Footprints Child Care Ltd

Inspection of Footprints Child Care Ltd 10 Brindle Road, Bamber Bridge, PRESTON PR5 6RQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Leaders aspire to provide good-quality care and education. However, the provider has faced significant challenges in recruiting new staff. Although leaders have ensured that ratio requirements have been adhered to, some managerial duties have not been fulfilled. These include monitoring the quality of education precisely and providing targeted support to staff to ensure that they gain the skills required to fulfil their roles effectively. This lack of oversight contributes to inconsistencies in how the curriculum is implemented by staff and impacts on children's progress over time.

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The provision requires improvement

Nonetheless, children are settled and happy in the nursery. Leaders and staff focus on building positive relationships with children and their families. They carefully consider the transition arrangements when children begin at the setting or move to a different room within the nursery. This helps children to feel safe and secure. The setting has a policy for managing children's behaviour. However, this has not been shared effectively with all staff. Not all staff understand how to promote positive behaviour consistently. This means that, at times, children are not supported to understand the impact that their behaviour has on others.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have designed a curriculum that focuses on independence skills and preparing children for school. However, the curriculum is not implemented effectively. Learning opportunities do not consistently reflect children's interests or learning capabilities. As a result, some children become disengaged and lack purpose to their play. Although children do make progress from their starting points, they do not all make the progress of which they are capable. n Staff follow suitable hygiene routines when changing children's nappies and assisting them in the bathroom. They ensure that surfaces are cleaned, and children wash hands before meals. However, some sleep mats that children use are ripped and in poor condition. This has the potential to impact on children's health. n The curriculum for physical development is good. Young babies are supported to sit and pull themselves up. This helps to build their large-muscle skills. Older

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need to do better?

children enjoy balancing and climbing on the climbing wall in the garden. All children make good progress in their physical development. n Staff do not support children to regulate their behaviour effectively. Consequently, occurrences of poor behaviour are displayed, particularly by older children. Although staff recognise this, the setting have not yet put in place effective measures to help children understand how their actions impact others. This means that during independent play, some children are unkind to each other and staff do not always respond. Children are not supported to understand

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need to do better?

6 August 2024 behavioural expectations. n Parents describe the staff as 'helpful and supportive'. Staff share children's daily care routines, such as meals and sleep times, with parents. However, they do not share information on children's development, such as next steps. This means parents are unable to support their children's next steps away from the setting. n Staff sing nursery rhymes and read familiar story books to young children. Staff in the pre-school room help children to begin to retell stories using story props. These opportunities support children to develop their communication and language skills. n Staff value the measures the setting take to support their well-being. For example, a staff 'shout out board' is used to celebrate each other and boost morale. Supervision meetings are provided where staff can discuss any concerns. However, leaders and managers do not consider precisely enough

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need to do better?

what staff need to do to improve their practice and teaching skills. As a result, the quality of teaching is variable. n Leaders failed to notify Ofsted of a change in the manager of the setting. Although this is a breach of the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage', there is no impact on the children or the running of the setting. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) consistently. Those responsible for SEND provision are on hand to guide staff and help children. Staff work together with parents and the relevant professionals to ensure that support is provided in a timely manner. Children who require more support have targeted support plans in place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

provide staff with professional development, so they are all aware of and are able to implement a focused and challenging curriculum that builds on what individual children know and can do 08/09/2024

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Due date

6 August 2024 ensure that robust hygiene procedures are adhered to when implementing children's sleep routines. 08/09/2024

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should:

n support staff to provide consistent ways to encourage children's good behaviour about expectations and the impact of their behaviour on others n share children's next steps with parents, so they can support children's development at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY435809 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10347039 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 62 Number of children on roll 67 Name of registered person Footprints Child Care Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01772 696 641 Date of previous inspection 29 August 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Footprints Child Care Ltd registered in 2011 and is located in Bamber Bridge, Preston. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of whom, 13 hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. 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 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 Nursery leaders and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years foundation stage curriculum. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this was having on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery leaders. n The inspector spoke with leaders and managers about the leadership and management of the setting. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability

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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 August 2024 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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