Little Potters Childcare Services

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Telephone: 0300 123 1231 Fax: 0300 123 3159 Minicom: 0161 618 8524 Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Web: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Little Potters Childcare Services Little Potters Littleworth Road CANNOCK Staffordshire WS12 1JD Our Reference EY448885

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Monitoring for provision judged as inadequate

An Ofsted inspector, Parm Sansoyer, monitored your provision on 12/05/2014 following your inspection where the provision was judged to be inadequate.

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Outcome of monitoring

As a result of our inspection on 28/02/2014, we sent you a notice to improve. The actions you were set are included at the end of this letter.

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Outcome of monitoring

During the monitoring visit the inspector discussed with you the steps you have taken to address the actions raised in the notice to improve. She observed staff working with the children and had discussions with you and them. The inspector also spoke to a parent, a consultant from the company who provides you with external support and to a representative from the local authority. She looked at the Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all staff members, the vetting process in relation to obtaining references, children's observation and assessment records and the planning of activities. The inspector also looked at your action plan and records of staff supervision.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector found that you have developed a comprehensive action plan to address the issues raised at your last inspection. You took immediate action to obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service check for the cook working on the premises and the verbal reference obtained for a new member of staff was recorded fully and you followed this up with a written reference. You have also introduced systems to evaluate the quality of the teaching and the impact this has on outcomes in children's learning. This action plan has enabled you to accurately address the areas for improvement identified at your last inspection and to plan for ongoing improvement.

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Outcome of monitoring

You have developed a more robust vetting system, which ensures you obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service check for all staff working on the premises, to secure Our Reference EY448885

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Outcome of monitoring

the children's safety. In addition to this, you have updated the documentation for recording any verbal references taken over the telephone and ensured it is completed during the telephone conversation. You have also revised the questions asked during this conversation to ensure it provides you with useful information, to help you make a decision about the suitability of staff.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector observed that staff now take into account information that has been gained about the individual learning needs of children, when planning activities. Therefore, adult-led activities are better matched to children's abilities, to further extend learning and children demonstrate increased levels of involvement and enjoyment. The inspector found that staff place a better focus on supporting the children's communication skills by using more creative strategies to engage children in discussion and by focusing on key vocabulary they can introduce during activities. The inspector found that the staff are increasingly confident in using the relatively new system to observe and track children's progress and make better use of this information to inform the planning of activities. Since the last inspection, there is now an additional self-contained baby unit for children aged up to 18 months. This

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Outcome of monitoring

means that children are better placed in rooms according to their age and ability, which increases the ease in planning by staff for the varying needs of the group.

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Outcome of monitoring

You have welcomed the support from your local authority and have been proactive in also employing additional external support to help improve the learning environment and provide training for staff. You have also attended training to improve your skills in monitoring the observation and assessment systems in place. The inspector found the new tracking system being introduced is better placed in helping you gain a more accurate picture of the progress children make from their starting points.

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Outcome of monitoring

The inspector found that there is an increased focus on teaching and learning during staff supervision and a new system to observe individual staff practice has recently been introduced to help improve practice. It is clear to see you are keen to develop the staff team. You have purchased a number of books for staff to use and they are positive about what is available. They use these to help increase their knowledge and to give them ideas of further activities they can do with the children to increase enjoyment and extend learning.

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Outcome of monitoring

Having considered all the evidence, the inspector is of the opinion that the setting has taken prompt and effective action to address the points for improvement.

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Next steps

The next step will be a full inspection. Our Reference EY448885

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Next steps

I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your setting. If you have any further queries please contact us on the number at the top of this letter.

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Next steps

Nick Hudson National Director, Early Education Our Reference EY448885

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Action Due date Closed date

obtain Disclosure and Barring checks for every person, including staff who undertake cooking duties 12/03/2014 12/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

record information about vetting processes that have been completed, including verbal references 12/03/2014 12/05/2014

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Action Due date Closed date

ensure the quality of teaching is consistently good by ensuring staff take into account information that has been gained about the individual learning needs of children when planning activities, so that adult-led activities are well matched to children's abilities and well planned to fully support and extend children's communication skills. 30/04/2014 12/05/2014

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