First Steps To Learning Pre-School & Day Nursery

Inspection of First Steps To Learning Pre-School & Day Nursery Cadet Centre, Tyrells Close, Upmimster, Essex RM14 2QA

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children are warmly greeted by the kind and friendly staff as they arrive at the setting. They settle quickly and are eager to start their day. Children benefit from a broad range of fun, exciting and educational activities, which capture their interest and curiosity extremely well. Staff know children well and have high expectations for their learning and behaviour. As a result, children show a positive approach towards new experiences and behave very well.

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The provision is good

Babies show curiosity as they explore messy play activities. For instance, they enjoy exploring bugs in crumbly mud and use tools such as magnifying glasses and tweezers to investigate. This helps to develop their interest in the wider world. Toddlers participate in decorating plant pots and enjoy discussing how plants need sunlight and water to grow. This helps to develop their creativity and understanding of the world.

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The provision is good

Pre-school children show great interest in listening to familiar stories. such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', and receive excellent support to recall the key elements of the story. They also develop their imagination and communication skills as they explore small-world themed trays that complement the story.

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need to do better?

n The pre-school is run by an ambitious and dedicated leadership team that show good commitment to ongoing improvement. For instance, there is a clear development plan in place for future enhancements, and the views of children, parents and other professionals are incorporated effectively into new initiatives and plans. n Staff understand what children already know and what their individual interests are. They then use this information to carefully plan activities, to help them develop their knowledge and skills. Staff have highly effective systems in place for monitoring children's progress and regularly share their findings with parents. It is evident that children make good progress in relation to their starting points. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support. There is a strong culture of working in close partnership with a range of other professionals to review children's personal targets and tailor individual

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need to do better?

activities to foster their development. This is a real strength of the pre-school. n Children have frequent opportunities to explore the local community. For instance, they go on trips to the local supermarket, where they have opportunities to learn about fruits and the value of money. Staff then support children to make smoothies with the fruits they buy. This process helps to instil responsibility and ownership into the children. n Children have good opportunities to learn about different backgrounds and

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need to do better?

16 January 2023 diversity. For instance, they celebrate a range of cultural events throughout the year, and staff help them to develop respectful attitudes about lives different to their own. n Children enjoy participating in fundraising events. For instance, they like making cakes and selling their goods in the local community. This helps to develop their skills of independence and teaches them positive messages about the importance of helping others. n Partnerships with parents are well established. Parents express high levels of appreciation for the staff and experiences their children receive. They state that staff are kind, supportive and that their children love attending. n Children enjoy participating in forest school activities at a local park. For instance, they participate in nature trails and collecting leaves for art projects. Despite this, staff do not always plan a fully broad outdoor curriculum in the

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need to do better?

nursery's outdoor space. n Overall, children have good opportunities to hear new language and extend their vocabulary. However, on occasion, some staff do not question children in a way that fully promotes their thinking skills. n Leaders and staff are reflective, and there is a good programme of professional development in place. Furthermore, staff receive ongoing coaching and mentoring in order to promote a good quality of education for children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff clearly understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to child protection. Staff frequently refresh their knowledge through training and discuss different scenarios during staff meetings. They show good knowledge of how to identify possible concerns about a child's welfare. They also understand different reporting procedures to ensure children receive appropriate help. There are effective recruitment and vetting procedures in place, which help to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles.

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should:

n continue to develop the outdoor learning space, to provide children with more opportunities to engage in a wider range of activities that support their development across all areas of learning n build on the consistency of some staff member's interactions with children to strengthen their questioning techniques, in order to extend children's thinking skills further.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2504008 Local authority Havering Inspection number 10236971 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 36 Number of children on roll 29

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Name of registered person

First Steps To Learning Pre-School & Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01708 226061 Date of previous inspection 23 February 2022

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Information about this early years setting

First Steps to Learning Pre-School & Day Nursery registered in 2019. The setting employs eight members of staff, who hold appropriate qualifications ranging from level 2 to level 6. The setting opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.15am until 6pm. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector carried out a number of observations and assessed the quality of education. n Parents' views were considered as part of the visit. n A range of documents were viewed, such as staff first-aid training certificates and suitability information. n The inspector completed a learning walk with the leadership team to discuss the learning intentions for the children and the nursery's ethos.

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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

16 January 2023 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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