Little Learners Pre-School

Little Learners Pre-School Barclays Community Centre, Cook Street, WINTON, Eccles, M30 8QG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/07/2014 16/09/2011

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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

 Children make good progress in their learning and development. This is because staff make the most of opportunities to extend learning through play and take good account of children's individual needs and interests.  Caring staff get to know children and their families very well. This helps children to form secure emotional attachments and promotes their well-being.  Staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities and the procedures for protecting children. The staff implement robust safeguarding and child protection procedures, as a result, children are safe within the pre-school.  Partnerships with parents and other professionals are successful and ensure children get the support they need.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The monitoring of staff practice is not sufficiently robust to identify how the high quality of teaching can be further enhanced.

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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 had a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's play and staff interactions both indoors and outdoors.  The inspector undertook a joint observation of a teaching activity with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment of records, planning documentation, progress check for children between the ages of two and three years, evidence of the suitability of staff, the provider's self-evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and children spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Little Learners Pre-School was registered in 2002 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Barclays Community Centre in the Eccles area of Salford. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 4 and two hold a level 3. The nursery opens Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9.30am until 1.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 26 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 extend the monitoring of staff practice to ensure the high quality of teaching already achieved is sustained, and constantly improved upon.

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who attend

All staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children. Children benefit from a good quality educational programme that effectively promotes their learning in all areas. The quality of teaching is good and children learn through a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff provide stimulating resources that are accessible and open-ended. Consequently, children are active and inquisitive learners who purposefully explore the indoor and outdoor environment. Staff support children well to ensure that their learning and development is in line with expected developmental ranges for their ages. As a result, children are acquiring the skills and attitudes required for their next stage in learning, including their move to school. All staff have high expectations of children and regularly assess children's development. Consequently, staff provide a wide range of interesting and challenging

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who attend

experiences that are linked to individual children's next steps.

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who attend

Children's communication and language development is given high priority. The manager has appointed a communication champion who has completed specialist training to help support children's communication and social interaction. Consequently, speech and language difficulties are quickly identified to ensure children get the support they need. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress, due to staff's accurate assessments of their individual needs. Clear targets are effectively put into place and the pre-school work closely with speech and language therapists to seek further support and advice when necessary. Small group activities are well used to develop children's listening and attention and their understanding and speech. As a result, all children are making good progress in their communication and language development, given their starting points.

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who attend

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are encouraged to share information about their child through daily conversations. Parents share information with their child's key person during settling-in visits which contribute to initial assessments of their child's starting points. As a result, staff know children very well and talk to them about their home life, which helps them to feel valued.

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

A well-established key-person system ensures all children benefit from strong attachments. The caring and supportive environment helps children to feel safe and secure which provides a strong foundation for their well-being. Settling-in sessions are used to build relationships with parents who are encouraged to share details of their child's individual care needs and routines. As a result, staff know individual children well and children's emotional well-being is effectively promoted. Staff prepare the children for their move to school by inviting the teachers into the pre-school. This enables children to meet them and form new attachments in a safe and familiar environment.

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

Staff provide stimulating, well-resourced indoor and outdoor environments that children can freely move between. Children can choose which activity they take part in or access the resources themselves. This provides children with valuable opportunities to develop their independence and all-round development. The outdoor learning environment provides valuable opportunities for all children to be physically active and practise and refine their physical skills. Consequently, children steer and manoeuvre bicycles with increasing skill and coordination. Children are developing a good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle by growing and caring for their own vegetables. Staff extend children's learning about nutrition by linking stories to the gardening activities and use mealtimes to encourage the children to try vegetables.

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

Children are well supported by staff who help them achieve good independent self-care skills. For example, children wash their hands after gardening and before they eat because they understand why it is important. Older children use the toilet with confidence and ask for help if needed, while children in nappies have their care met effectively. Staff are good role models and encourage children to share. Staff are fully aware of and sensitive to potential harm to children and encourage children to tidy up when they have finished with resources. As a result, children manage their surroundings to ensure their safety and minimise hazards.

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provision

The manager and staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, staff are confident in identifying and reporting any concerns about a child's welfare and children are well protected from harm. Secure recruitment and vetting procedures ensure all staff are suitable and safe to work with children. Effective risk assessments and daily safety checks are completed to minimise hazards in order to reduce the risk of accidents to children. Several staff have first-aid certificates and appropriate accident, incident and medicine records are in place.

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provision

Staff are experienced, qualified and highly skilled in their interactions with the children. The impact of their high quality teaching results in children making good progress in their learning. Since the last inspection, the manager has enhanced the systems to track children's progress towards the early learning goals. Procedures are now embedded so that children's next steps are informing the planning of activities and the manager monitors the planning weekly at staff meetings. This ensures that high standards of teaching are consistently provided for all children. The manager ensures regular training is provided to improve the skills of all staff. However, there is scope to extend the monitoring of staff practice to identify how the high quality of teaching can be further enhanced.

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provision

Partnerships with staff and parents are very positive. Parents comment on how friendly, welcoming and helpful all staff are and how they exchange information at the start and end of sessions. This ensures that children are supported by a consistent approach to care, which supports their well-being. Partnership working with external agencies and professionals such as speech and language therapists are effective, ensuring children are well supported when required. The pre-school are also extend partnerships to local schools by welcoming teachers to visit the children and share information about the children through a 'Here I come' document. This ensures children's moves to school are as smooth as possible.

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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 EY216941 Local authority Salford Inspection number 855711

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Little Learners Committee Date of previous inspection 16/09/2011 Telephone number 07814 577300

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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.

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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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