Little Cherubs

Little Cherubs 2a Bell Green Lane, London, SE26 5TB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/04/2013 31/05/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children have fun as they enthusiastically join in activities. They develop a strong sense of security, bonding well with their trusted carers.  Children enjoy exploring the wide range of resources and use these effectively to enhance their learning and development.  Effective assessment and planning enables staff to monitor the success of educational programmes and to identify any gaps in children's development.  Children learn about the value of healthy lifestyles. They eat enjoying tasty and nutritious meals which are prepared on the premises and develop good self-care skills.  Effective self-evaluation successfully identifies the strengths of the nursery and areas for future improvement. This allows staff to offer a service that is continually improving outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 while children go outside at least once a day, children are not able to make free choices about when they want to play outside  staff do not always give children who speak English as an additional language the best opportunities to use their home language in the setting.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interaction of staff and children during a range of activities and took part in a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the area coordinator, manager, deputy and other staff members at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including policies and procedures, safety records, children's progress records and written feedback from parents.  The inspector viewed all areas of the nursery.

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Information about the setting

Little Cherubs nursery registered in 2000. It operates from purpose built premises in a residential area of Sydenham, London Borough of Lewisham. Group rooms are spread over two floors and all children share access to a fully enclosed outside play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. It is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year. There are 53 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range, including 12 children under two years. The nursery accepts children on priority funded two year places and children aged three and four receive funding for their early education. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

There are 13 staff employed to work directly with the children, 12 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. They are assisted by two staff who undertake domestic duties and a student on placement.

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

 enhance the opportunities for children to make free choices about when they play outside.

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

 enhance the resources and activities which reflect children's home languages and which enable all children to hear a range of languages.

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who attend

Children progress well because staff plan effectively to meet their individual learning and development needs. Good strategies are also in place to teach children to recognise letters and the sounds they make. Staff use laminated name cards in games to help children recognise their own name. These same cards are available for children to select to encourage them to write their names on their art work. This continuity supports children to recognise the letters of their name. Lively discussions take place throughout the nursery and staff skilfully promote children's language. They introduce interesting new vocabulary and ask questions which make children think in order to form detailed answers. Staff are particularly successful in supporting the language skills of children who are learning to speak English as an additional language. However, they do not always fully focus on reflecting these children's home language within the nursery. Resources and activities

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who attend

which allow children to see or hear other languages are not always developed in the best possible way. As a result, children are not always fully aware of the skill needed to speak more than one language.

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who attend

Staff very competently extend children's mathematical understanding by introducing discussion about shape, size and numbers during activities. Children learn to count confidently and to recognise basic addition and subtraction such as 'one more' or 'one less'. A range of themed activities help extend children's understanding of the world. These include looking at the life cycles or animals and sowing seeds. Staff also extend children's knowledge well through many spontaneous discussions.

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who attend

Babies have very good opportunities to crawl, climb and to learn to walk. They are taken outside each day and also have constant access to the large selection of indoor soft play equipment. This very effectively helps them to develop their strength and coordination. Older children use the outdoor area on a daily basis and engage in a wide variety of physical games. They also develop coordination as they confidently run, steer and play with balls. However, staff decide when children are able to play. This does not always best reflect children's desire to be lively at certain times of the day, for example after lunch.

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who attend

Staff have a strong commitment to making sure that systems for assessing and monitoring children's progress continue to promote their good progress. For example, these systems are currently being reviewed. This is part of an ongoing improvement plan to provide a clearer overview of the success of educational programmes. The management team review children's progress records to identify any gaps in achievement. This process has recently helped to identify the need to offer greater challenge to some of the more able children. Parents take an active role in their child's learning. They attend regular meetings to discuss their child's progress and contribute observations from home. Staff have successfully incorporated the progress check at two years into their assessment process. Children make strong progress as a result of this shared approach to learning.

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

Children behave very well. They are friendly, sociable and form very positive, trusting relationships with staff, particularly their key person. This gives them a sense of security and helps them to feel confident in trying new things.

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

Children enjoy the tasty, nutritious snacks and meals prepared on site. They eat extremely well, often choosing to have second helpings. They have drinks set out for them to reach independently at all times. Staff teach children about the importance of good personal hygiene. They manage toilet training sensitively and effectively, reinforcing the importance of hand washing. This helps children to develop independence in their self-care.

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

The nursery environment is well-organised and inviting. A good range of resources are available to children both indoors and in the outdoor play area. These are attractively presented and enhance children's enjoyment and learning.

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

Staff prepare children well for their future move to school. They read stories which include characters who are preparing for school and speak to the children about the changes that are going to take place. Where appropriate, staff also offer encouragement for those children to practise certain skills such as writing the letters in their name. This demonstrates that they are focussed on supporting children to develop useful skills for school.

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provision

Effective team working creates an efficient, friendly environment. Regular team meetings, as well as one-to-one staff supervisions, promote good information sharing. The management team fully understand their responsibility to promote children's learning and development. All staff take an active role in the self-evaluation process and parents are also actively encouraged to contribute their views. This process successfully identifies the strengths of the nursery and the areas where improvement is needed.

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provision

Good arrangements are in place to promote children's safety. Robust recruitment procedures, including vigorous vetting, ensure staff suitability. Regular risk assessments and health and safety checks are undertaken to identify and address potential hazards. The manager takes lead responsibility for child protection and has a clear understanding of the procedures to follow should concerns arise about the welfare of any child. She communicates this well to her staff, who all understand the procedures to follow in the case of a concern about a child in their care.

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provision

The management team recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents. They provide a good range of written information and invite parents in very regularly to discuss their child's progress. Parents praise the service the nursery provides. In written comments added to notes of parent review meetings they state, 'I've seen a great improvement in my child's development. She is more open and her communication has improved'. 'We are extremely happy with our child's progress and how happy he is when he comes home from nursery'. Good arrangements are also in place to share information with any other childcare settings attended by the children. This supports staff to ensure that care is coordinated and cohesive, to the benefit of all children.

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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 action. 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 129034 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 909855 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 52 Number of children on roll 53 Name of provider Deborah Percy Date of previous inspection 31/05/2011 Telephone number 0208 778 3232

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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