Little Angels at Bedlington

Little Angels at Bedlington Swiftdale Close, BEDLINGTON, Northumberland, NE22 7LF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/10/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision is good

 Practitioners focus heavily and plan successfully for children's individual development which results in children's communication skills developing rapidly and them making good progress in all other areas of learning.  Children are highly active and curious learners. Practitioners value their interests and successfully organise the environment by providing a very good range of resources that stimulate and excite them.  Children learn how to stay safe in a fun and exciting way due to the good activities that practitioners have developed to support them in assessing risks.  Partnerships with parents are highly successful which ensures they are involved, valued and well informed about the nursery their child's learning and development.  An extremely high priority is placed on maintaining security. This results in children being very effectively safeguarded in the nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On some occasions children's care routines take priority over their play which results in children's learning being disrupted.  Children's skills in self-care are not always consistently promoted to encourage them to become independent.

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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 activities in the main group room and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with practitioners and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, planning documentation, evidence of the suitability of practitioners working in the setting and a range of other records, policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion with them.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Little Angels at Bedlington nursery was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a purpose-built premises in the Bedlington area of Northumberland, and is managed by a registered individual. The nursery is one of six settings operated by Little Angels and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms and there are three enclosed areas available for outdoor play. The nursery employs five members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications, one at level 6 and four at level 3. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays and one week in between Christmas and New Year. Sessions are from 8am until 5:45pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 13 children attending who are in the early years age group.

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

 further develop the promotion of children's independence by providing accessible resources which allow them to develop good skills in self-care

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

 ensure that children's play is not disrupted by care routines to give them time to develop their ideas through good quality play experiences.

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who attend

Children make good progress in the relatively short time they have attended the nursery in relation to their starting points. Practitioners collect a wealth of good information from parents when their child first starts to attend. They then use this to provide activities and experiences that engage children, suit their individual interests and build on what they already know. This results in children being enthused and motivated in their play and learning from their first day of attending. Measures to ensure parents are successfully informed about the progress their child makes are effective. For example, daily conversations with practitioners and the opportunity to view and make comments in children's learning journeys all contribute to parents being actively involved in their child's development and successfully support partnership working. The nursery has only been operating for a short period of time and plans to extend this good practice further with

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who attend

regular meetings to inform each parent about their child's individual progress on a more formal basis. Children regularly take home a cuddly bear and diary that parents fill in to share what they have done over the weekend. This further secures the nursery's ethos of valuing parents as their child's most important educator. It also provides worthwhile opportunities at circle times for children and practitioners to get to know and respect each other's families. Practitioners focus on personal and social development in preparation for children moving on to school. Concentration focuses around children being able to form good relationships with their peers, treat each other with respect and promoting skills to effectively encourage independence, which is mostly successful.

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who attend

Planning focuses heavily on children's individual learning needs. Practitioners successfully complete regular observations to see what children can do in both the prime and specific areas of learning. They then use this information to plan for each child's next steps. Practitioners regularly repeat planned activities and experiences to ensure that each child shows secure development of a particular skill. They then build up a secure picture of the progress children are making and successfully move children forward in their learning. The progress checks at age two are successfully shared with parents to update them about their child's learning and agree where to focus support for children's continued development.

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who attend

Children are well supported in their learning and development. Practitioners promote active learning through a range of very good quality resources that children keenly explore. Children are curious learners and have strong exploratory impulses. They confidently move around the nursery rooms and outdoor area enjoying both planned and spontaneous play. Practitioners show a strong understanding of how children learn and develop. They confidently extend and develop children's play and learning by asking questions and focus on encouraging children to work out problems themselves. For example, children think about the tools they can use to get the dinosaur out of a frozen container, keenly fetching other equipment that they can use to break the ice. This successfully promotes children's critical thinking well whilst also promoting their understanding of the world by noticing what is happening to the ice.

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who attend

Children have high levels of concentration due to the exciting activities that are planned which work well to successfully sustain even the youngest child's interests. They relish playing with shaving foam. Children are supported well by practitioners as they add good quality resources that children enjoy, such as patterned rollers. Children keenly use their senses to explore and manipulate the foam with readily available resources and their fingers. This promotes both their creativity and early writing skills well. Although children are engaged and motivated in their play, at some points during the day routine tasks interrupt their learning, for example, when children are concentrating on their chosen tasks and taken away to have their nappies changed. This affects children's learning. Children make very good progress in communication and language, particularly those who have lower starting points when they begin to attend the nursery. Practitioners focus on

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who attend

labelling items, introducing new words, asking questions and consistently responding to what children say. This results in children being confident communicators whose language is developing very well. Parents comment on this fact and believe that it is a clear strength of the practitioners who work with their children in the nursery.

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

Children are very settled in the nursery. They separate very easily from their parents, showing that they have formed secure emotional bonds with the practitioners that care for them. Practitioners successfully welcome parents and children into the nursery. Initially children are offered introductory visits which enable them to become familiar with their new surroundings. Practitioners gain a wealth of valuable information from parents on a daily basis about children's individual needs. This ensures a smooth transition from home to nursery as they continue familiar routines which results in children feeling secure. All practitioners, including the manager, know the children in their care very well. A successful key person system is well established and results in both children's educational achievements and welfare needs being successfully monitored and met. Children have highly positive relationships with the practitioners who care for them and feeling a great

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

sense of belonging in the nursery as they confidently approach practitioners for reassurance, comfort and support. Supporting children's independence is mostly promoted well by practitioners. They encourage children to access activities independently and successfully set up the rooms so that children can select their own resources. However, on occasions there is less emphasis on encouraging children to access resources independently to wash their hands and serve themselves at snack time to encourage the development of the skills children need in self-care.

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

Children enjoy a wealth of good quality resources that promote development in the prime and specific areas of learning. These are successfully organised to encourage children to make choices about what they want to do. Consequently, children are confident decision makers who easily select from equipment and resources that capture their interests. Outdoors children relish filling and emptying containers with water and successfully use their own ideas. They pour water down plastic guttering and mix it with soil carefully watching what happens. Practitioners promote physical development well by providing a range of challenging equipment for children to use. For example, children practice balancing on various resources, such as crates and wooden beams and carefully jump into tyres. All of this promotes children's increasing control over their own bodies and supports physical development well.

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

The nursery has developed innovative ways of supporting children's understanding of safety. Through a programme they have developed called 'Risky Business' they successfully develop children's understanding of safety and children gain skills in risk assessing their environment. Children talk about the risks 'Hazard Harry' has created in the nursery and contribute their ideas on what 'Safety Sue' could do to make these safe. This results in children confidently reminding others in the nursery of how to stay safe and knowing why this is important. Regular risk assessments are completed by practitioners which ensure that the areas children use are safe and suitable for their purpose. Home- made meals are provided and these contain high amounts of vegetables. These, together with snacks, such as bread sticks and fruit, result in children enjoying and benefitting from a healthy balanced diet.

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

Practitioners provide good role models for children. They all know and follow a clear behaviour policy which focuses on valuing good behaviour. Consequently, children's behaviour is good. Practitioners use a 'bother and best' approach that they have developed. This encourages children to talk about anything that is bothering them and promotes children as good role models for others. Practitioners point out what children in the nursery are doing to behave well and encourage others to do the same. This provides successful opportunities to highlight and praise children's good behaviour. Children consistently receive heaps of praise from practitioners for their achievements. This raises their confidence in their own abilities and successfully promotes high levels of self-esteem.

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provision

The managers and owner of the nursery are committed to improving the outcomes for children by continually evaluating how practice and resources can be further improved to benefit the care and education of the children. Managers show a strong understanding of both the learning and development, and the welfare requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consistent knowledge and practice by practitioners shows that written policies which contribute to the smooth running of the setting are known and implemented at all levels to safeguard children and promote their learning. A continual emphasis on personal development, which is both focused on practitioners and their skills and interests, benefits the care and development of the children. Secure recruitment procedures mean that children are cared for by safe and suitable practitioners. Regular supervision and appraisals result in practitioners being able to raise any concerns that they have about a

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provision

child's welfare or development. This means that children's welfare is protected successfully and any individual support that is needed can quickly be put in place to promote children's progress. The manager has clear systems in place to monitor both the progress children are making and the planning for each individual child to ensure children's development is good in their time at the nursery.

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provision

Self-evaluation processes are good. The managers show a strong commitment to building upon the already good practice throughout the nursery. They involve practitioners and parents in this process as they are asked to contribute their ideas and suggestions which the nursery then acts on to improve the service they offer. For example, parents are keen to come into the nursery and see their child playing so the manager has set up some 'stay and play' sessions to enable parents to attend with their chid. The nursery has a clear understanding of their strengths and the areas they wish to further improve. These are focused on the things that will bring about the most benefit to children's learning and development. For example, continued plans to develop the garden room will provide a wonderful space for children to play outdoors in all weathers, access the garden when they choose and further promote all areas of learning in their play.

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provision

Parents are complimentary about the care their child receives. They say that there is 'lovely staff' and it is a 'great nursery' where they 'always get some handover which is good'. This means that parents are happy with the nursery and feel well informed about the care of their child. Policies are shared with parents so that they are aware of how the nursery operates and know what to do if they have a complaint. Partnerships with other settings have not yet needed to be developed due to the short time the nursery has been operating. However, part of the nursery's plans for the future are about securing strong links with other providers to exchange valuable information about each child's development and provide a continuous learning journey for each child. Safeguarding children is a high priority. All staff show a good knowledge of child protection issues and the signs of abuse which safeguards the children's welfare. They are

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provision

aware who to approach in the nursery if they have a concern about a child and are confident about contacting other professionals if the need arises. An excellent approach towards maintaining secure premises is effective to ensure that children consistently remain safe. Finger print technology is installed on the main entrance and further key coded pads are in place on all of the children's rooms inside the nursery. The manager shows a very secure understanding of how this protects and safeguards the children's welfare which shows the high emphasis that the nursery places on children's safety.

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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 EY460041 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 913331 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 13 Name of provider Little Angels Fun Club and Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01670 737 274

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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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