Footprints Learning for Life Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive eagerly and are quickly happy and settled. They develop close and secure relationships with staff, who act as good role models and are warm and very caring with them.

Children benefit from a wide range of fun activities and experiences, across all areas of learning and development. This is because staff know what children like and how they prefer to learn. Children can move around freely and safely in the playrooms.

Staff provide a wide range of resources and activities, many of which are designed to stimulate children's curiosity and imagination. For instance, a child uses a piece of hosepipe 'to catch... a big fish'. Staff ensure all potential hazards are minimised and understand how to keep children safe.

They support children to develop independence skills.Children behave well. Staff help them understand what is expected of them.

If a minor conflict occurs, they help children resolve it quickly. They help them recognise how it makes them and other children feel. Overall, children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills.

They climb and balance on planks and tyres. They develop their small-muscle skills as they draw with chalk on the floor and manipulate instruments attached to the music wall. However, at times, the range of play experiences to further support babies' learning and physical development is more limited.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

The two managers have a very good knowledge of their role and individual responsibilities and are well supported by the owner. Together, they have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery and strive for continuous improvement. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and a long period of staff sickness and change, they have reviewed their performance.

They recognise that the quality of staff interactions is no longer at a consistently high level. Some staff do not consistently extend and challenge children's learning in all activities and routines.Managers have started a positive professional development review for all staff, new and old.

Training, such as 'Back to Basics' and 'Behaviour Management', is already having a positive effect on children's outcomes.The curriculum is planned and organised well and the manager checks the learning intention of activities daily. Staff assess how children develop, decide their next step or review if they need more time to practise a particular skill.

They recognise when children need extra support. They create individual plans and organise small-group times to help them make good progress, for example for children with minor speech delay.Overall, staff promote children's communication skills well.

They talk to children as they play and make sure they enjoy song, story and music times throughout the day. This encourages children to develop their language skills. Staff in the baby room use hand signals, such as for 'finished' at snack times and repeat simple vocabulary.

However, there is scope to improve the language-rich environment for all children by introducing new and challenging vocabulary more often. This would help extend children's learning.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported.

The special educational needs coordinator is experienced and knowledgeable. She works closely with children's parents, staff and other professionals to ensure children get all the support they need. Funding is focused to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged children and ensures they are well prepared for school.

Staff actively support children to recognise and communicate their feelings. For example, children in the room for two-year-olds regularly discuss emotions through reading focused stories and looking at emotion cards. This helps build children's understanding and self-esteem and has had a positive effect on sharing and caring for others.

Staff form highly successful partnerships with parents and involve them in their children's learning. Parents praise the strong community feel in the nursery and the individual care their children receive. Parents of children with SEND value the support given with funding, referrals and meetings.

Staff have a good understanding of the importance of providing healthy and nutritious meals for children. This supports their good health and well-being. They encourage children to do things for themselves, such as serving their own food at lunchtime.

Children eagerly help themselves and demonstrate good manners.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and staff have a strong knowledge of how to keep children safe.

They fully understand and implement the comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures. Staff demonstrate excellent knowledge of the signs and symptoms which could indicate a child is at risk of harm. This includes wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty, female genital mutilation and internet safety.

The owner and managers adopt safer recruitment practices to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. These include effective vetting, induction, appraisals and training.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review how leaders can help staff to improve their teaching to the highest level find ways to strengthen staff's interactions with children, to consistently extend and challenge their learning and support children's communication and language development monitor the curriculum for babies' outdoor play more closely to provide a richer range of play experiences, to further support their learning and development.