Little Learners Nurseries Ltd

Little Learners Nurseries Ltd St Helier Hall, 12 Eastfield Road, Enfield, EN3 5XF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/02/2014 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

 The manager supports staff well to help children make good progress in all learning areas.  Staff interact carefully with children as they play. Children gain confidence to make choices independently and to take part in conversations.  Staff provide daily opportunities for children to walk and play in the local park. This helps children to enjoy the outdoor environment and to keep healthy.  Staff work closely with parents, encouraging them to be involved in their children's learning.  All staff are engaged in further study and training to help them improve their practice.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always encourage children's interest in books or use them well to extend children's learning further.  Staff do not provide a wide range of indoor opportunities to help children learn more about the natural world.

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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 observed children taking part in activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with members of staff and observed their interaction with the children.  The inspector accompanied the staff and children on a walk.  The inspector interviewed the owner and manager of the pre-school.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the setting's documentation, in particular relating to children's progress and safeguarding.

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Information about the setting

Little Learners Nursery registered in 2013. It is a privately owned pre-school and operates from a community hall in the Enfield Wash area of the London Borough of Enfield. The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is open from 9am to 3:30pm every weekday during term time. Currently there are 38 children on roll in the early years age group. There are six staff employed to work with the children. The majority of staff are suitably qualified. The manager holds Early Years Professional Status. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre- school supports children who are learning English as an additional language.

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

 make books more accessible in the reading area, and use them more effectively to encourage children's interest, enjoyment and learning in all areas

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

 provide more opportunities indoors for children to learn about the natural world and living things.

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who attend

Staff meet children's individual learning and development needs effectively. There are good systems in place to support staff in identifying children's needs and planning for their future learning. Consequently all children make good progress given their individual starting points. Children enjoy a wide range of play opportunities in the hall. They learn to concentrate on their self-chosen tasks and benefit from good adult support. Staff are sensitive in their interaction with children. They join them in play in a calm, friendly manner and engage them in conversation to support learning. As a result children gain confidence quickly, and are eager to try new activities and develop new skills.

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who attend

Children especially enjoy the many practical activities offered each day. They explore different materials and find out about their properties. For example, children have fun playing with oats, discovering what happens when they push them around the tray or drop them from a height. Children learn about quantity and capacity as they fill and empty different containers. They are keen to join in mixing ingredients to make modelling dough, then spend a long time moulding and shaping it. These activities help children to learn, through touching, observing and listening, thereby encouraging them to become active and creative learners.

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who attend

Staff encourage children to explore and investigate further as they play alongside them. For example, children explore a coloured cornflour mix tentatively, gradually becoming more confident to touch and explore it. Staff extend children's communication skills through relevant comments and questions. Staff suggest ideas as well as letting children take the lead and follow up their own ideas. For example, when children play with oats staff show them how to mould shapes and then ask children to demonstrate how to make shapes of their own choosing. In this way they encourage children to experiment and learn through trial and error.

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who attend

Staff teach children new words and phrases by including these in conversation, encouraging children to copy. This helps children learn to express themselves and talk about what they are doing. For instance, when children use recycled materials to construct models they describe what they want to make and agree with staff how they are going to do it. Staff take opportunities to introduce mathematical language, for example, they use words to compare shapes, quantities, numbers and position when talking to the children. In these ways staff support children to develop key skills, which helps to prepare them for further learning and school.

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who attend

Staff organise interesting group times for children, for example, they use props to tell stories or sing action songs and rhymes. Children are encouraged to listen and respond, thereby developing an interest in spoken and written language. They especially enjoy rhymes and songs, joining in enthusiastically. There is a range of books in the reading area. However, the books are stored in sleeves, which makes them less accessible or appealing to the children and staff do not make the best use of this area to encourage children to enjoy books. In addition, staff do not always use books imaginatively to extend children's learning as they play.

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who attend

Staff have introduced some activities to increase children's awareness of the natural world, for instance, children have taken part in growing herbs and learnt that plants need water to survive. Children are looking forward to a sunflower growing competition and visits to a local allotment, and staff encourage children to look and listen when walking in the park. Staff ask children to talk about what they see and hear. However, staff do not make the most of opportunities to bring natural materials and living things indoors to provide more opportunities for children to learn about the natural world.

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who attend

Staff make good use of observational assessment to assess children's progress and to support children according to their individual needs. Staff request information from parents about their children's existing skills when they start at pre-school and this gives them a baseline for their initial observations. They involve parents when planning focus weeks for the children in their key groups and produce useful written records of their observations during these weeks. These are then used to determine children's next steps of learning and to plan relevant learning experiences. Staff liaise closely with parents to help children who are learning English as an additional language. They invite parents to be involved in special events, such as a multicultural day when children were able to dress up and try foods from different cultures. Staff suggest ideas for parents to support their children's learning at home and offer activity packs for parents to use at home. Children

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who attend

benefit greatly from this shared approach to their learning.

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

Staff offer a wide variety of activities each day to encourage children to make choices independently. The resources are set out in a way that attracts children's attention and encourages them to explore. For example, play food and toy cooking equipment is arranged neatly in the home corner, while creative tools and materials are set out tidily on tables. In this way staff support children in making their own decisions about their play. Children enjoy moving from one activity to another but also spend time involved in activities they especially like, such as exploring modelling materials and drawing pictures. Staff support children further in their interests by working with them, initially organising activities and then offering help as needed. As a result children are developing good attitudes to learning and keep busy throughout the sessions.

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

Staff provide extra one-to-one support when required, for example, to help children who are unsettled or who are still learning what is expected of them regarding their behaviour. Staff adopt a firm but flexible approach towards behaviour management and children respond positively to instructions and requests. In this way staff maintain a calm atmosphere in which children can get on with their chosen play activities without distractions. Children move confidently around the hall and feel safe in an uncluttered but inviting play environment. Staff ensure that children are well supervised when going out of the hall to use the toilets to keep the children safe. On walks in the local area children wear wrist bands and walk with a designated member of staff in small groups. Staff talk with children about keeping themselves safe and alert them to potential hazards to extend their awareness of personal safety.

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

Staff promote children's knowledge of healthy lifestyles by offering a variety of healthy snacks and making sure that children go out every day. Children enjoy long walks, and playing on the playground equipment, in the large park adjacent to the pre-school building. This gives children a chance to improve their physical skills, such as those needed for climbing and balancing. Children are encouraged to be independent at snack times, for example, spreading cheese on their crackers. They are always supported by a member of staff and this helps them to develop good social skills as they eat together in a group. Staff encourage children's awareness of healthy eating, for instance, when talking with children about milk. Children learn where milk comes from and how it helps them to keep healthy. Children are encouraged to adopt good hygiene practices for example, to use separate water tubs for drinking and washing. Staff praise children for their efforts

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

and achievements and this helps to boost children's self-esteem.

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provision

The owner, manager and deputy manager work closely together and provide effective leadership for their staff. There are good policies and procedures in place to promote children's safety. The management team ensures that new staff undergo the necessary checks on their suitability to work with children. Staff carry out detailed written risk assessments on the premises and outings and they maintain records relating to health and safety well, for example, the daily hygiene checks and accident logs. Staff are vigilant regarding children's safety on walks in the local area. The management team ensures that all staff know what to do if they have any concerns relating to child protection. Extra information about safeguarding and child protection is displayed around the hall so that staff are reminded about their responsibilities in this area.

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provision

The manager has introduced effective systems for monitoring the quality of the educational programme. These include planned observations of staff's teaching and scrutiny of children's learning journey files. The manager works alongside staff to help them evaluate their practice and continually improve their teaching. For example, they have worked recently on developing 'sustained, shared thinking' with children and this has resulted in more effective interaction during play. The system of observational assessment is well established and used consistently by all staff so that all children receive appropriate support. The manager makes use of children's assessment records, and the progress reports for two-year-olds, to check individual progress. She intends to introduce whole group tracking systems to enable her to keep a check on the educational provision within each learning area and also children's overall progress.

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provision

The pre-school has a good working partnership with parents. The management team has set up an attractive and informative display in the entrance area. This keeps parents well informed about the pre-school provision, including its written policies, the roles of key persons and the areas of learning as specified in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents have good access to children's learning journey files and are able to exchange information with their children's key person at regular consultations. In addition staff create attractive scrap books for individual children using labelled photographs and artwork to explain to parents what children have learned. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the care and education their children are receiving at the pre-school. The management team has close links with the local children's centre as well as other early years professionals. Consequently they are able to offer appropriate

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provision

support to any children who are identified as requiring it.

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provision

The management team is proactive in involving staff in an ongoing process of self- evaluation so that they can highlight areas requiring further improvement. Effective systems, policies and procedures are in place, which provide a good foundation for staff's practice. Managers implement sound induction and appraisal systems and staff are particularly keen to further their own professional development. The manager arranges in- house training days and encourages staff to attend extra training courses. The owner is at present training in childcare so that he can better support his staff in their practice. The setting is supported well by an early years advisor, and staff are participating in a quality assurance scheme. The management team has set relevant targets for the future, including the introduction of computing equipment to support children's learning, and long-term plans for the resourcing of an outdoor play area. The pre-school's commitment

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provision

to future development helps them to continually improve the outcomes for children.

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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 EY467006 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 932164 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Little Learners Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 07782 126 443

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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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