Little People's Learning Academy

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Little People's Learning Academy Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY371898 Inspection date 17/09/2008 Inspector Diane Hancock / Valerie Fane

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Setting address 10-12 Wakeman Street, Worcester, WR3 8BQ

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Telephone number 01905 330 144 Email gillian@hunnybeeznursery.com Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration whichever is the later, which require Ofsted or the provider to take action in Annex C.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Little People's Learning Academy is a privately owned day nursery that was registered in 2008. It operates from two rooms in a converted community building. The setting is situated in the Barbourne area of Worcester and serves the local area. They have good links with local schools. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The setting is all on the ground floor and accessible to all.

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Description of the setting

The group opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 08:00 until 18:00. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 30 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 31 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Of these, nine children receive funding for early years provision. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Childcare Register. The setting employs 10 members of child care staff. Of these seven hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting receives support from the local authority. The nursery has Jo Jingles attend for weekly music and movement activities.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are content and enjoy their time in a friendly welcoming environment with a suitable range of activities and resources. However, children's welfare is compromised because several legal welfare requirements are not met and there are weaknesses in learning and development. Children have good relationships with staff, however the key worker system is not very effective and results in parents not being fully informed of their child's development and progress by a consistent person. Some practice is inclusive as staff meet children's individual care needs well and children with special needs make good progress due to the support from generally high staff ratios. The setting seeks the views of parents for feedback however staff do not fully evaluate the service they provide and a lack of awareness and knowledge to identify their weaknesses means there is limited capacity to improve.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 ensure that employment procedures are robust and maintain records of information used to assess staff suitability including the unique reference numbers of Criminal Records Bureau disclosures obtained and the date on which they were obtained (Suitable people) 29/09/2008  ensure that the requirements for adult: child ratios are 29/09/2008 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 met at all times (Suitable people)  maintain accurate records of children’s hours of attendance (Documentation) 29/09/2008  obtain information from parents about who has legal contact with a child and who has parental responsibility for the child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/09/2008  obtain prior written permission from parents for each and every medicine administered (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 29/09/2008 To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve the organisation of the setting to include effective procedures to evaluate the provision and identify areas for improvement  improve the assessment of children's progress in relation to their learning and development in particular for the younger children in the pre-school room  develop a more effective key person system and share this information with parents.

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provision

There is no clear system in place to evaluate the service offered. Some improvements are made following on from discussions such as when children are not settled during story time the staff change their approach and choose shorter stories and use visual aids. Staff act on the advice of other professionals and have made some improvements which have had a positive impact on outcomes for children. For example, resources are easily accessible for children to self-select, promoting their independence and choice. However the managers and staff do not clearly identify weaknesses and have no clear plan of how to improve. There is a lack of knowledge regarding the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and as a result some weaknesses with regard to the welfare requirements have not been identified.

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provision

Children are not fully safeguarded because the managers do not ensure that information is in place for all children about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child. Children have their individual needs well met because they normally enjoy the support of a high ratio of adults, many of whom are well-qualified and undertake ongoing training. However, there are occasions when the manager does not deploy staff effectively to ensure that correct adult: child ratio are maintained at all times. Children's health and welfare is compromised because records are not consistently maintained. For example, children's hours of attendance and medical records are not thoroughly completed to ensure parents written consent is sought prior to giving medication. Children are not safeguarded because the provider does not keep records of Criminal Records Bureau disclosures for all staff and employment procedures are not rigorous. Staff

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provision

have a sound knowledge of child protection, however policies are not up to date. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children benefit from a settled consistent team in place who relate well to one another. Children are cared for in a safe, clean, tidy and secure environment. Risk assessments are in place, but these do not cover equipment.

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provision

The staff have good relationships with parents. They spend time talking with parents at the end of the day informing them of their child's care. Staff take time to gather from parents details of children's routines to ensure there is good consistency of care. Parents of young babies are well-informed through documentation about their child's day. Parents receive regular information regarding the settings topics and activities, enabling them to become involved in their child's learning and they have opportunity to attend diploma days to celebrate their child's achievements. However parents do not receive up-to-date information on who their child's key worker is or detailed information regarding their individual children's progress and next steps for learning. The nursery works closely with parents and external agencies to ensure children with learning disabilities and/or difficulties are well-supported.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Staff have a reasonable knowledge of the learning and development requirement for the Early Years Foundation Stage and they create an appropriate learning environment. Children participate in purposeful play and exploration in particular when playing outside. For example, children look for insects and enjoy observing the patterns on a snail through a magnifying box. Resources such as paper and pens are readily accessible outside to promote children's imaginary play and social interaction. Children like to write down numbers, draw pictures and write the names of the bugs they can see in the garden.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

There is a balance of adult-led and child-led activities, however some days the children are more adult-led in group activities than others. Children develop good language skills as they sing familiar songs such as in circle time they sing a welcome song and count and clap together the number of children present. Children concentrate and engage in answering questions and are confident to ask questions during story time. Children laugh as they have stories with animal noises and are able to count the number of caterpillars left in the story ten wiggly caterpillars. An interesting range of structured activities is provided, a popular activity is making play dough where the children help measure the ingredients and stir the mixture. They choose colouring and essences such as orange to enhance their senses and glitter.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

A new system of planning activities has been put in place for this term which provides a broad range of activities and topics ensuring children make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning. Children opinion is sought as they choose what activities they want to have out during free play. Children are confident to ask for other resources such as when going outside a child asks for the tools and many of them enjoy pretending to fix the fence. Staff know the children well in regards to their interests and cater well for these. For example during the summer while playing outside the children like to play ice cream shops so staff bought some pretend ice creams and the children made some. The children also develop their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 mark making skills outside with paint brushes as they eagerly paint the fence. Babies enjoy a range of play opportunities and make satisfactory progress. For

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

example, babies enjoy playing with heuristic baskets, they explore different textures. They develop manipulative skills as they try to stroke their faces with a soft brush and scrub the carpet with a washing up brush. Babies receive good support as they benefit from effective planning which identifies their next steps in learning and development.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Assessments and progress is recorded for children as they prepare for school however there is limited formal observations and assessment for the younger pre- school children. The pre-school room are beginning to link assessments to planning children's individual next steps to ensure children make good progress however this is new and not yet consistently applied. Parents therefore do not have sufficient written feedback on their child's progress but they do receive detailed information on the general themes and topics to support their child's learning at home.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children learn to stay safe through suitable routines within the nursery. They help tidy away to maintain a safe environment. Staff ensure children's health needs are met through good hygiene procedures including nappy changing and arrangements for first aid. Children adopt good hygiene procedures as they wash their hands after the toilet and before eating. Children benefit from eating a wide range of nutritious food prepared on site each day. Children make good progress in their healthy eating and independence as they help serve vegetables and hand out water bottles. Children have good appetites and enjoy the social occasion of sitting down with staff at lunch times. All children benefit from fresh air outside in a safe enclosed environment on a daily basis. Children are happy and settled as individual care needs are met. Babies have their individual routine and sleep requirements well met. Children form good friendships during their time at the nursery and are polite

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

and well behaved. Children benefit from spending time with other children of all ages and this arrangements enables siblings to have contact with each other throughout the day. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? Satisfactory The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement. Inadequate

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? Inadequate

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? Satisfactory

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How well are children safeguarded? Inadequate

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? Satisfactory How well are children helped to be healthy? Satisfactory How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? Satisfactory How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? Satisfactory

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being? Satisfactory

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 ensure that a risk assessment of the equipment is carried out at least once a year (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) 29/09/2008  keep a record of a parent/guardian/carer’s consent for any medication administered to children (Records to be kept) 29/09/2008  implement an effective system to ensure that the registered person and any person caring for, or in regular contact with children are suitable to do so (Suitability of persons) 29/09/2008

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 implement an effective system to ensure that the registered person and any person caring for, or in regular contact with children are suitable to do so (Suitability of persons) 29/09/2008  keep a record of a parent/guardian/carer’s consent for any medication administered to children (Records to be kept) 29/09/2008  ensure that a risk assessment of the equipment is carried out at least once a year (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) 29/09/2008 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

This section of the report includes details of any complaint/s made to Ofsted when:  we took action for the provider to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  we asked the provider to take action in order to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  the provider had already taken any necessary action to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register.

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

We will not report on any complaint where the provider met the requirements of the Early Years Register or did not require any action by Ofsted or the registered provider.

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Detail of the complaint/s

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration.

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Detail of the complaint/s

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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