The Little Kingdom Nursery and Preschool

The Little Kingdom Nursery and Preschool Baptist Church, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 8AP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/02/2014 23/09/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Babies and children receive personalised support to make good progress in their development and learning.  Staff provide a homely atmosphere where children benefit from secure attachments with them and learn alongside children of different ages.  Babies and children enjoy the freedom to explore their interests and extend their learning.  Staff involve parents and shared providers from the beginning, using their knowledge about the children to promote their learning and development.  The management has a clear vision to enhance the provision and it is evident that staff work well together as a team to continuously improve the nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always make full use of everyday opportunities to promote consistent support for children's growing independence skills.  Strategies to involve parents further in contributing to their children's learning records to support learning are still in their early stages.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two play rooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector had discussions with the owner-manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the owner-manager in the hall.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, planning, safeguarding procedures, policies and staff training records.

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Information about the setting

The Little Kingdom Nursery and Pre-school registered in 2012. It is located at a Baptist church in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The nursery shares the use of the building and facilities. The premises include a play room and a hall, a sleep room, toilets and a kitchen. Children have access to an enclosed, outdoor area. The nursery and pre- school operate each weekday all year round, except for bank holidays, from 8am to 6pm as required. On Tuesday, from 10am to 12 noon, the nursery joins with a toddler group run by the church in the hall. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register. There are 30 children aged from birth to under five years on roll on a full- and part-time basis. The nursery currently supports children learning English as an additional language. The provider receives funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Information about the setting

There are four staff, including the owner, working directly with the children. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is working towards a qualification. The owner-manager has qualified teacher status, having specialised in early years childcare.

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

 provide children with more opportunities to develop their independence, in particular during meal times

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

 extend systems to involve parents in contributing to their children's learning records to further support their children's learning.

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who attend

Children demonstrate they are happy and stimulated at the nursery. They enjoy playing with toys and equipment and participating in activities that promote their learning effectively across all areas of learning. Staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They gain detailed information about children before they start at the nursery. Key persons have a good understanding about the use of ongoing, observational assessment, including through the progress checks for two-year-old children. They effectively evaluate children's play to incorporate what children need to learn next into their planning that includes learning intentions for each child. Timely interventions help children who need additional support to close gaps in their development, including those learning English as an additional language. Staff talk on a daily basis to work with parents to provide a shared and

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who attend

consistent approach to help children progress. Each term, families meet with key staff to discuss children's progress as recorded in learning journals. However, the learning records do not regularly include contributions from parents for staff to value and fully build on children's learning at home.

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who attend

Staff are warm and caring so that children enjoy activities individually and in mixed age groups. The youngest children play and investigate quality toys stored at their level. Books are tidily stored so that all children can choose them easily. Toys are attractively made of varied materials, including a wide range of sound instruments. Staff use toys that are attractively made of varied materials to enable all children to engage in play that supports their learning and development. The youngest children's language skills are supported effectively as staff engage them in 'conversation' that encourages them to communicate, for example about the banging sounds they make. Babies are provided with many activities that are meaningful and that offer them choice. For example, they enjoy playing with a mirror and feeling the texture of glue and paint.

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who attend

Staff provide a good range of equipment for toddlers and older children to use for their own play and learning. They encourage children to learn about their wider world through following their own interests. For example, toddlers splash excitedly in puddles and they experiment as they make chalk marks on the wet ground. Older children role play at 'cooking' while sorting play food into items that are similarly shaped; others confidently discuss about the models they make from modelling dough. These activities demonstrate their emerging communication, language and mathematical skills. Children enjoy group activities, such as story and song times, when they develop their literacy interests and skills. Staff enable children consistently to think more deeply by offering challenges, including to recognise rhyming words. Children persevere and concentrate well so they make good progress in their learning to be ready for the next stage in their education.

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

Babies and children achieve good physical and emotional development. They form strong bonds with all of the staff as well as their key persons, who are always attentive to their well-being. Staff are skilled and sensitive in helping children form secure emotional attachments. They offer continuous, individual encouragement to younger and older children. This begins during settling-in visits when staff to get to know the families better. As a result, staff provide a strong base for children's developing independence and exploration. Children gain confidence in varied, social situations. For example, different adults engage them in conversation at the weekly toddler group. Children receive praise for being considerate towards younger ones in the play room. They effectively learn about self-control as they learn how to share toys. They learn to listen carefully to instructions and take turns, for example as they play at being crocodiles jumping off tyres into the

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

'sea'. They respond to supportive behaviour management because staff have consistent, well targeted expectations of them and are good, calm, role models. The staff give strong priority to the safety of children and effectively support their growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Children develop a clear understanding of how to manage risks and challenges relative to their ages. They learn to use tools safely, including clothes pegs and scissors. They carefully negotiate larger physical equipment, including to climb and balance and to negotiate scooters around the hall. Staff provide an attractive environment with many child-accessible resources. Clear containers enable children to develop the ability to choose the different, suitable play things stored at their level. Adults use the resources well to promote good learning through effectively stimulating younger and older children, both in and out of doors. As a result, children

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

develop good decision-making skills and enjoy their play.

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

From a young age, children demonstrate a good understanding about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Throughout the day, toddlers and older children choose whether to be in or out of doors; they benefit from ample fresh air and enjoy energetic and quieter play in different weathers. They are active as they build experiment with water and freely explore natural materials, including in the mud 'kitchen'. Adults organise themselves well so a member of staff is always on hand to support children's care needs, including nappy changing and toileting. Staff ensure that children gain a particularly good understanding about the reasons for personal hygiene. Children thoroughly enjoy cookery sessions but do not always receive support to learn to manage their packed meals independently. Nevertheless, children eat well and healthily as parents sending nutritious food and the nursery provides varying snacks, including fruits. Children are keen to help to grow food,

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

including strawberries, on a nearby allotment. This means that they learn effectively about a healthy diet.

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provision

The owner-manager demonstrates a good understanding of her responsibility to meet the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She and the staff have a secure awareness of local safeguarding children procedures and work to effectively detailed policies. Through documented induction and on-going training, staff are familiar with possible signs of children at risk and with procedures to follow if they have concerns. The premises are organised in ways that meets the needs of children who have ample indoor play space and free access to a safe outdoor area. Premises are secure with use of door alarms and 'safety net' gates before the security gate so that children only leave accompanied by authorised people. Written risk assessment identifies all aspects of the environment, including use of the gates that staff check on a regular basis. Risk assessments, including for outdoor spaces and outings, are effective. As a result, staff

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provision

monitor thoroughly all areas that children use to keep them safe at all times.

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provision

The provider uses effective systems for staff recruitment, vetting, supervision and ongoing professional development. This approach and the small group of well-known adults support children's well-being effectively. The owner-manager and her staff have a strong understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She and the other key persons monitor children's progress carefully to identify any gaps in their learning. They have good links to make effective partnerships with local, shared providers to support children's learning and development. Partnership working with parents and carers is, overall, effective to foster children's learning and development. Families hugely appreciate the friendly, approachable staff. They commend the balance of child- and adult-led play and say their children have gained much confidence.

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provision

The dedicated staff work as a team and evaluate their practice well. They encourage parents and carers to feedback their views about the nursery and hold regular meetings to discuss how to extend children's learning further. Staff are proactive in taking account of children's interests when planning activities so that they enjoy what they do. The provider values the support of the local authority advisor's help to review what is working well and identify areas for additional improvements. Following a previous visit by Ofsted a Notice to Improve was issued in respect of the security of the premises. Staff have taken prompt action to improve security measures. They have also responded well to recommendations set at a previous inspection about the use of group activities and outdoor provision for children's number skills. Staff plan to consolidate support for children from different cultures and to continue developing the outdoor provision. Actions plans also include

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provision

working towards a quality assurance award and arranging forest school activities for children. This planning demonstrates the provider's commitment to making ongoing improvements.

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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 EY449695 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 952466 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 30 Name of provider Laura Jane Pearson Date of previous inspection 23/09/2013 Telephone number 07971314014

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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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