Stepping Stones Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents

This provision is good • The highly experienced manager is adept at developing the skills of her staff to higher levels. Improvements in appraisals link staff training and specific 'pockets' of funding directly with raising outcomes for individual children. This is evident in the exceptional rate of progress made by children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

• Staff demonstrate high levels of responsibility for developing the quality of their practice even further. They make excellent use of recent training, in areas such as emotional well-being, to promote the welfare and social skills of all children. There is a very happy atmosphere at the pre-school and chil...dren develop very secure foundations for all future learning.

• The quality of teaching is not yet consistently outstanding or inspirational for some of the older and most able children. Staff lack a little confidence and experience in sustaining their focus on challenging children's thinking to the highest levels, for example, when children are planning how to do things, solving problems and reviewing how well an approach worked. • Staff skilfully develop children's fascination with diversity in the world.

Children examine pictures of people from different countries, playing instruments in different ways, in different costumes, on their own or in groups. They think how to make and play their own instruments to create different sounds. Children sing heartily, listen carefully and adapt to keep time with each other.

• Children are extremely well prepared socially and emotionally for change. Sensitive and responsive staff successfully nurture young children through changes in family life. Older children take great delight in dressing themselves in different school uniforms and have a very positive attitude to starting school.