Footsteps Nursery Lichfield Road

Inspection of Footsteps Nursery Lichfield Road 130 Lichfield Road, TAMWORTH, Staffordshire B79 7SE

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

p.1

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and feel safe. Staff welcome them warmly and they quickly settle into their rooms. Children enjoy their breakfast and freely choose from the varied range of sensory and creative activities provided during the early morning session.

p.2

The provision is good

Throughout the day, children behave well. They show a real interest in what staff provide, and spend a long time engaged in their chosen activities. Pre-school children are curious. They talk confidently about what they see and what is happening while they discover and melt the iced water outdoors. Children of all ages show a keen interest in books and stories. For example, babies eagerly turn the pages when they look at the animal book and use the pretend animals. Staff are animated when they read to children and place a clear focus on building children's vocabulary during their interactions.

p.2

The provision is good

All children thoroughly enjoy singing. Staff often use songs throughout the day. For example, pre-school children learn about how to stand tall while they confidently sing along to the music played on the keyboard. The rising threes show sustained levels of interest. They stretch their bodies, move like giraffes and think about how other animals move. Staff model a rich range of language. They describe the animals and encourage children to talk and move.

p.2

need to do better?

n There is a rich curriculum on offer and the central aim is to support children to be confident communicators, resilient, and independent investigators. Staff use a range of books which are often linked to children's interests, themes and the seasons to motivate them to learn. Staff make extremely good use of the forest area to provide daily opportunities for children to learn about the natural world and to be creative and solve problems that they encounter. n Members of the enthusiastic staff team speak positively about the manager, the senior leadership team and the support they receive. The manager conducts regular staff supervision and makes observations of the quality of teaching practice to ensure it is consistently good. The senior leaders conduct regular audits and training. They tailor support to the needs of staff. There are effective induction systems in place to help ensure new staff are clear about their roles

p.2

need to do better?

and responsibilities. n Effective partnership working with parents from the very start results in staff having a good overview of their key children's family circumstances and individual needs. Parents report that they receive detailed information about their child's day on collection. They state that their children are happy and that they are impressed by the progress their children make. Parents value the

p.2

need to do better?

21 January 2022 electronic assessment system in place and report that they feel up to date with their children's progress. There is an active parents' forum, which helps parents to influence the service on offer. n Children benefit from nutritious meals which are freshly prepared on site. Staff give children clear messages about healthy and unhealthy foods and the importance of limiting sugar. Children have daily opportunities to be outdoors in the fresh air, and the older children thoroughly enjoy this time. However, staff caring for the younger babies do not give enough consideration to how they can encourage them to move and crawl when outdoors. In addition, children aged over 15 months in the baby unit have few opportunities to be physically active indoors. n Staff place a sharp focus on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. Children are extremely confident and settled, and staff offer lots of

p.2

need to do better?

reassurance and praise to get them involved during activities. Children know about the rules of behaviour in place and quickly respond to changes in the routine, for example when they help to tidy up. Staff skilfully teach children to respect each other and about people and communities beyond their own experiences. n Staff creatively use a range of activities for children to make marks. For example, children paint on fabric and make marks in the mud and sand, and pre-school children enjoy writing. Staff plan good opportunities for children to learn about colour and counting, and to weigh and measure. However, children have few opportunities to recognise numerals, link them to the correct amounts and to group objects.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

There are robust vetting, induction and monitoring procedures in place to help ensure all staff are of good quality and suitable to work with children. There are effective contingency plans in place to cover any unplanned staff absences, to ensure that children are kept safe and their needs are met. All staff are trained in child protection and have an in-depth understanding of wider safeguarding issues. They carry out detailed risk assessments to help ensure that the environment is safe and suitable. The nursery is kept clean and hygienic, and additional cleaning procedures are in place to prevent the spread of infection. Staff teach children to keep safe. For example, children are taught to respect their own bodies and those of others.

p.3

should:

n monitor the curriculum for physical development more closely and provide a

p.3

should:

21 January 2022 richer range of physical play opportunities indoors and outdoors for children in the baby unit, to help further extend their physical skills n extend further the educational programme for mathematics to include increased opportunities for children to recognise numerals, link them to the correct amounts and to group objects in their play.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY386097 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10219514 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

p.5

inspection

Total number of places 92 Number of children on roll 140 Name of registered person Footsteps Day Nurseries Limited

p.5

reference number

Telephone number 01827 55861 Date of previous inspection 24 February 2020

p.5

Information about this early years setting

Footsteps Nursery Lichfield Road registered in 2008. It is situated in Tamworth, Staffordshire, and is one of a chain of nurseries owned and managed by Footsteps Day Nurseries Limited. The nursery employs 25 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 6, one holds level 4, 15 hold level 3, and five hold level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round, from 7.30am until 6.30pm. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.5

Inspection activities

n This is the first inspection the nursery received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the setting. n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk together to check the safety of the premises and to gather information about the experiences provided. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector carried out five joint observations with the manager and held discussions with her. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector took into account the views of parents.

p.6

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.

p.6

Inspection activities

21 January 2022 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.

p.6

Inspection activities

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspection activities

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

p.7

Inspection activities

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspection activities

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7