Footsteps Nursery Hawthorn

Inspection of Footsteps Nursery Hawthorn The Hawthorns, Walsall Road, LICHFIELD, Staffordshire WS13 8JL

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children settle into small groups with their key person, who helps them to feel safe and secure. Children enjoy looking at bugs in a jar and take turns with looking at and examining them. They wait patiently for their turn and pass it to their friends, confidently talking about what they can see. Staff help children to manage their own behaviour well. They talk to children in an age-appropriate way, giving them explanations of what is expected from them. This helps children to learn the rules of good behaviour.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy the forest-school area where they readily join in with the activities and experiences on offer. Staff join in with children's play, making pretend meals and drinks in the mud kitchen. Staff engage children in conversations and encourage them to use their imaginations, asking them if they like the pretend meals and if they would like more. Children remain focused as they make 'worms' with play dough. Staff help them by showing them how to roll it out. Children use seeds to decorate the creatures that they make. They enjoy using natural resources to make pictures and staff count out sticks with them. Children confidently use glue to stick on conkers and leaves to their pictures.

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need to do better?

n Managers and staff have a clear focus for the curriculum that they plan for children. They ensure that the youngest children are happy and settled in the setting. This is seen as babies happily separate from their parents and confidently explore the environment. Older children are encouraged to develop their independence. They confidently find their own coats and put these on before going outside to play. Children enjoy serving themselves meals. n Staff development is important to the management team. They complete supervisions with staff on a termly basis and observe their teaching, providing feedback to improve practice. This helps staff to build on their already good teaching skills and helps to improve the outcomes for children. n Key persons use their good knowledge of children to plan suitable learning experiences for them. For example, they plan activities that focus on oral hygiene following children's recent visit to the dentist. Children join in with

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need to do better?

experiments to show the effects that different liquids have on teeth. This helps children to learn the importance of brushing their teeth. n Parents speak highly of the nursery. They appreciate the information that they receive from staff about their children's progress. Parents say that the stay-and- play sessions organised by the staff give them the opportunity to engage in activities and see how settled their children are in the setting. Parents feel that their children are making good progress and have come on leaps and bounds with their overall development.

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need to do better?

6 October 2022 n Staff expose children to language in different ways. Babies enjoy joining in with songs and rhymes. Older children have fun while they learn to name the planets in the solar system. However, on occasions, staff do not always support children to build on their emerging communication and language skills. n Children have daily access to a large garden area. Older children independently make choices about if they want to play indoors or outside. They enjoy the time spent in the garden racing around a track on bicycles and scooters. All children enjoy spending time in the forest-school area where they can explore the natural world around them. However, children are not always given opportunities outside to learn across different areas of the curriculum. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly, and strategies are put in place to support children's learning. Effective

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need to do better?

partnership working with other professionals means that children receive targeted support to ensure they make as much progress as they are capable of.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and have a good understanding of what signs and symptoms to look out for to ensure that children are safe from harm. They are aware of the procedure to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare. Staff receive regular safeguarding training to ensure that their knowledge is kept up to date. They have a good understanding of 'Prevent' duty guidance. Managers follow safer recruitment procedures. Staff are checked for their suitability to work with children. The setting is safe and secure. Staff ensure that only authorised persons are able to collect children.

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should:

n provide further support for children's communication and language skills as they play and learn n develop more opportunities for children in the outside area to further challenge their development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY454662 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10235989 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 91 Number of children on roll 174 Name of registered person Footsteps Day Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01543250049 Date of previous inspection 19 December 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Footsteps Nursery Hawthorn registered in December 2012. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round. The nursery employs 34 members of staff, of whom 22 hold an appropriate qualification at level 2 or above. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider 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 their evaluation of the provider. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children.

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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

6 October 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.

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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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