Little Angels Day Nursery

Little Angels Day Nursery Winnington Hall, Winnington, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 4DU

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/05/2014 09/03/2009

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Partnerships with parents are strong and effective, which enables parents to feel well informed and valued and to be able to contribute to the planning process.  Support for children's language and communication skills is highly effective. This ensures that all children make good or better progress with their language and communication skills.  The relationship between staff and children is positive and purposeful. Consequently, all children settle in extremely well, make smooth transitions and are emotionally secure.  The management team have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this to ensure all staff are well supported in their work through effective monitoring and training.  The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good, and as a result, all children make good or better progress.  Safeguarding and welfare is strong as all staff have attended training and use their

p.1

This provision is good

knowledge to ensure children are kept safe.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further develop the use of words, letters and numbers so that children have increased opportunities to recognise these in the environment.

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 carried out a tour of the nursery.  The inspector spoke with parents during the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed play and learning activities in the indoor and outdoor environments and spoke to children and staff.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a meeting with the owner/manager and looked at and discussed a range of policies, procedures and documentation.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

p.2

Information about the setting

Little Angels Day Nursery was registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years Register. It is one of two settings owned by a private provider. The nursery operates from a converted building in the Winnington area of Northwich. Children are cared for within three group rooms. Rooms are located on two floors with no lift access. There are two secure areas available for outdoor play. The nursery is open five days a week, from 7am to 7pm, all year round. Children attend from the local community and surrounding areas. There are currently 80 children on roll in the early years age range. There are 14 members of staff, of whom 13 hold recognised childcare qualifications. One member of staff holds both Qualified Teacher Status and Early Years Professional Status. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

p.3

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

 enhance the already stimulating learning environment to include more words, letters and numbers so that children have a wider range of opportunities to recognise print and numerals in the environment.

p.3

who attend

The learning environment provided in all three rooms is warm, welcoming, well organised and attractive for children. A wide range and variety of resources are available for children to independently choose from, and these provide appropriate learning opportunities across the seven areas of learning. The outdoor areas have shade and shelter provided by large awnings. Children have access to a range of wheeled toys, including scooters and tricycles to help develop their physical skills. Children are able to play with balls and hoops and engage in role play on the pirate ship, as well as chalking on the large board and building with plastic bricks. Planning effectively supports all children in their learning and development and is prominently displayed in each of the rooms. Children's progress is supported by detailed written progress reviews for each child which are completed by room staff. These reviews are monitored by the management team and shared with

p.3

who attend

parents. Ongoing, observational-based assessments are completed by nursery staff which are then linked to the next steps in children's learning, as well as to the characteristics of effective learning. These identified next steps are used successfully to inform the planning of activities that help children to make good progress through an appropriate level of challenge. This shows that all staff have a good level of understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.3

who attend

Planning takes account of children's interests, information provided by parents and the next steps identified for their learning. Parents regularly share with staff what children have been doing at home, and parents' contributions are recognised and valued as a key part of children's learning right from the start of their placement at the nursery. Staff share detailed six-weekly progress reports and the required progress check at age two with parents, so they can see the progress their children have made. The quality of teaching in all rooms is consistently good. This is because staff have high expectations of all children and use a wide range of effective teaching strategies including modelling language, explaining, showing, questioning, encouraging and providing a narrative for what children are doing. Activities provided are made enjoyable and interesting for the children, and as a result, they become enthusiastic learners. The impact of this is that all

p.3

who attend

children make good or better progress across all seven areas of learning given their starting points, as they gain the skills they will need for their future learning.

p.4

who attend

Children of all ages are well supported to engage with books and enjoy having stories read to them. For example, children in the pre-school room enjoy listening to stories being read to their group before lunch. In the tots room, children enjoy sharing books with staff and each other in the book area. In the first steps room, very young children snuggle up alongside staff and lift the flaps in books to find out what is behind them, babbling excitedly as they do so. Staff use a range and variety of strategies to bring stories to life from the use of their voice to creating sound effects and using puppets. Staff recognise that a love of books is an important aspect to develop with children, and use books well to promote children's language and thinking skills. Children of all ages enjoy making marks and older children have progressed to develop skills in forming their letters, such as when writing their name on a painting they have produced. Staff help children by sounding out

p.4

who attend

the letters for them to hear when writing their names. Younger children talk with the staff about the work they have produced, and staff write their name for them on their work. For example, during a collage making activity in the tots room, a child shows their piece of work to staff and asks her to write their name on it. Sometimes children are able to tell staff the name of the letter their name starts with. However, there is scope to enhance the already stimulating learning environment to include more words, letters and numbers so that children have a wider range of opportunities to recognise print and numerals in the environment.

p.4

who attend

Support for children's language and communication skills is an outstanding feature of practice. Staff are highly skilled in promoting and modelling language, and take many opportunities to support this. For example, staff ask open-ended questions during role play, model language when supporting children engaging with play tools and support children to learn and join in with a wide and diverse range of songs and rhymes. As a result, children are competent and confident to talk about what they like and dislike and what they do at home and at the nursery. Many children enjoy dressing up and engaging in role play, which helps them to develop their imagination and creative thinking skills as they take on roles of characters. One child dresses up as a princess, declaring 'I am a doctor now one with a special dress on' and 'my job is to make the babies better'. Staff are skilled in using open-ended questions to challenge the children to think and talk about

p.4

who attend

what they are doing. For example, when some children take notes for their shopping lists, they are requested by staff to read back their lists, valuing children's early writing skills and challenging them to engage in reading. In the pirate boat outdoors, children talk in great detail to staff about what they are doing and the sharks they say they can see in the water. Staff listen well as children communicate their ideas and they then ask them appropriate questions, which shows children that staff are interested in them and their play. Older children have access to resources to teach them about technology. For example, children are encouraged to use resources, such as a lap top computer. Children use talk to support each other in how to move the mouse around the screen and what icons they need to click to access the activities. This also promotes their physical development and their information technology skills.

p.4

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

Staff place a strong emphasis on promoting children's emotional well-being. They engage with children at their level and are very successful in helping children to settle quickly. For example, one child in the first steps room, who has only attended for three weeks, has settled well. The nursery recognises the importance of supporting children to form trusting relationships with staff. Well-developed key person systems are in place to promote this, and great emphasis is placed by all staff on developing positive relationships between staff and children. When children first start they receive excellent support from the whole staff team, including their key person, who very sensitively guides them on the routines of the day and explains what is going to happen so that children feel secure as early as possible. Children behave well and are learning to share and take turns. They receive good support to understand the routines and boundaries, helping to promote their sense of security.

p.5

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

Children have regular opportunities to take part in activities which help them to understand how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, they learn to assess risks and consider their own capabilities when playing with the physical play equipment in the outdoor area. As a result, children develop highly positive relationships with staff, which are an outstanding feature of the nursery. Children are provided with a wide range and variety of toys and equipment, both indoors and outdoors, which are continuously being added to and updated. These significantly enhance children's learning and enjoyment. Children are able to select items independently and transport them to other areas to extend their play. Staff organise space around the needs of the children, so they can freely move around.

p.5

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

Good arrangements are in place to promote children's health. The environment and equipment is kept extremely clean and children learn good personal care skills. There is a cook who prepares snacks and meals which are nutritious and which reflect children's individual dietary requirements. Staff who hold first aid qualifications are present at all times. Good systems are in place to help to prepare children well for their move between rooms and later to school. The nursery has developed good networking with feeder schools. Staff share information with schools that children also attend part time while attending the nursery, and invite school staff to visit children at the nursery as well as supporting visits to school as part of the transition process. Staff liaise closely with parents about the transition of their child to school and nurture relationships with teachers at local schools. As a key part of this they discuss the changes that children will encounter and the

p.5

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

skills that children may need in their new class. This enables staff to prepare children specifically for their receiving school.

p.5

provision

The management team and staff have an excellent understanding of their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are well supported through supervision and training to undertake their roles at the nursery. As a result, staff are competent, enthusiastic and well motivated to work with children. Management use a robust recruitment process, which helps to ensure that all those working with children are suitable to do so. All staff attend safeguarding training and have appropriate checks carried out on them. Staff demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and the correct procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child.

p.6

provision

A high proportion of the staff hold suitable early years qualifications. This is reflected in the consistently good quality of teaching and observational-based assessment throughout the nursery and the effectiveness of the next steps planned for children's learning. The management provides excellent leadership as they inspire and motivate the staff team through extensive monitoring and feedback on good practice and areas for development, including through the supervision process. Children's feedback on their time at nursery is sought creatively, including using photographs and one-to-one conferencing with children. Self-evaluation is undertaken as a whole team, and staff use this to continually identify areas for development in relation to all aspects of the provision. An example of this has resulted in changes being made to the layout of rooms and outdoor spaces for the children. As a result, all children are confident in the environment and are able to making

p.6

provision

active choices based on interest, challenge and preference.

p.6

provision

The manager and staff closely monitor the progress of all children across the nursery and use this to evaluate areas which can be further developed. This results in targeted developments, such as the recent fitting of awnings outdoors for shade and shelter in all weathers. All staff are able to accurately assess children's progress and identify their next developmental steps clearly and accurately. They use this to ensure that the support for each child is maximised. Staff have very high expectations of each child to achieve and make good progress. As a result, children take pride in their efforts and are confident as they attempt activities which offer suitable, stage-appropriate challenge. The nursery is extremely proactive in supporting children to make good progress and in establishing strong partnerships with parents to make this possible. For example, parents' involvement in prioritising children's next steps is highly valued. This has the effect that all children

p.6

provision

benefit from consistent, shared expectations at nursery and at home. Parents are extremely happy with the progress their children are making, giving clear examples of significant steps of developmental progress being made. As a result, partnerships with parents are an outstanding feature of the nursery. Parents spoken with on the day of the inspection are very positive about what the nursery offers to their child. They talk about the fantastic staff at the nursery and how they feel enthusiastic and confident about what is provided for their child. They say they are kept extremely well informed by nursery staff and that their contributions and the information they provide are really valued.

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 EY292915 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 861459

p.8

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 51 Number of children on roll 80 Name of provider Little Angels (Cheshire) Ltd Date of previous inspection 09/03/2009 Telephone number 01606 872101

p.8

Type of provision

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