Little Learners Nursery

Little Learners Students Union, PO Box 230, Whiteknights, READING, RG6 6AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Children and parents benefit from a welcoming and inviting environment.  Staff assigned to the care of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities support these children well.  Children form sound relationships with staff at the nursery, which enables them to settle well on arrival.

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It is not yet good because

 Hygiene practice is inconsistent in the 'Daisy' unit, which potentially means children's good health is at risk.  There are weaknesses in the educational programme for children's personal, social and emotional development and the noise levels in the nursery are sometimes high.  Self-evaluation processes are not fully robust to identify and target all weaknesses effectively.

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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

 Two inspectors carried out the inspection at the nursery.  The inspectors observed children's play and activities indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors spoke with the manager, staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 One of the inspectors undertook a joint observation with a senior member of staff, and a meeting was held with the manager by one inspector.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors viewed a sample of paperwork including some of the nursery policies and children's learning and development records.

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Information about the setting

Little Learners Nursery registered in 2013. The nursery was previously registered in 1997 and re-registered, changing their name to Little Learners. The nursery is operated by the University of Reading Student's Union Committee. It is located in the grounds of the University of Reading and operates from their own self-contained premises. The nursery has five playrooms and a secure garden. It is open five days a week from 8am to 6pm all year round.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 111 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged three and four years old. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who learn English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 35 staff to work with the children. Of these, 32 hold recognised early years qualifications, the majority holding a qualification to level 3. qualifications. In addition, one member of staff has Early Years Professional Status and two staff hold qualifications at level 6. The manager has an early years qualification at level 3 and a business management qualification at level 5. She is currently working towards a level 6 business management qualification. Several staff are working towards gaining or furthering their qualifications. A cook, domestic assistant and an administrator are also employed at the nursery. The nursery receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 promote children's good health and minimise the spread of infection in the 'Daisy' unit

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must:

 develop the educational programme for children's personal, social and emotional development so that children's behaviour, concentration, independence and social skills are fully and consistently supported.

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

 develop the self-evaluation processes to clearly identify areas for development and improvement to support children's care and learning needs, including monitoring staffs knowledge, understanding and practice to identify improvements

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

 help children to engage in activities and daily routines by monitoring the noise level and reducing this when necessary.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time at the nursery and overall they make steady progress in their learning and development. Staff suitably find out about children's starting points through talking to parents, interacting with children during pre-visits and the completion of 'all about me' information. As a result, they are able to consider each child's individual learning needs appropriately, as they start at the nursery. Staff observe children and complete regular summaries of children's progress, which identifies their next steps in learning. They share these with parents, which promotes a consistent approach to supporting children's progress both at home and at the nursery. Staff carry out required checks for children in line with the learning and development requirements, such as progress checks for two-year-old children. These clearly record the progress children are making at this stage in their development, along with the next steps in their learning to

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who attend

Children take part in activities and play experiences that cover all areas of learning, and overall the quality of teaching is sound. However, there are some missed opportunities to support children's personal, social and emotional development fully. For example, staff do not encourage the older children's independence or social skills consistently, such as during snack and lunchtimes. The noise level becomes high at times, which does not help children to concentrate and relax. Adult-led and directed activities are at times over-long, and although the activities change during this time some children become restless and then do not want to continue to participate. As a result, this impacts on children's potential to be ready for the next stage of their learning, such as starting school.

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who attend

Children enjoy some positive interaction with staff at activities. For example, staff working with the babies and toddlers chat to them as they play and sing songs, promoting their communication and language skills well. When using a parachute the older children start to use mathematical words with actions, such as 'up' and 'down' as they move it. Staff make good use of routines, such as counting the number of children lining up. This supports children in developing understanding of number order and correspondence. Children enjoy using the outdoor area, which has plenty of space for physical movement. Good equipment and resources, enables children to practise and challenge their physical development. For instance, there is a climbing frame, an 'earth mound' for children to negotiate, and large-scale games, such as skittles to play. Children use their early writing skills for a purpose. For instance, older and more able children write their names on their

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who attend

artwork and make labels for the nursery environment.

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who attend

Staff provide suitable support to children who learn English as an additional language. They gain information from parents about their home language, including key words to use with the children. Visual signs and displays help children gain some appropriate understanding of the daily routines. Staff take good steps when they identify children who need further support in their learning and development. They seek advice and support from outside agencies and work well with other professionals. Staff implement individual learning plans to support children and to target their needs. Staff provide effective one-to- one support for children as they know and understand their needs well. As a result, these children make consistent progress.

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

Children follow good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating. They enjoy spending time outdoors, where they benefit from fresh air and physical activity. A healthy and nutritious menu means that children receive sustaining food, which helps their bodies grow. However, staff in the 'Daisy unit' do not fully consider hygiene practice to minimise the spread of infection. For example, they use a damaged changing mat and they do not keep the changing table under the mat sufficiently clean. When a child puts another child's dummy in their mouth, although staff take it away, they put the dummy away without cleaning it first. Consequently, later staff give it to the child to whom it belongs to, to use. Staff are not vigilant in keeping children's noses clean to minimise the spread of infection. As a result, there is potential for cross infection in this area of the nursery, which does not support children's good health.

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

Staff provide good settling-in arrangements for children, offering home visits and visits to the nursery for parents and children. They gain good information about children's likes and dislikes, and how they like to be comforted when upset. This helps staff to support children soundly. Children are supported well emotionally as they start to prepare for the move to school. For example, staff read books about starting school, and hold 'thought box' sessions for children to talk about their feelings. Children settle at the nursery well on arrival, and staff are welcoming and provide suitable support at this time. Some children form good friendships with each other, although staff miss some opportunities to support this further, such as snack time in the older room. For instance, there is only one member of staff, who serves the food and drinks from a trolley, and no other staff to sit with the children to encourage social interactions between them. Children sometimes become over

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

excited and their behaviour then deteriorates, particularly during lunchtime routines. Staff do not always manage children's behaviour consistently or implement strategies in a timely manner to support them. However, Although, at other times, some staff use suitable strategies to support children's behaviour, such as using distraction, and provide appropriate explanations to help them understand the expectations of behaviour. Children receive praise and encouragement to promote their self-esteem appropriately.

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

Staff provide a welcoming and inviting environment to children and their parents. Children have pegs with name labels with their photograph, which helps them to begin to identify their names, and promotes a strong sense of belonging. Staff attractively display children's artwork , which is clearly labelled with their names. This, valuesing their individual work soundly. There are a broad range of resources available to children in low level storage units, which encourages children to make their own choices of what to play with. The nursery building offers good facilities. There is , with a multi-use room available for meetings and children's activities, such as PE.

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provision

The manager and staff demonstrate an overall suitable understanding of their responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, the provider is not meeting some requirements fully in relation to health and hygiene, and supporting children's learning and development in relation to their Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

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provision

Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children's welfare. They understand what would raise their concerns and all staff know who they would report these to within the nursery. The safeguarding policy provides good information for staff and parents, with local contact numbers within it. The premises is maintained well and coded doors and close circuit television promotes children's safety effectively. Staff carry out daily safety checks to minimise potential hazards and risks to children. They remind children to use the safety equipment, such as the helmets when riding the bikes outside, supporting children in developing their appropriate awareness of safe behaviours. Recruitment procedures are robust and new staff undertake the required checks to ascertain their suitability to work with children.

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provision

Most staff, clearly demonstrate they enjoy their work with the children. The management team support staff appropriately overall through regular supervision meetings and appraisals. Staff undertake further training including gaining or furthering their qualifications. Staff, children and parents all contribute to the nursery's self-evaluation process. This identifies many of the strengths of the provision. However, the self- evaluation is not fully robust to identify all areas to develop and improve upon. For example, not all children's progress records are kept up to date by staff as these are not monitored sufficiently, and some staff lack confidence in their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The monitoring of children's learning experiences and the effectiveness of these is not always consistent to ensure gaps in their skills are fully identified in order to target these effectively. The provider demonstrates a suitable

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provision

capacity to address and manage future improvements to promote the continuous development of the care and learning experiences for children.

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provision

Parent partnerships are sound and good information is available to them, such as information on display in the entrance hall. Staff feedback daily to parents about the children's day, which keeps them well informed about what their children have been doing. Overall, parents spoken to at the inspection are happy with the care and learning experiences their children receive. Well-established links are in place with outside agencies and professionals. The staff have a positive approach to forming partnerships with other settings, such as the schools children move onto. This supports continuity and consistency in meeting children's needs at this time.

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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 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 EY461079 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 925846 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 106 Number of children on roll 111 Name of provider Little Learners @ RUSU LTD Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01183 784128

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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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