Little Angels

Little Angels 389 Hoylake Road, Moreton, WIRRAL, Merseyside, CH46 0RW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2012 06/09/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment by staff, who help them to feel safe and secure at all times.  Staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and have begun to implement this into their daily practices.  Play areas indoors and outside are equipped with a range of developmentally appropriate resources. These are set out in such a way that promotes children's independence as they self-select, which ones they want to access.

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It is not yet good because

 Lunch and snack time sessions in some areas are not always set out in a way that enables children to easily access the food provided, or in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and would promote a group discussion between staff and children.  The role play areas are not always equipped with meaningful resources. For example, there are no clothes for the dolls and therefore, this area is not inviting for children.  Children's access to Information Communication and Technology (ICT) apparatus is not always encouraged and children, therefore, may not feel confident in going over and freely accessing this.  There is a lack of books and resources that help children to share or talk about their feelings, for example, whether they feel sad or happy.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in conversation with staff, children and obtained the views of one parent, plus saw comments of appreciation from other parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the premises and areas used prior to the inspection taking place.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, discussed planning with the key workers and sampled a selection of the nursery's policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

Little Angels was registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in converted premises in the Moreton area of the Wirral and is managed by Little Angels Merseyside Limited. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from designated rooms and there are fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, 10 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2 and 3 and one of those staff also holds a foundation degree in early years leadership. Another member of staff holds a National Vocational Qualification Level 4 and one has Early Years Professional Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 66 children attending, who are within this age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children, who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 improve the lunch and snack times for children by ensuring that a colourful menu of healthy foods and snacks is displayed and that the areas used are aesthetically pleasing and set out in such a way that promotes children's independence and discussion with each other and staff.

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

 provide meaningful role play areas, which are resourced with materials regarding children's family lives and communities

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

 support children in exploring technology and in particular the ICT apparatus, so they can freely and safely access such resources

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

 provide more activities in which children can express their feelings.

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who attend

The areas of the setting that are used for childcare are welcoming and accessible to all. Three rooms are the base rooms for the younger children attending and they also have access to a sensory room and a separate sleep room for babies. Children attending the holiday club have their own designated play spaces and a range of age-appropriate equipment and resources. The resources throughout the nursery are plentiful but in some areas these do not fully support children's developing skills and imagination. For example, role play areas have a range of good quality furniture and home equipment, such as, wooden sinks, cooker and other furniture. There is also a range of different sized dolls complete with pushchairs and prams. However, a lack of dolls clothing thwarts children's interest in the home play and does not enable them to extend and develop this activity.

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who attend

Children's skills in their creative work fully develops their skills in expressive arts and design and throughout the nursery there are many examples of such work. All are attractively on display and some of these topics link into the other areas of learning. For example, a topic on owls and Autumn very much help children develop an understanding of the world. They are doing a food project, as part of their harvest theme and parents and children have brought in items of food to be distributed to others in need. This helps children to understand about others, who are less fortunate. Children also become aware of others, who have different cultural needs as they acknowledge and celebrate a range of different festivals. They have books and puzzles, which reflect children or adults with a physical disability. However, there are fewer resources and opportunities for children to make staff and other children aware of their feelings. For example, if a child comes in

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who attend

feeling happy or sad, there is not a variety of ways he or she can make that known to staff and other children.

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who attend

For all the children, there is space to play and freely move around and there are separate fully enclosed outdoor play areas. Thus, ensuring that children in the different age groups can also access the outdoor play equipment and spaces. Accessing such areas and equipment ensures that their physical development is suitably promoted. Children's outdoor learning is further promoted as they have participated in a 'Grow your own' project. Children have planted tomatoes, potatoes and they go down to a local garden centre to see how the flowers grow.

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who attend

Children have access to some Information Communication and Technology (ICT) resources but they seem hesitant at freely accessing the computer. For the younger children, there is a range of programmable toys and they smile as they press the buttons and see the shapes light up or the different sounds produced. In each area, there is a balance of both adult-led and child-initiated activities. Long term planning identifies both cultural and seasonal events that occur throughout the year. Individual planning is then undertaken by each child's key person, who is made aware of the individual needs prior to care commencing.

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who attend

Parents are provided with monthly newsletters informing them of the future activity programme and events. Discussion with one parent and documentation seen from others, clearly indicate their gratitude to the staff, who care for their children. The older children take home a 'homework' folder and this informs parents of the letters and songs, which they are learning on a weekly basis, enabling them to continue their learning at home.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children enjoy their time in this setting and are cared for by qualified and experienced staff. They go off to their individual rooms where they choose what they want to play with or which of the planned activities they may want to participate in. Children's personal care needs are met and they learn about why they should wash their hands at appropriate times during the day. All children are offered the chance of a short rest or sleep after their lunch and alternative activities are available for those not requiring a sleep.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Snacks are available for the children throughout each session. However, the snacks that include fresh fruit are not always easily accessed by the children. For example, bananas, grapes and melon are available for children in the tots room and the school room, although, none were cut up and peeled and they had to ask if they wanted some. Drinking water is available for children to freely access. Lunch for the older children took place in an area that had been used for creative activities earlier in the morning. Although, the long bench table had been wiped down prior to lunch being served, it was not conducive to promoting a meaningful discussion between children and staff. For example, staff did not discuss the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables and develop children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children's behaviour is good. Staff are positive role models, encouraging children to speak courteously to them at all times. Children are encouraged to help tidy up the toys they use at the end of the activity. Parents ensure that the required information regarding the health and well-being of their child is shared prior to care commencing, providing continuity of children's care.

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provision

Staff ensure that the activity programme and resources provided, help children make suitable progress in their development. The setting has a copy of all the policies and procedures in a file for parents to look at and which informs them of factors that may impact upon their children. To ensure that children are safe and protected, the majority of the staff have accessed safeguarding training and are fully aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns, which they may have, to the appropriate agency. The nursery staff are fully aware of the need to ensure that all toys and resources are clean and safe to use and the manager of the nursery undertakes a formal risk assessment of the areas accessed. Safety equipment is in place to minimise hazards and daily checks undertaken by staff ensure that the premises and equipment are safe as children arrive. An evacuation plan has been devised and fire drills are practised and recorded. This ensures that children

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provision

become familiar with the procedures to follow in the event of a fire.

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provision

The nursery is an inclusive environment where children can access resources with no gender bias. Some children have two languages spoken at home and in this instance, staff are fully aware of the need to obtain some key words from the second language. When required, the staff work closely with other childcare settings, who may provide care for the children at some time during the week. A communication book is then used, with parental consent, to share information about what activities the children may have accessed or participated in while attending the other setting. Nursery staff have developed links with local schools that the children may move to when they reach school age and leave the nursery. Staff are keen to develop partnership working with any other professional as and when required, although, they realise this begins with the parents. Two actions raised at the last inspection have been fully addressed and the appropriate

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provision

documentation relating to those actions are now maintained. The two recommendations that were raised, one has been addressed and relates to the previous Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and the second one relates to the self-evaluation process. The setting is continuing to develop their processes for self-evaluation to enable them to successfully identify areas for improvement.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted 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.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY418085 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 884041

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 66 Name of provider Little Angels Merseyside Ltd Date of previous inspection 06/09/2011 Telephone number 0151 678 9660

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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 Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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