Inspection of Footsteps Day Nursery Chingford

64 Station Road, Chingford E4 7BA

Inspection date: 27 February 2025

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

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders and staff offer a warm welcome to children and families. They describe children’s safety and emotional well-being as their ‘top priority’ and provide highly attentive care. This helps children to develop secure bonds right from the start. Children demonstrate that they feel happy and secure at the nursery. For instance, babies snuggle up with staff to share their own ‘all about me’ books. Pre-school age children proudly point out their individual drawers where they store their work and belongings. Staff have high expectations for children’s behaviour. They model kind and positive interactions and help children to understand their feelings well. Children benefit from staff’s consistent guidance. They show high levels of respect for others and their behaviour is excellent.

Leaders and staff constantly reflect on the curriculum they offer to ensure that it is ambitious for all children. They provide a broad range of learning experiences to equip children with the skills and attitudes they need to succeed at school. For example, staff introduce mathematical concepts in fun and meaningful ways throughout the routines and activities. Therefore, children develop a secure understanding of how to count, measure and fit shapes together. Staff recognise the need to promote children’s personal care skills. They provide support and encouragement as children learn to feed themselves, wash their hands and use the toilet. This helps children to secure their independence skills.

What does the early years setting do well?

Staff know children well. They plan clear and achievable targets to help them to make good progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff work in partnership with parents, carers and external professionals to implement children’s individual learning plans. This includes one-to-one support where needed, to ensure that all children benefit from the learning opportunities.
The support for children’s language and communication is strong throughout the nursery. For instance, staff place colourful pictures in the nappy changing areas to kindle interactions with babies and toddlers. They think carefully about the vocabulary they want children to learn and model this during discussions and activities. Children swiftly pick up new words and are keen to share what they know. For example, toddlers describe how polar bears are good swimmers
Children have opportunities to express themselves creatively, such as through imaginative role play and during ‘messy play’ with foam and sand. However, staff often have fixed ideas about what they want children to produce during art and craft activities. This limits the opportunities for children to decide how they want to use materials and express their own ideas when designing and making.
Staff identify children’s next steps in learning and plan experiences that reflect their interests. As a result, children are drawn to activities and show positive attitudes to their learning. For instance, staff create meaningful opportunities for pre-school-age children to make marks, such as writing lists and recording appointments during role play. Children are motivated to have a go and show pride in their early writing skills.
Staff ensure that children are physically active each day. Babies and toddlers have climbing apparatus in their rooms, which enable them to practise movements such as going up and down steps. Children build further on these skills as they tackle the large outdoor climbing frame. They enjoy riding tricycles, playing ball games and taking part in activities such as ballet. This helps them to build good physical strength and coordination.
Staff value the cultures and languages of children who attend. They use words from children’s home languages and celebrate events that are special to their families. This helps to boost children’s self-esteem. Children have fun learning about a range of cultural traditions. For instance, they create diva lamps during Diwali and visit Santa’s grotto at Christmas. This promotes a positive appreciation for their similarities and differences.
Leaders have clear oversight of the provision and constantly reflect on what they can do even better. There is a robust system in place to support staff’s professional development and well-being. Staff retention is good. This helps parents and children to get to know staff well and build trusting relationships. Parents describe staff’s genuine affection for children and say that they ‘go the extra mile’ to support their needs. They are kept well informed about their children’s time at nursery, including their progress and the things that they enjoy.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:

Develop opportunities for children to explore different materials freely, to help to develop their ideas about how to use them and what to make.

Setting details

Unique reference number	EY494126
Local authority	London Borough of Waltham Forest
Inspection number	10390624
Type of provision	Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registers	Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Day care type	Full day care
Age range of children at time of inspection	1 to 4
Total number of places	70
Number of children on roll	98
Name of registered person	Footsteps Day Nursery (Chingford) Ltd
Registered person unique reference number	RP911576
Telephone number	02035835741
Date of previous inspection	10 April 2019

Information about this early years setting

Footsteps Day Nursery registered in 2015. The nursery is situated in North Chingford, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The nursery operates all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The provider employs 20 members of staff. Of these, 18 staff hold early years qualifications ranging from level 1 to level 4. The provider offers government funded childcare for children aged from nine months to four years.

Information about this inspection

Inspector
Sarah Crawford

Inspection activities

Leaders showed the inspector around the nursery, and they explained the curriculum and how the provision is organised.
The inspector observed the quality of education and considered the impact on children’s learning. This included a joint observation with one of the managers.
Leaders had discussions with the inspector to explore matters such as staff recruitment, supervision and training. They ensured that relevant documents were available for the inspector to view.
The inspector spoke to parents, staff and children during the inspection. She also took account of parents’ written feedback.

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.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) 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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