Little Learners Childcare

Little Learners Childcare Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School, Occupation Road, CORBY, Northamptonshire, NN17 1EE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/08/2013 02/06/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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

 Each child's unique needs are given top priority in this vibrant and inspiring nursery, where the staff team's passion and innovative ideas contribute to children making rapid progress in their learning.  The management team are dynamic in their leadership and have thoroughly embraced the Reggio Emilia principles to help children in their care to be inquisitive, curious and creative about the world around them.  The management and staff team are thriving in their new building and grounds and continue to be rigorous in their evaluations and reflections of the progress each child is making. Their plans for the future are extensive and wide ranging.  Children benefit greatly from the excellent partnership working in this nursery. Parents are fully valued for their involvement in their child's progress. Staff have strong links with the local school and work very closely with other agencies, who may be involved

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This provision is outstanding

with the children to ensure their needs are met effectively.  Children enjoy being involved in the rich learning environment that includes fun activities that are planned around their interests and the wonderful outside spaces, including the wildlife area.

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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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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 observed activities in the four play rooms, in the nursery garden and in the wildlife area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the owner, manager and deputy of the nursery and with three members of staff.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the providers self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, who were spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Little Learners Childcare was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery follows the Reggio Emilia educational principles. It is situated in converted premises on the site of Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School in Corby, Northamptonshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 39 members of childcare staff. Of these, 33 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, including one with Early Years Professional Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year, from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There is an out of school club available before and after school during term time and in the school holidays for children up to 12 years of age. There are currently 167 children attending, who are in the early years 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 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 continue to enhance the already excellent monitoring of the quality of teaching, for example, by enabling staff to observe each other's practice and use feedback to pinpoint precise training needs.

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who attend

All children in this exceptional nursery are actively supported in their learning by the very enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff team. Children are provided with an excellent range of resources and activities that reflect the Reggio Emilia principles. For example, children of all ages have access to overhead projectors. Children choose items to put on the projector and look at the images projected onto the wall. Staff allow them to follow this interest themselves and get involved when invited by children or to scaffold or support their learning. Children have access to a wide range of natural items, such as pine cones and pieces of wood that they use with the projector. Babies are curious about the different textures and older children comment on the shapes made on the wall and the different size of the projected image to the actual item. Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in small groups in the wildlife area. This

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who attend

area has long grass and wild flowers that attracts butterflies. There is a circle made from logs, where children sit together for their activities. Staff are skilled in pitching the activities in this area correctly for the ages of children. For example, pre-school children sit on the logs during a number activity. They are supported by staff to find a corresponding number of items, such as flowers or leaves for their number card. Toddlers walk around the garden looking at what they see, including butterflies, bugs and flowers. Before they go inside they choose something to take with them, such as a stick or a flower, which is used for a later activity. Staff use their skills to praise and encourage children. They help them to learn about the world through explaining about the differences between a daisy and a camomile flower. Younger children squat down to look for hedgehogs and bugs in the hedgehog house. Staff clearly demonstrate a shared interest in the wildlife area and

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who attend

they give children plenty of time to explore and become deeply involved in what they are doing. Children, who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are ably supported through individual educational programmes, which are devised with input from the special educational needs co-ordinator, the child's parents and any other agencies, who are involved with them. The key person supports these children through small group and individual time, as well as them spending time in the large group taking part in all the activities. There are a number of children attending, who speak a wide variety of languages as well as English. Their home languages are supported through a great range of resources, including flashcards, interactive toys, posters and music. One member of staff has multi-lingual skills, which helps children to feel secure.

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who attend

Babies thoroughly enjoy the highly positive interaction from staff. They smile and clap their hands to acknowledge children's achievements and they in turn respond with beaming smiles. They squeal with excitement and bounce up and down during singing activities with staff. Babies benefit from staff giving a running commentary about what they are doing and what comes next during the day. Their extremely sensitive and gentle approach helps to develop children's confidence to explore and to try new experiences. Parents are actively encouraged to be fully involved in their child's progress. The management and staff team use innovative ways to encourage parents to provide information about their child's learning at home, such as social networking sites. The information gathered through this as well as from the ongoing feedback and discussions contributes to the planning of activities for children. The key persons know children very

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who attend

well and their planning is fully informed by individual children's interests. They produce a wealth of observational records, samples of children's work and photographs that clearly show an attractive record of children's development. These records are regularly shared with children and their parents. All children are very well supported in entirely appropriate ways for their different ages, to make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. Younger children and babies are supported in developing their personal, social and emotional skills and benefit from staff's guidance and patience. Children are enthusiastic and keen to try out new experiences and are given lots of opportunities to consolidate their learning through more familiar activities. Older children are gradually encouraged to be more independent. They can choose freely from the resources and are encouraged to be responsible by helping to tidy away when they have finished playing. They work very

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who attend

well together during group activities and water play and they become fully engaged in group discussions. Therefore, children are very well prepared for the move onto school.

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

Each child's needs are managed in an extremely sensitive and caring way. Children very clearly demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in this nursery. For example, babies show a definite bond with their key person, they readily settle to sleep and wake happily. Older children learn the routines of the day and they know what comes next. They are confident to initiate conversations with staff and talk about their feelings and how to manage them in appropriate ways. Staff are very sensitive to how children are feeling and they recognise when they may need some extra support. They take time to talk with them and help to find ways of managing their feelings. Children learn how to keep themselves safe because staff involve them in the risk assessment of their activities. They maintain close supervision during play and activities and they remind children of the boundaries as necessary. Children behave extremely well. They understand the expectations for

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

behaviour and are supplied with a richly stimulating environment, which means that they are busy and occupied because they are very interested in what they are doing.

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

Excellent and very efficient procedures promote children's continued good health. For example, they are provided with freshly prepared, nutritious meals and snacks. They sit together in small groups for meal times and these are social occasions. Older children serve their own food using spoons and tongs and younger toddlers are supported to pour their own drinks and to use cups without lids during lunch times, which promotes their co- ordination and independence. Children clean their teeth during the day and they are able to be independent in the bathroom. Children enjoy daily opportunities for outside activities. Staff use the nursery garden and the wildlife area very frequently and children have a wide range of activities available to them outside. Children are protected from the sun in hot weather because staff apply sun cream to them, they wear hats when playing outside and they are reminded to play in the shade during the hottest part of the day.

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

Before children start attending, the key person seeks detailed information from their parents about their routines and interests. The settling-in procedures are followed according to the needs of each child. Ongoing thorough discussion with parents supports children to have a successful start and continued experience in the nursery. When children move on to the next room, careful management ensures that they and their parents are supported in this change. The nursery believes strongly that parents are fully involved in all aspects of their child's care and ensures that these changes are discussed and decided upon together. The nursery has very close links with the local school and this helps children to have a successful move on to school.

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provision

The management and staff team are enthusiastic, passionate and absolutely committed to providing children with a very safe environment, where they can experience superb activities that follow their interests and unique learning styles. They continually strive for excellence in all aspects of their work with children in their care. This pursuit of high quality practice involves thorough and continuous reflective activity and evaluation of all aspects of the nursery. Since the last inspection the nursery has moved to a different building and they have used this to great advantage with children being able to move freely between the inside and outside play areas and to have supervised visits to the adjacent wildlife area. Parents comment on how much better the new building has been in relation to the much extended outdoor play for children. The plans for the future extension of what they offer for children is ongoing and includes a sensory room that is

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provision

being installed in the baby and toddler garden and further additions to the garden. They have recently introduced a parents forum, where they can offer any comments and suggestions in addition to the already efficient partnership working. Parents have also been invited to workshops within the nursery to raise their awareness of different issues. Network meetings have also been introduced as a way of bringing together other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage in the local area to share ideas and to work together. This commitment to true partnership working is beneficial to children's well- being and development.

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provision

The provider demonstrates a strong understanding of their responsibilities to meet the learning and development requirements. Close monitoring and evaluation takes place of the planning and assessment of children's learning and of the quality of teaching. However, the provider is keen to extend this strong practice even further by introducing opportunities for staff to make observations of each other's practice and to use the information gathered to focus on training needs or minor adjustments to how the team works together. The safeguarding of children is given the highest priority. Staff understand the importance of following the nursery policy for recording and reporting any safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding is discussed regularly as part of the team meetings. This helps to keep all members of staff's knowledge up to date. The nursery works in close partnership with the local authority as required. Children are safe because staff employ

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provision

highly effective procedures, such as keeping the risk assessments up to date and carrying out daily checks on all aspects of the environment. Children are supervised effectively during their activities and they are encouraged to think about the possible consequences of their actions. Sleeping babies are checked regularly and any specific dietary needs are managed very well.

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provision

The owner and management team value staff, who work with children and they follow robust procedures to ensure the recruitment and retention of suitable staff. The owner is committed to supporting her staff to keep their knowledge up to date. They are encouraged to attend training courses that lead to professional qualifications and workshops on topics they are interested in. Recently, two members of staff visited Reggio Emilia in Italy. They returned full of enthusiasm to try out ideas gained from their visit and they led a training session for their colleagues. This vibrant nursery provides children with a wealth of high quality experiences in an environment, where they are safe and valued as individuals and this approach actively contributes to their strong feelings of well-being and belonging.

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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 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 EY417494 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 915317

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 88 Number of children on roll 167 Name of provider Little Learners Childcare LLP Date of previous inspection 02/06/2011 Telephone number 01536264422

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Type of provision

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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