Little Gems Nursery

Little Gems Nursery 21b Lynmouth Road, London, N16 6XL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/11/2013 12/07/2011

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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

 The key person system works well to support children's learning and well-being.  The assessment of children's progress is good and the children's next steps are clearly identified.  Children with special education needs and or disabilities are well supported to make progress and develop skills.  Staff plan a good programme of activities that enables children to learn through stimulating first hand experiences.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The environment for babies and toddlers is not well lit and welcoming.  Some opportunities are missed during the daily routine to encourage children to learn independence skills.

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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 compulsory part 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 held discussions with staff members.  The inspector did a joint observation of children with the manager.  The inspector talked with parents and considered their views.  The inspector had a discussion with the manager and senior managers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a range of relevant documentation including children's records, assessment and planning documents, and some policies.  The inspector observed children's activities, resources and displays.

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Information about the setting

Little Gems Nursery is privately owned and registered in 2011. It operates from a converted community hall situated in Stamford Hill, in the London Borough of Hackney. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play and children are taken for walks to Springfield Park and Stamford Hill Estate Park close by. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two-, three- and four- years-old. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday throughout the year from 8.15am to 5.30pm. There are currently 80 children on roll in the early years age group, and four children attend the after-school service. The nursery supports children with special education needs and/or disabilities, as well as children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs fifteen members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, fourteen hold relevant early years qualifications. The nursery follows an Islamic ethos.

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

 improve the quality of the environment for the babies and toddlers so that it is better lit and more welcoming

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

 enhance the opportunities for children to gain more independence skills by encouraging them to help themselves when they have snacks and meals.

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who attend

Staff offers children a generally welcoming and supportive environment in which they can play and learn. The children are happy and secure and this helps them learn with joy and enthusiasm. The staff know the children well and ensure that they treat them with sensitivity and respect. They support children well and help them develop knowledge and skills in preparation for their transfer to school. The staff have a good knowledge of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and they have high expectations of what the children can achieve.

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who attend

Children enjoy a range of interesting activities across all areas of learning. There is a strong emphasis on developing children's personal, social and emotional skills so that they become self-confident and ready to learn. Babies and toddlers have strong attachments to adults and enjoy the company of their peers. They develop good concentration skills when they sift sand through sieves and sit calmly for stories and songs. These youngest children are challenged well by adults to learn new words and to enjoy exploring the environment indoors and outside. Three- and four-year-old children show increasing skills in listening and speaking, and participate enthusiastically in activities. They are given the time to enjoy experimenting with the resources, such as when they investigate the textures of dough, mixing flour with paint and water. They also learn to roll balls along lengths of supported gutters, and to scramble along the challenging climbing wall outside, which

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who attend

develops their physical skills well. They are encouraged to group objects and find the correct numeral to represent the number in each group, learning about the concept of numbers. Children are taught about the natural world as they observe the life cycle of chickens by hatching and caring for chicks, and they monitor the growth of sunflowers and cress that they have planted. Staff teach children to enjoy the stimulation of books and songs, and they join in with enthusiasm to complete the repeating patterns of well-known stories Children are taught lots of songs, and like to use the Makaton signing to accompany them. This helps them with their communication skills and teaches them about rhythm and rhyme.

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who attend

Children are free to make choices and play creatively, and they also engage in focused group activities. Adults support them well to develop specific skills such as recognising their own name and writing it. They learn to observe the changes in the seasons when they go for walks to local parks. Staff manage daily routines to enable children to have social interaction and to teach them to behave well. There is a good range of equipment outdoors to encourage children to learn ball skills and to direct wheeled toys.

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who attend

Staff offer an interesting range of activities and experiences that help children learn about themselves and their families. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff question children effectively and give them time to think and respond. This helps children clarify and express their thoughts well.

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who attend

Children develop concentration skills from a very early age and they receive the praise and encouragement to complete what they have started. Staff provide well for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities by working closely with other professionals to support the children's care and learning. Children who learn English as an additional language make good progress because staff speak many languages and use visual resources and Makaton signing to support language acquisition.

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who attend

Staff have good knowledge of children's abilities because they carry out regular observations and keep samples of their work. Overall, they effectively use their knowledge to meet children's individual needs. Staff complete the progress check for two-year-old children well and share it with parents so they are aware of how their children are developing. Parents also have good opportunities to contribute to the educational programmes as they are informed about planning each term and receive daily reports about what their children have been doing. This helps them develop confidence in supporting their children's learning at home.

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

There are good relationships between staff and children, and parents. The staff are warm and loving towards the children and this has a positive impact on their behaviour and their happiness in the setting. Consequently, children feel content and secure. The older children are able to express their needs well, using simple words and short sentences. Staff are responsive to the facial expressions and behaviour of the babies so that they can provide for their needs and reduce anxiety. Staff spend time finding out about children's interests and skills and this results in them being able to meet children's needs and promote their well-being effectively.

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

Each child is assigned a 'key person' whose job it is to build a relationship with the child to help him or her feel secure. This system works effectively to maximise children's ability to settle and enjoy their time at the setting. Children participate in the meaningful routines that involve them in group activities. Children know from the start of the day what they can do as their parents leave them. This calm beginning to the day carries on through the morning as children move confidently around the room and talk with adults and their friends. There is no sense of urgency so the children take as long as they need at an activity. This helps them develop good concentration as well as a sense of achievement in being creative or completing a challenge.

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

The good use of routines by staff enable children to feel part of the group and to enjoy the company of their friends. Parents describe the positive changes that have occurred at home since their children have started. They say that their children now want to do lots more things for themselves, including using the toilet and washing their hands. They say they can follow instructions and that they are a great deal more confident and eat well. However, opportunities are sometimes missed to teach children independence skills during daily routines, for example at meal times children do not serve themselves or learn to pour their own drinks.

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

There are high expectations for children's behaviour and staff make good use of recognition and praise to acknowledge children behaving well. This helps children understand what is right and what is wrong, and their behaviour is consistently good. Younger children copy older children using the toilets on their own, which helps support their potty training routines. The children eat happily in small groups and they enjoy the social experience of talking and helping themselves at snack time. They eat healthy, appetising snacks, such as fruit and milk, and staff cater appropriately for any special dietary needs. The cooked meals at lunch are nutritious and are prepared by a local caterer and brought in each day. Children learn to use tools, including spoons and forks safely.

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

The children develop good, healthy habits by taking fresh air and physical exercise on a range of challenging equipment each day. Staff follow good hygienic nappy changing procedures, which helps babies feel comfortable and reduces the risks of cross infection. Overall, staff prepare children well for their transfer to primary school. The setting has good relationships with a number of local schools and teachers discuss the settling-in procedure with parents and staff to help make it seamless for the children. Staff teach children well about their community. They visit local shops, attend reading sessions at the library, and play in the local parks.

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provision

Children's safety is of high importance. The staff's good organisation of the setting protects children well and keeps them safe. The staff carry out thorough daily risk assessments covering all areas, resources and equipment, including outings, to help protect children. They have a good knowledge of safeguarding matters and are fully aware of procedures to follow if they have concerns about children's welfare. Staff implement a range of robust policies and procedures to protect children from harm, including behaviour management, equal opportunities and safeguarding. Comprehensive checks on new staff ensure they are suitable for their roles to work with children, which helps keep children safe and happy. Staff have good opportunities to develop their skills by attending training courses and by using the support of the advisors from the local authority. Yearly appraisals identify the individual needs of the staff. Management supervise staff regularly

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provision

and this helps them identify any areas of underperformance. Further support, coaching and training enables staff to work successfully and promote children's learning and development effectively.

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provision

Overall, management has good insight into the quality and consistency of planning and assessment. Staff are focused on teaching children to be confident and happy so that they can learn new skills. The staff record children's progress against all the areas of learning using the the guidance document 'Development Matters' to help them identify the next steps for children's learning. They also collect examples of evidence to illustrate children's progress and annotate these to comment on what children have done.

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provision

Children are making good progress because the staff's effective use of individual planning ensures that their individual needs are met well. They formally meet every week to review planning, discuss the curriculum, and training opportunities as they arise. This supports children's progress effectively towards the early learning goals. The organisation of the environment is good for the older children, and their use of equipment and resources promote good learning opportunities. However, the younger children have a less well lit and welcoming indoor space in which to play.

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provision

Partnerships with other organisations are good and these have a positive impact on children's learning. For instance, speech and language therapists support children's acquisition of language and their participation in group work. Parents are well informed about their children's progress and their views have an impact on the nursery. They receive daily reports of what the children have been doing and monthly newsletters to let them know what has been planned, and how they can support their children's learning at home. Previous inspection actions have been successfully met, with policies and procedures in place and reviewed to ensure children's health, well-being and safety. There are effective systems for self-evaluation that enable the staff to make improvements and enhance the provision for children's care and learning.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY422766 Local authority Hackney Inspection number 816556 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 47 Number of children on roll 84 Name of provider Little Gems Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 12/07/2011 Telephone number 02030510668

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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