First Steps Nursery

First Steps Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): EY259565 Address: Newmarket Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 2JP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 23/01/2004 Registers: EYR Registered person: First Steps Private Day Nursery Partnership

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) share their favourite stories with staff and laugh as they listen to the sounds the book makes. They sustain their attention for extended periods.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff engage children in conversation about the planting process. However, opportunities to extend and deepen children's scientific and descriptive vocabulary are not consistently maximised. As a result, children are not always supported to build a broader and more precise range of language or to deepen their understanding of the world. This limits the extent to which children develop rich vocabulary and secure knowledge over time, particularly in communication and language and understanding the world.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children show great dexterity in their fingers to achieve their goals. They confidently create pictures and make marks. They use measuring tapes, and babies use their hands and feet to make marks in sand and paint.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children with SEND explore their sensory interests for extended periods and actively take part in group singing sessions alongside their peers. Children are generally well prepared for the next steps in their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff have high expectations of behaviour. They address minor problematic incidents of sharing quickly so that generally children play together harmoniously. They explain the rules to children and remind them why it is better not to throw sand. Leaders have improved the key-person system, and this supports babies to confidently and independently explore the stimulating environment.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and vulnerable children generally follow the routines well and sit patiently as they wait for lunch or group sessions. However, routines take a long time and children become distracted as they wait for the next thing to happen. This impacts on time for learning and limits children's attention span.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff show respect for babies and communicate with them before wiping their nose or managing their personal hygiene. Older children say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff encourage children to show them they are ready for listening. They develop listening skills by playing simple games and encouraging children to copy actions or find body parts. Children respond well to this approach.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders monitor and track attendance carefully to check for any repeated patterns of absence. Children generally attend very well and rarely take time off. Leaders communicate clearly with parents to promote good attendance.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Since the last inspection, leaders have improved care procedures for babies and established better systems to meet their needs. Leaders ensure babies' medical, dietary and care needs are well understood by the staff team. Babies are generally very happy throughout the day. They sleep in cots and are well monitored as they sleep. As they wake, staff provide comfort and affection so that babies feel safe.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well by familiar adults. They are happy and engaged. Staff help children with SEND to sustain play for a few minutes at a time. Children with SEND frequently return to their familiar adult to receive physical and emotional comfort.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Older children attempt to serve themselves food and pour their own drinks. However, they have to wait for long periods to serve themselves from one large pot that is passed around the tables. Lunchtime routines are not as well thought through or efficient as they could be. Although children generally wait patiently, this takes a long time and impacts the time available for learning and communicating.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff support babies to feed safely. Children eat a range of healthy foods.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have improved the curriculum for children aged under 3 years. They now consider children's stages of development and plan the skills they want babies, toddlers and older children to learn. Although the curriculum has been improved, staff do not consistently focus clearly enough on developing and extending vocabulary. Staff do not precisely focus on the words they want to promote. This slows down the rate of progress children can make in communication and impacts all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff use words such as 'full', 'empty', 'big' and 'little'. They develop children's understanding of size as they create longer and shorter pieces of dough. This supports mathematical learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide opportunities for children to use tools and equipment, such as trowels and pipettes. Staff model how to use equipment correctly. They roll a rolling pin and demonstrate how to draw around an object.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff help children to link ideas. During a planting activity, staff encourage children to recall how they looked after seeds previously. Staff develop children's listening skills as they take part in group activities, read stories and follow instructions. They use assessment appropriately to check children's learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate strengths in ensuring that gaps in children's learning are quickly identified, and they use a variety of strategies to support children. They produce individual learning plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and set targets that are reviewed regularly and shared with parents. They offer opportunities for children to re-visit tasks they have found difficult. Staff use choice boards to help children move from one activity to another. Children with medical needs are well supported by staff. They monitor their health closely and act swiftly if any issues arise.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have recognised that sometimes children need quiet spaces to help maintain their wellbeing. They have created an intervention room with calming colours, soft lighting and cushions. They use the space to support children on a one-to-one basis for targeted interventions or to help children regulate in the soothing environment.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have built positive relationships with external professionals and contact them often to discuss and review the needs of children with SEND. They use funding for disadvantaged children to effectively support language development. Staff have received training in supporting children with autism, and this has helped to develop the way they interact with these children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have worked hard to make improvements since the previous inspection. They have secure systems in place to promote the wellbeing and happiness of babies. Leaders have enhanced the curriculum so that activities provided for babies are better suited to their needs. However, leaders have not yet fully embedded a consistent approach to developing children's communication and language, particularly in extending vocabulary across the curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a digital training package for staff to access, and staff say this has been very helpful. Leaders take appropriate steps to manage workload and support staff wellbeing. Staff say leaders treat them very well and care about them. For example, leaders provide staff with rewards and treats on birthdays and other occasions. Staff say they can approach leaders to make requests or ask for help.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have ensured they work with parents to promote potty training and toileting. Leaders have developed a few different schemes to support parental involvement in children's learning. They have set up a book-loaning scheme for families to share books at home. They have also created sensory bags for parents to use at home to promote sensory learning.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Staff greet parents and children warmly when they arrive. They take time to share information about sleep patterns and care needs. Children feel safe as they jump into the arms of greeting staff. Staff sensitively reassure children who are new to the nursery and spend time building a bond with them.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ask for help if they need it by approaching familiar adults. They demonstrate they have developed positive and caring relationships with staff. For example, toddlers laugh out loud and pat their belly, making the staff laugh along too. Babies' medical, dietary and care needs are well understood by the staff team, and routines in place help babies to feel secure. This helps them to thrive.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Staff work alongside children, encouraging them to join in with the play of others to gain important social skills. They help children to share and take turns. Older children independently show kindness towards each other as they pass each other resources. Children care for the environment and spontaneously fetch a dustpan and brush to clear up mess.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children learn important skills for later life. They persevere and keep on trying because staff are skilled in encouraging children to have another go. Staff frequently provide children with positive feedback and help children to be resilient if there are setbacks. Children take delight in their work and happily express their pleasure when they achieve their desired result. They are proud as they show off their work. Babies make their wishes clear as they rock forwards and backwards to request a specific song. Older children create a variety of images and marks, and they speak with clarity. It is clear that children are gaining the skills they need to move on to school and beyond.

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Next steps

Leaders should train staff to consistently focus on promoting vocabulary in all interactions with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and monitor this in order to support and extend children's language skills. Leaders should review routines and procedures to maximise learning time for children and support their independence even further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator, children and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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

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Address:

Newmarket Street Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 2JP

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: First Steps Private Day Nursery Partnership

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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0 to 4

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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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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