Little Legs Nursery

Little Legs 43 High Street, SITTINGBOURNE, Kent, ME10 4AW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/01/2014 17/10/2013

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 The management team is working effectively to implement a range of improvements which are driving improvement in children's care and education.  Children are happy and friendly and generally bond well with staff, so are ready to learn.  Staff value children's creative ideas and celebrate their freely expressed art work, so children enjoy exploring and using a range of materials.  Staff promote children's health effectively, providing a clean environment, and teaching children about the importance of good personal hygiene.

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It is not yet good because

 The provider has not ensured that there are appropriate arrangements to complete the required progress checks for children aged two years.  The staff team's organisation of resources and use of space is not always fully effective in engaging children's interest and motivating them to learn.

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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 viewed all areas of the nursery used by children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interaction of staff and children during a range of activities.  The inspector undertook a joint inspection with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a selection of documents including policies, procedures and children's progress records.

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Information about the setting

Little Legs is owned by Little Legs (Colchester) Limited. The nursery was registered in 2013. It operates from four rooms plus two kitchen areas, in a terraced town building in Sittingbourne, Kent. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm all year round and on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 31 children attending in the early years age range. The nursery supports children who learn English as an additional language. The nursery provides free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. There are five members of staff, of whom three hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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must:

 implement appropriate arrangements to complete the required progress check for children aged two years.

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

 review the use of space and resources to create an environment that more fully motivates children to engage in activities and that meets the younger children's needs well.

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who attend

The nursery offers activities and experiences which cover all areas of children's learning although there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. This inconsistency means that some staff teaching is better than others, so the quality of support children receive varies. However, the provider now has systems in place to address these issues. Recent improvements to the provision for developing children's communication and language mean that staff now use effective strategies most of the time. They ask some useful questions to encourage children to form full responses. In addition, they speak clearly and use repetition to help children develop their vocabularies. As a result, children are beginning to use language more confidently to share their views and ask questions, which supports their learning. Staff plan for children to engage in some physical play each day. In warm weather they are often able to move between the indoor and outdoor areas freely. However, in cold or

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who attend

wet weather the use of the outdoor area is limited and tends be directed by staff with fewer opportunities for children to lead their play. This means they are less well motivated to learn. This is because, while children have space to run around, staff do not always provide suitable resources or encouragement to promote children's physical play well.

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who attend

The way in which staff promote children's creativity is an area of strength. Children are given the freedom to explore their own ideas and consequently, produce very individual and expressive art. Staff celebrate this success well in attractive wall displays, which action further encourages children to explore and use different media to express themselves in creative ways.

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who attend

Since the last inspection, the arrangements for assessment and planning have undergone a substantial review by staff. Staff now produce summary reports for each child indicating their levels of achievement in each area of learning. Although the systems are new, these are beginning to provide a clearer picture of children's progress for both staff and parents. Parents are also receiving greater encouragement to contribute their observations from home to more fully involve them in their children's learning. Staff demonstrate a growing confidence in using their observations to plan for children's future learning. Staff do not complete the required progress checks for all children aged two years, however. These are not being completed for children who have already had a check completed by their health visitor. This is because nursery staff are unaware that the checks which they are required to complete for children aged two years under the Early Year Foundation Stage framework

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who attend

are not the same as those completed by health visitors. This weakness means that the provider's legal responsibilities are not being fulfilled.

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who attend

Staff implement appropriate arrangements to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager takes the lead for coordinating the care of these children and has experience of working with parents and outside agencies to compile individual care plans. Staff are also aware of appropriate strategies to support children who speak English as an additional language. These include learning some key words in the children's home languages, and using pictures and gestures to communicate. Staff also provide some resources in languages other than English to help families feel welcome and valued.

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

Children gain confidence and a sense of security following the recent strengthening of the key person system by the staff team. Staff make their expectations clear and children generally behave well, with many displaying very friendly behaviour. Children respond well to the caring interaction of staff although there are some times when some of the younger children become unsettled. This is the result of weaknesses in the organisation of space. The nursery has two rooms but there are occasions when all children are cared for in the same room. Most children enjoy mixing with friends of different ages but this arrangement does not fully support children who want to engage in quiet or more restful activities. Staff take some action to address this by taking small groups of children to spend some time in the sensory room, but overall, some of the younger children's needs are not met well at such times.

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

Children generally move sensibly and safely around the nursery and listen to the advice and guidance of staff. They play and learn in a clean environment and receive help to learn about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. For example, when necessary, staff are prompt to offer children a tissue or to wipe their noses for them. They also remind children to cover their mouths when they cough. These actions mean that staff teach children good personal hygiene procedures that help prevent the risk of cross infection and contribute to maintaining their good health.

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

Staff help children to learn what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. They provide children with nutritious snacks and meals which are carefully planned to reflect children's individual dietary restrictions and preferences, and which children enjoy. Staff make drinking water available to children at all times, so they may help themselves when thirsty, showing that they are gaining in personal independence in readiness for the move to school..

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

The staff team's presentation of some activities and resources does not always capture children's interest to motivate learning through play. For example, although there is a table full of equipment for writing and drawing there is insufficient space left for children to use these. As a result, few children use this area from choice, which means they do not practice their early writing skills often in readiness for their eventual move to school. Staff do not always ensure that toys are ready for children to use. An example of this includes the condition of the ride-on cars in the garden area. Staff do not routinely ensure that these are clean and dry and, as a result, children are unable to use them to practice their physical skills.

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

The staff team has appropriate arrangements in place to work with parents and schools, when children are moving on to school. Staff understand the importance of ensuring that children develop confidence and independence to help prepare them for life at school.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following a notification from the provider about the suitability of adults caring for children. Ofsted undertook a visit to the provision and looked into this concern to see whether the nursery was meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage safeguarding and welfare requirements relating to 'Suitable people'. We found evidence that although the registered person had carried out a risk assessment not all correct procedures were followed for checking the suitability of new staff. The provider has demonstrated that they are now aware of the current process when employing a member of staff to check all aspects of their suitability to work with children. The provider is now meeting the requirements in relation to appointing suitable staff. The manager takes responsibility for child protection. He has a good understanding of the procedures to follow should concerns arise about the welfare of any child. He is also fully

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provision

aware of the action to take in case of an allegation against staff. A whistle blowing policy is also in place and the names and contact details of the local authority safeguarding officers are displayed for all staff to see. Staff are familiar with the revised safeguarding policies because they have been discussed at their team meetings. Following the recent visit from Ofsted the recruitment procedures have been reviewed and tightened. . These are now extremely robust. Furthermore, child protection procedures have been reviewed. These are discussed at staff meetings to check the staff team's understanding of new procedures.

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provision

The management team recognise their responsibilities to promote children's learning and development. They provide all seven areas or learning and are working effectively to improve the educational programmes for these. In addition, they are in the process of implementing a new system to track the rate that children are progressing in each area of learning. The aim of this is to identify more clearly where additional input may be required.

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provision

A strong focus is now being placed on self-evaluation across all areas of the provision. The management team has a range of well-targeted action plans and there is evidence that these are beginning to improve some outcomes for children. For example, the manager has begun to complete observations on staff and to provide feedback to help them to improve their teaching practice. In addition, the newly introduced one-to-one staff supervisions, annual appraisals and regular team meetings are aimed at improving consistency, and raising teaching and care standards. There is also an increased focus on training. For example, a trainer is booked to come to the nursery to provide further training on communication language for the whole staff team.

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provision

Parents spoken to are happy with the service they receive and appreciate the new communication systems. Children benefit from observing the positive interaction of their parents and staff as this helps to create a comforting link between the nursery and their home. Appropriate arrangements are in place to work with other early years providers where care of children is shared. This helps all parties to understand children's individual needs better.

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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 EY460281 Local authority Kent Inspection number 950948 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 31 Name of provider Little Legs (Colchester) Limited Date of previous inspection 17/10/2013 Telephone number 07956 546127

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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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