher. n Pre-school children enjoy a broad range of activities, indoors and outdoors, throughout the day. Although staff have an understanding of what they want

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need to do better?

children to learn, some activities that they plan are not always suitable for children's stage of development and level of understanding. For example, some activities staff plan to support children's understanding of how to look after their teeth are beyond their comprehension.

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need to do better?

13 October 2021 n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. They act on their initial observations and share this information with external agencies, including health visitors. This ensures that children get the support they need to meet their developmental needs. n The manager and her staff team place a strong focus on children developing the skills they need to succeed in life. Staff work closely with parents and ensure that daily opportunities, including access to the garden and messy play, are provided. This supports children's physical health and prepares them well for the future. n Partnerships with parents are superb. Parents speak highly of the nursery and many say that they could not wait for their children to start after their initial visits. Written comments produced for inspection include, 'I can't thank Footprints and the staff enough for their support and for how caring and

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need to do better?

empathetic they all are.' n Staff are involved in the self-evaluation of the nursery. They carry out audits of their childcare rooms to review their practice and identify ways they can improve further. For instance, staff in the 'Butterflies' room have enhanced their reading area when they identified that children were not using it as much as they would like. The area is now welcoming and inviting and children choose to sit there independently to look at books. n Staff are supported well by the manager. She provides staff with ongoing opportunities, including observations of their practice, to help to improve their good skills even further. New staff benefit from effective induction arrangements, which helps them to develop a strong understanding of their role.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a wealth of knowledge about keeping children protected from possible harm. They keep their skills up to date through ongoing training and a strong focus from the designated safeguarding lead. Staff know the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child's welfare is at risk. They know who to contact should they have any concerns. Staff ensure that the physical environment, indoors and outdoors, is safe for children to access. They implement daily checks and constant supervision to make sure that children are kept safe at all times.

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should:

n support staff to implement a progressive curriculum for early writing, and support children's developing skills throughout the nursery n ensure that activities are consistently planned at the right level for pre-school children's age and stage of development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2496381 Local authority North Tyneside Inspection number 10194352 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

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inspection

Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 100 Name of registered person Footprints Day Nursery North East Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07731300743 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Footprints Day Nursery Wallsend registered in 2018. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, except for Christmas Eve and one week over the Christmas period. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. On Friday, sessions are from 7.30am to 5.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint evaluation of a group activity with the manager. n The inspector held discussions with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of the staff team. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with the inspector. n The inspector spoke to children to find out about their time at the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

13 October 2021 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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