Little Footprints Nursery Limited

Little Footprints Nursery Ltd 459 Uppingham Road, LEICESTER, LE5 6RA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 31/10/2013 05/01/2011

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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 make good progress in all areas of learning because staff complete regular observations of children's learning. These are then used to inform planning to ensure that activities are challenging, appropriate and interesting to each individual child.  The management team are well motivated and passionate about driving improvement and outcomes for children. Robust systems for monitoring and evaluating practice ensures that any areas of weakness are quickly addressed to ensure standards remain high.  Children are well supervised by a well-deployed team of experienced staff who implement effective health and hygiene routines. This helps to keep children safe and healthy.  Children are happy, confident and have secure relationships with the staff. This is due to the strong relationships that staff have formed with parents which encourages a two- way flow of information about the child's needs and achievements.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope for children to have more opportunities to play and explore in the settings large outdoor area and to maximise learning across all seven areas.

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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 and staff practice in all three rooms and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector and the manager carried out a joint observation of a mathematics and shape recognition activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with staff, management, children and parents throughout the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, development files, planning documents, sample policies and procedures, accident/incident records and evidence folders, and staff suitability details.

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Information about the setting

Little Footprints Nursery Ltd was registered in 2008. It is privately owned and operates from a converted two storey building in the eastern suburbs of Leicester. Younger children use playrooms on the ground floor and older children are based on the first floor. Access to the building is via a ramp. There are cloakroom facilities on both floors and there is an enclosed outdoor garden for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens each weekday from 7am to 6.30pm throughout the year. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It receives funding to provide nursery education for three- and four-year-old children and supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children with English as an additional language. There are currently 36 children aged under eight years on roll. Of these, 22 are in the early years age range. Including the proprietor, there are 12 regular childcare staff, of whom nine hold recognised qualifications to at least level 3.

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

 extend children's opportunities to play and explore their natural outdoor environment and provide resources and experiences outdoors to ensure that children are learning across all areas of learning.

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who attend

Children are making good progress in their learning during their time at the setting. Staff obtain detailed information about the child before they start at the setting. This includes information about the child's interests and abilities with particular reference to communication, language and physical development. From this, staff are able to make an informed decision about children's starting points. Staff make regular, significant observations of children's learning and use these to inform planning for the coming weeks. This means that activities are always age and stage appropriate, challenging and linked to the children's individual needs and interests. Children's next steps in their learning are clearly identified and children are eager to explore the well-resourced learning environment. As staff are well deployed, there is always someone on hand to offer support and reassurance to the children when needed. Good planning systems ensure that

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who attend

learning experiences, particularly inside, always cover the seven areas of learning. The well qualified and experienced staff team have a secure knowledge of how children learn and develop and promote opportunities to extend activities to maximise children's learning. For example, when children in the toddler room are taking part in an activity painting autumn leaves, staff make good use of opportunities to extend children's language by using words, such as, 'crunchy', 'crispy', 'hard' and 'spikey' to describe the leaves. Staff also extend children's understanding of the world by discussing the seasons and how these effect the plants and trees. When staff evaluate activities they identify the learning that has taken place and possible next steps for children. This ensures that children are always adequately challenged and encouraged to make progress towards their next steps in learning.

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who attend

Children are encouraged to follow some basic routines, such as story time and snack times. During morning story time children are encouraged to greet each other with 'good morning' in different languages. A member of staff skilfully extends the discussion to talk about different places around the world and where we could go on holiday. Children excitedly role play, walking to the beach and discussing what items they would take and what they would like to have for lunch. Skilful questioning from a member of staff prompts a child to remind others about wearing sun cream to protect your skin. This encourages children to consider healthy lifestyles and understand how to keep themselves safe. Mathematical development is promoted well as children sing five speckled frogs and use their own fingers to count on to identify how many frogs are left.

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who attend

Babies and toddlers explore a wide range of exciting objects and textures in their cosy, inviting rooms. Well-planned outside areas allow plenty of opportunity for babies to test out their physical skills, such as, rolling, crawling and walking. Messy play activities allow children to explore resources, such as, water, sand and paint. The children demonstrate effective characteristics of learning as they explore media and materials as part of their exploration of the world around them.

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who attend

A very strong key person system ensures that parents are well informed about their child's learning and development. There are regular opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning, such as, day trips out, fashion shows, cultural celebration days, stay and play sessions and parents' evenings. Comments on feedback forms from parents show how happy they are with the standard of care and education the setting provides. This also demonstrates that parents' contributions are welcomed and that the setting has a very shared approach to children's learning.

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who attend

At specific times throughout the day, children are able to access the generous outdoor space. They excitedly crowd around waiting for their turn to feed the fish in the pond. However, there is scope to develop the accessibility of outdoors throughout the day, as well as maximising children's learning in all seven areas of learning in the outdoor environment.

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

The setting has been recently renovated and has been thoughtfully decorated with calm colours and homely furnishings. Children are happy and settled and have secure relationships with the staff who care for them. The key person system is effective, which means that they are fully aware of their key children's individual needs and meet these well. Staff support children's emerging independence particularly during meal times. Even the youngest children are encouraged to use cutlery effectively, drink from beakers without lids and staff help the children to serve their dinner. The older children have further opportunities, such as, helping to lay the table, pouring their own drinks and selecting their own snacks. Good hygiene practices are clearly embedded within practice. For example, before snack time the children all wash and dry their hands effectively with little or no adult support. When children do need support, staff are on hand to give

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

guidance. For example, when one child needs support washing hands a member of staff models how to rub the soap in and uses language, such as 'front' and 'back' and talks about using warm water to rinse the bubbles off. Children behave well because staff have appropriately high expectations of them. Staff listen tentatively to each child but also encourage children to listen to each other. For example, when all the children talk at once during story time, a member of staff asks the children to 'turn their ears on'. The children respond well to this and begin to take turns when speaking.

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

Babies and toddlers are cared for by warm, responsive staff who are attentive to their individual needs. Staff talk reassuringly to the children as they change their nappies, which helps them to remain calm and feel secure throughout. Good nappy changing procedures are in place and staff help to keep babies safe by following good hygiene practices. Transitions within the setting are well managed. Children are introduced to their next room gradually with short taster sessions. The ground floor of the premises is light and airy with glass panelled doors dividing the rooms. This lends itself to positive transition within the setting as children can always see the staff and children in other rooms. Children's transitions to school are well prepared for and staff understand the importance of this being a positive experience for children. A progress summary is completed for each child the term before they start school. This document is shared with parents and also

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

with the school that the child will be attending. Teachers are invited into the setting to visit the children and staff also take the children on visits to the school.

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provision

There is a dedicated team of knowledgeable, enthusiastic and passionate managers who are all committed to improving outcomes for children. The manager and provider demonstrate a good understanding of the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Their thorough monitoring of staff practice enables them to quickly identify areas for improvement and staff training needs. They are reflective and act immediately when improvement needs making. This ensures that continuous improvement is being made. Planning and child development files are sampled regularly to check that all areas of learning are being covered and that documentation is of a high enough standard to support children's good progress.

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provision

The inspection was prioritised due to concerns received about a mouse infestation on the lower floor of the premises, including the kitchen, toddler and baby rooms. The provider cooperated fully with Environmental Health and took immediate action to address the issue. At inspection, the kitchen and ground floor playrooms were observed to all be clean and hygienic, and fit for purpose.

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provision

The provider has a good understanding of the safeguarding requirements and implements an effective system to ensure the safety of the children at all times. There is a comprehensive range of risk assessments and daily checks to support these systems. In addition, each room within the nursery is monitored by CCTV and this is closely monitored on a daily basis. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all staff are suitable to carry out their role. Six monthly checks are carried out on staff to check their continued suitability. Staff undergo a programme of induction training and only when this has been successfully completed will employment be confirmed. Regular training both in house and external is offered to the staff to support their continued professional development. When staff members have been on training they are asked to cascade the information to the rest of the staff. Regular staff meetings are also used as a training opportunity as staff discuss

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provision

different scenarios and share their professional knowledge and experiences.

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provision

The managers and provider actively seek support and advice from other agencies when they feel a child needs additional support. They understand their responsibility to provide the children and families with additional support where needed to ensure that the child continues to learn and develop and to form good foundations for future learning. There are clear procedures for sharing information with others who care for the children. For example, a diary system is used between the school, the nursery and parents. This ensures that messages are always passed on and all parties are kept informed about the child's needs.

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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 EY365635 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 941069

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Early Learners Nursery School Ltd Date of previous inspection 05/01/2011 Telephone number 01162412020

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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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