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
Inspection report: 19 March 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
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.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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.

Expected standard
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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

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

Inspector:
Ginny Robinson
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): EY259565
Address:
Newmarket Street
Skipton
North Yorkshire
BD23 2JP
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 23/01/2004
Registered person: First Steps Private Day Nursery Partnership
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: North Yorkshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 19 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
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.

Total number of places
64
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
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.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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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