Little Learners (Galgate) Nursery & Preschool

Little Learners (Galgate) Nursery & Preschool St Joseph's Church, Main Road, Galgate, Lancaster, LA2 0JW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/02/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 All staff have an exceptional awareness and understanding of how young children learn and develop. They skilfully promote a wide range of innovative and stimulating activities, such as exploring the inside of a real fire engine, which children become fully engaged with.  All children make excellent progress in relation to their starting points in this wonderfully inclusive nursery. As a result, children are extremely happy, motivated and eager to learn. They join in all activities enthusiastically, showing superb levels of independence and curiosity.  Care and learning is consistent for all children because the nursery team engages exceptionally well with parents and carers. Staff value highly the important role parents/carers play in their child's ongoing learning and development.  Children's play areas are thoughtfully laid out with a fantastic range of real resources, so that they enjoy first-hand experiences. Children's art work is beautifully displayed

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This provision is outstanding

and all toys are easily accessible to them, which promotes their independence extremely well.  The highly qualified management team demonstrate a significant capacity for continuous improvement and they continually reflect on the already exceptional service, which they provide. They are extremely committed to driving improvement and as a result, outcomes for children are consistently high.

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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 spoke to a number of parents and read parents' questionnaire responses.  The inspector held meetings with the joint managers of the nursery.  The inspector observed activities in the playroom and the outside play area.  The inspector looked at children's records and a range of policies.

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Information about the setting

Little Leaners (Galgate) Nursery and Preschool was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in the Galgate area of Lancaster and is managed privately. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a hall and baby area in a converted church and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs three members of childcare staff, all of whom, hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. Two members of staff are qualified early years teachers and one also holds the Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 21 children attending, who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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

 develop the 'baby garden' in the outside play area, in order to further enhance outdoor learning opportunities.

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who attend

All children thrive at the nursery because staff are highly skilled and inspirational teachers. Staff recognise when to get involved in children's play and when to allow them to play independently. For example, they watch children's enthusiastic reactions to the bin lorry as it collects rubbish from the nursery and arrange for it to visit them, so children can learn how to recycle. Staff thoughtfully place recycling items in the role play areas and join in children's play to help them to understand how to sort different materials, such as cardboard and plastic. This helps children to learn to categorise and develop a respect for the environment. Staff have an exceptional understanding of how children learn and they plan exciting and motivating activities for them. They understand that children learn well from first-hand experiences and strive to provide as many as possible for those at the nursery. For example, children shout with delight as they climb inside a fire engine and

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who attend

use a thermal camera. They work together as a team to pull out the fire hose and then take turns shooting targets, provided by the firemen, with water. Children are very eager to learn and are always engaged in fruitful activity. They display high levels of enthusiasm as staff encourage them to fully express their needs and ideas. For example, staff and children sit together each week to create 'children's plans'. Children demonstrate high levels of self-confidence and excellent communication skills as they tell staff what they would like to do at nursery. Staff work extremely well together to plan activities that meet the needs of all children. They make detailed and informative observations of children's play, which enables them to plan very effectively for each child's learning needs. There are comprehensive monitoring and tracking documents in place to ensure that children reach their goals. As a result,

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who attend

children make excellent progress across all areas of learning. Staff warmly welcome parents and carers into the nursery and partnerships are very strong. Parents share very useful information about their children when they first start, which provides a starting point for staff to build on. They are invited to contribute to staff's understanding of how their child is progressing, through recording their own observations in children's learning records. Excellent relationships with parents ensure that children's progress is celebrated regularly through sharing their learning journals and children's learning is always consistent.

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who attend

Children's mathematical skills are developing extremely well because staff provide interesting and stimulating activities to support their early numeracy skills. For example, children use magnetic number boards; they put two numbers beside each other and name the new number they have created. They put the number one next to the number two and tell staff that they have made the number 12. There are extensive opportunities to count and to learn about shapes through table top games and an abundance of resources as well as high quality activities. For example, in the role play area, children learn to recognise written numerals as they put prices on their real food items in their 'farm shop'. They learn about shape and weight as they weigh fruit and vegetables using weighing scales.

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who attend

Children have wonderful opportunities to express themselves creatively through dance and craft activities. They thoroughly enjoy making Chinese lanterns as part of their Chinese New Year celebrations. Staff support children's language development very well indeed and interactions between staff and children are exemplary. Children take part in a lively discussion about the Chinese items that have been donated to them by a local Chinese family. They carefully examine the items, such as a mask from a Chinese dragon and talk about the colours and texture of it. They watch footage of a traditional Chinese New Year celebration and talk about the traditional clothes worn to the event. Staff members sensitively and thoughtfully encourage them to look carefully at each other and describe their own and each other's features, looking at similarities and differences, and celebrating each child's individuality.

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who attend

The outdoor area provides further stimulating and exciting first-hand experiences for children. For example, a carpenter visits the nursery to make a wooden play house and children are fascinated by what he is doing. Staff skilfully use children's interest to ask questions about how he is able to make the wood change shape and encourage them to try it for themselves. They expertly guide children as they use mallets and nails to hammer pieces of paper into large tree stumps. Staff fully encourage children to be active learners, who choose what they would like to play with and gain skills and independence. For example, when the fire engine arrives, children competently use different types of cameras to take excellent photographs of it. They pass the cameras around to each other, taking turns to use them without being prompted by adults to share. These skills ensure that children are fully prepared for their next stages in learning and for their transition to

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

All children, including babies, settle in exceptionally well at the nursery because staff are extremely attentive, providing genuine warmth and affection to every child. The key person approach works extremely well in providing each child with a familiar adult to support them. This helps all children to feel safe and secure, and gives them confidence to explore the environment, make choices and develop their independence. Children flourish because staff get to know them quickly and know what makes them happy. Exceptionally close partnerships with parents ensure that each and every child is provided for according to their individual needs. Superb resources ensure that children have a fantastic range of age-appropriate activities and toys to meet their needs. The open plan layout of the nursery means that babies' transitions to the main playroom are relaxed. Babies are able to see older children and different members of staff all day, so that they build up

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

relationships with the whole nursery team well. Staff further support transitions by bringing the whole nursery together at mealtimes, so that babies have an opportunity to socialise with older children and different members of staff. Children enjoy playing together in the role play areas, pretending to be cooks and making lunch for each other. They play imaginatively with small world people and with their friends, talking happily and sharing resources freely. Behaviour is exceptional and children willingly tidy up and look after their environment. Children have formed firm friendships and they work together successfully because they have learned the importance of sharing and taking turns.

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

Children have a mature understanding of safety and talk fluently about what to do in the event of a fire. They take part in regular evacuation drills and understand how to keep themselves clean and healthy through good food and exercise. Staff talk to children at the sociable mealtimes, discussing healthy foods to help them grow strong. Children play outside several times during the day and have regular fresh air and exercise in the garden or on trips to the local parks.

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provision

Extensive child protection policies and procedures are known and understood by all staff. The joint managers understand their responsibilities very well indeed to ensure that children are safe. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of child protection issues and work very effectively to support vulnerable children and families. They keep meticulous records on health and safety to ensure that risks are minimised and children are protected from harm. The nursery team is led and managed by two very experienced and inspirational early years' teachers. One of the managers holds Early Years Professional Status and the nursery's other manager is also working towards Early Years Professional Status. This inspires other staff to gain further qualifications. For example, staff in the baby room are considering qualifications at level 5. The management team are outstanding learning mentors. They support staff, parents and each other, very well.

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provision

Individual induction programmes, appraisals and supervisions are in place, which very effectively highlight strengths and address training needs. There is an extremely positive attitude towards professional development and staff are fully engaged with regularly developing their skills and expertise. For example, management and staff demonstrate a significant capacity for continuous improvement and they continually reflect on the service, which they provide. They welcome feedback from parents and carers, in order to strive for consistently high quality. The nursery takes an innovative approach to involving parents in their self-evaluation. For example, parents have a display board where they pin images and photographs of equipment and write ideas about how the nursery could develop their 'baby garden'. The nursery is highly effective in developing close partnerships with parents and carers to fully meet the individual needs of the children.

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provision

Staff share information with them on a daily basis and share learning journals regularly. The manager has recently developed the nursery's website to offer further opportunities for sharing information about the early years curriculum.

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provision

Staff complete rigorous observations of children's learning to assess and monitor each child's development. Staff complete a tracking document to monitor and review children's achievements across all areas of learning. The managers oversee these reviews to ensure that any concerns are promptly identified and followed up. Excellent partnerships exist with parents and other professionals, who have an input into children's care. Staff make considerable effort to engage all parents, ensuring that children's needs are fully discussed. Where special needs and/or disabilities are identified, the manager discusses with parents future plans, about how the nursery can access outside professionals, so that the best possible care can be provided. The manager has an excellent insight into the needs of parents as well as children. Parents speak extremely highly of the staff, praising their outstanding commitment to the nursery and their excellent teaching methods.

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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 EY447506 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 811965

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 21 Name of provider Anne-Marie Webster Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07817853935 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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