Littleworld Day Nursery

Littleworld Day Nursery 47 Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 3AN

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2013 13/07/2010

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 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

p.1

This provision requires improvement

 The staff team's partnership with parents is strong and a solid two-way flow of information allows parents to provide useful details about children's learning at home, so that new learning goals are set.  Staff teaching encourages learning by providing children with various opportunities and resources that enable them to become independent learners.  Staff monitor children's progress effectively so that any gaps in the educational programmes are identified and targeted.

p.1

It is not yet good because

 Inconsistencies in teaching mean that some staff are missing opportunities to promote some children's self confidence and language skills, particularly children learning English as an additional language.  The provider does not make sure that staff performance is monitored well to identify and remedy the inconsistencies in teaching.  Staff do not make the best use of the outdoor space to promote the older children's physical skills.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interacting with the children.  The inspector asked for parents' views.  The inspector sampled documents and children's records.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

p.2

Information about the setting

Littleworld Day Nursery is a privately run nursery which opened in 1991 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It operates from modular buildings close to the town centre of Andover, Hampshire. There are two enclosed outside areas available for children's play. The nursery opens weekdays from 8am until 6pm, all year round, with the exception of the Christmas period and a week in August. There are currently 94 children on roll and the nursery takes children from the age of six months to five years. Children attend on a full time basis or for a variety of sessions during the week.

p.3

Information about the setting

The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery employs 24 members of staff including two qualified teachers and 22 staff members with relevant National Vocational Qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery works closely with the local authority and offers funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four years.

p.3

must:

 ensure staff teaching provides all children with the same opportunities to participate in activities that promote their self confidence and language skills, particularly those children who are learning English as an additional language.

p.3

must:

 develop effective monitoring systems for all staff so that teaching practice and is consistent across the staff team.

p.3

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

 improve the programme for children's physical development through making better use of the outdoor area for older children, so they can develop more physical skills, such as in climbing and balancing.

p.3

who attend

Staff have sufficient knowledge overall of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They assess children when they start at the nursery in order to know children's starting points and which areas of children's learning they need to develop. Staff spend time observing and recording what the children can do in order to identify and plan for their next steps in learning. Parents are also asked to contribute to their children's next step, which means that activities provided are purposeful and enjoyable. There are occasions, however, when opportunities to extend children's learning are missed which means that the impact on learning is not always good enough. Overall, however, staff teaching helps all children make suitable progress.

p.3

who attend

Staff make sure that all children, including the youngest ones, have access to books and they help children to enjoy listening to stories. Staff engage the youngest children's interest in stories by using different tones and voices. These changes increase children's enjoyment in books and means children gradually learn that text has meaning. This means children gain a positive attitude to books in readiness for their eventual move to school. Staff use other interesting ways to motivate children's play. They provide various appropriate resources for the children to encourage the children's imaginative skills, such as coloured cones that children place upon their heads to become 'robots.'

p.4

who attend

Staff welcome parents warmly into the nursery and have formed close and trusting relationships with them. Parents talk confidently of the care the children are given and the progress their children are making. There are, however, occasions when staff do not fully support some groups of children; for example, children learning English as an additional language, to develop their self confidence and communication skills. Staff working with a small group of children do not always keep alert for the limited words used by such children in order to acknowledge these, respond and provide encouragement. This means children learning English as an additional language do not always have their achievements praised to raise their self-esteem and motivate them to talk more. Staff praise some children's actions, such as when children show independence by carrying their own chairs to a table. This means that their personal, social and emotional development is supported

p.4

who attend

All children are given opportunities to develop their physical skills in a range of ways. They use different implements to develop their hand control in preparation for learning to write in the next stage of their development. Staff take the children for walks around the local environment that not only provide exercise but help children learn about their locality and which helps develop their vocabularies. Children ride wheeled toys confidently. Younger ones use a suitable slide but the older children do not have similar opportunities to develop physical skills in climbing and balancing.

p.4

who attend

Staff make activities for babies interesting. Babies wave shakers in the air filled with various items and listen to the different sounds they make, so developing their listening skills. Staff provide these young children with opportunities to express themselves creatively through offering activities such as painting. Children are provided with various colours and brushes but staff do not talk about the resources on offer, thus missing opportunities to extend language development. This again demonstrates the variable quality of teaching across the nursery. Staff monitor the children's progress so that the children move to the next group at the nursery when they are confident and developmentally ready. Overall, all children progress sufficiently to help them make the move to school.

p.4

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

The 'key person' system, where staff take responsibility for particular children, works well enough so that children are happy and settled at the nursery. Staff make all children and their families welcome, so they feel valued on arrival. Children are assigned a key person so that secure attachments are made and this system works in practice. The children receive cuddles and they smile at their key person in response. This demonstrates they feel secure in the care of staff. The key person plans interesting activities to support their key children's development. These activities are shared with parents at planned meetings so that adults at home and nursery know the aims for children's learning and development. This means everyone is working with the same goals in mind, taking a consistent approach, so children make progress. Staff know the preferences and routines of each child and gather information about the child both from parents and through

p.5

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

observations. This means that the children are kept stimulated and home routines are followed at the nursery, which further supports children's emotional security.

p.5

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

The partnership with parents is strong and they are able to visit the nursery at any time. Children's records are available on request and staff encourage parents to contribute to these records, which they do. There are good two-way communications with parents that contribute positively to children's progress. Staff keep a 'learning journey' record on each child which is shared with, and contributed to, by parents. Staff use this record to monitor children's progress towards the next stages in their learning. Although these aims are known, there are occasions, however, when staff do not provide good enough adult support or used skilled questioning in order to extend and challenge children's learning, owing to the lack of consistent teaching.

p.5

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

The environment is well resourced and there is enough space available to allow the children to move from activity to activity freely. The children are allowed to flow freely from indoors to outdoors so they can make choices independently, which is a strength of this nursery because it helps children become independent learners in readiness for school.

p.5

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

Staff encourage children to talk about staying safe and being healthy. Children are reminded to wear their coats outside as, 'It's chilly'. This helps them understand how to care for themselves They wash and dry their hands, knowing this is necessary after going to the toilet. Children are beginning to learn about healthy eating through discussions with staff at meal times. They enjoy freshly prepared meals cooked on site. Menus are shared with parents and staff monitor and record what the children have eaten in their home link books, so parents know children's food intake through the day. Regular fire drills are carried out so staff and children know how to keep themselves safe and where the evacuation points are. Staff are informed about the fire drill procedures as part of their induction following appointment, so they understand their responsibilities in emergencies.

p.5

provision

The management team has a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A safeguarding policy is in place which staff implement. Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of safeguarding and know the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child's well-being. This means that children are kept safe at the nursery.

p.6

provision

Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding because it is discussed at every staff meeting. Staff record all injuries in an accident book. Any injuries that occur at home are also recorded and kept on file. These procedures help keep children safe. Staff undertake risk assessments and daily checks to ensure the play rooms remain safe to use. Visitors to the setting are required to show identification, asked to sign in, and given a visitors badge. The provider ensures that all staff have undertaken suitability checks and new staff are not left with the children until they have passed a suitability check. Students are never left unsupervised. Robust induction and recruitment procedures are in place. Staff must complete a thorough induction process which includes safeguarding, health and safety, roles and responsibilities and emergency evacuation procedures. All these processes and systems mean children play in a safe, secure environment and that they are not left

p.6

provision

Although systems for the supervision of staff exist and staff have progress meetings with the manager, staff are not observed or monitored well to check the quality of their teaching practice and this leads to inconsistent teaching across the staff team. The induction and recruitment procedures, however, are robust, so staff are aware of their wider roles and responsibilities. Staff have sufficient knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and plan suitable activities for their key children. This means the children are making progress. Staff are deployed effectively and all are qualified. This means that the children are safe in the environment and well cared for. The nursery staff work in partnership with external agencies, such as social services and health visitors. This means that children are protected and supported effectively.

p.6

provision

The manager has identified some of the nursery's strengths and is committed to making any necessary changes to make improvements. For example, the manager is aware that some staff need to improve how they encourage the children to communicate effectively. The manager is currently working on a self evaluation form in order to identify and target any weak areas of practice better. She works alongside the staff to check children's records for accuracy and effectiveness.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number 110169 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 839683 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 94 Name of provider Littleworld Day Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 13/07/2010 Telephone number 01264 351833

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10