Little Angels Nursery

Little Angels Nursery Cobham Village Hall, Lushington Drive, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 2LU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/05/2014 14/01/2011

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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 1

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This provision is good

 The whole staff team have an inspirational shared ethos which places the child and the family at the heart of all that they do.  The key-person system is highly effective, and staff build close, secure relationships with children and the parents, supporting their needs.  Children benefit from strong planning and assessment methods which focus on children's individual learning needs, particularly where children have additional needs.  The manager and staff have exemplary partnerships with the local community which means they can provide consistent, coherent care for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff support for children's critical thinking and problem solving can sometimes vary, so children are not fully challenged to extend their skills in this area.

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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 observed different age groups at play indoors and outside.  The inspector and manager carried out a joint observation.  The inspector and manager met to discuss safeguarding and monitoring methods.  The inspector met with parents to gather their views.

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Information about the setting

Little Angels Nursery opened in 2003, and was taken over and registered by Simply Ethical Limited in 2010. They are registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is a pack-away group that operates from Cobham Village Hall in Cobham, Surrey. There is a secure outdoor play area. They are in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Currently there are 42 children on roll who attend for a variety of sessions. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 9am to 12 noon for children aged three and four years; Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoon 12.30 -3pm for children aged two; and Monday and Tuesday 10am-3pm and Friday 9.45am-12.15pm for the youngest two-year olds. The nursery is open during term time only. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children with English as an additional

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Information about the setting

language. Children mainly come from the local area. There are eight regular staff. The registered person/manager has Early Years Professional Status and also sits on a number of local advisory boards and groups. Four staff are qualified to level 3 and there are two apprentices plus one other member of staff has completed the first year of a foundation degree.

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

 enhance staff's teaching skills in extending children's problem solving and critical thinking.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of how to meet the learning and development requirements. They organise a broad and balanced curriculum with a variety of interesting activities in each area of learning. Children can be very active, independent learners and are continuously engaged in purposeful play, with the time and space to extend their ideas and set their own challenges. Staff know each child very well individually and plan for their specific learning needs. This means that children make good progress from their starting points and given their capabilities.

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who attend

Staff have very good teaching skills. They talk with children all the time, expanding their vocabulary with new words used in context, so children learn new words every day. Staff are very skilled at using open questions and describing what they are doing and what will happen next. As a result, children listen and suggest things they can do. For example, staff planting sunflower seeds with children talk about what the seed will need to grow and what they must do to prepare the soil. Children suggest moving the soil using their spades and help plant the seeds and water them. She asks the children for their memories of growing plants the year before and how tall the flowers grew. She explains what will happen when the seeds start to grow. During this activity, staff introduce new words such as gully, dusty, secure and shoots. Through this adult-led activity, staff facilitate children to do things in their own way, so they plant their seeds where they choose, find different

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who attend

containers to carry water and solve other practical problems. Staff skilfully support children's critical thinking. For example, when a child brings water in a cone, staff ask the child if she thinks it will balance, and what she might do to make sure it does not fall over. This skilful facilitation means that children develop strong critical and creative thinking abilities and independent play. However, staff do not consistently build on these abilities by setting problem-solving challenges in planned activities.

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who attend

Staff help children build a strong interest in literacy by placing writing materials in different areas of play so that children become used to early writing. Younger children make marks with their fingers in cornflour, water, paint and dough. All children enjoy stories because staff make them interesting and interactive. Staff ask for their opinions and experiences, making children confident to talk in groups. Children learn mathematical skills as they play. As children roll, stretch and cut dough, staff use mathematical language to talk about the length and make comparisons. Children with additional needs benefit from staff's highly effective teaching skills. They make adaptations in consultation with other professionals, such as providing black and white activities and high contrast materials for children with visual impairments.

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who attend

Staff use highly effective methods for planning and assessment. They work with parents to establish children's starting points and then observe the children closely as they settle in. The baseline observations are shared with parents so that the key person can agree the child's next steps in learning with them. This process is repeated each term, with summary reviews. The reviews feed into the progress checks for two-year-old children and the school transfer documents. Parents add their comments to reviews and write comments for the learning journals about 'wow' moments from home and recent activities. Staff also track children's development against expected levels of development, which helps them to identify and address any achievement gaps. Each key person keeps observations on their key children and devises potential lines of development for the following week. These are all brought together in the plans for the following week, so

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who attend

teaching is always closely tailored to children's learning needs. Staff also make adaptations on the spot, or for the next session, so that children's development is very well fostered. As a result, children make very strong progress, and make rapid progress where their starting points were below that expected for their age group.

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

Staff are highly effective key persons. They work closely together as a team so children get to know all staff very well. Parents can tailor the settling-in sessions to suit their child and staff closely observe children in their first hours to start building a secure relationship. Home visits build children's confidence in becoming familiar with staff, and thoughtful strategies, such as having a nursery teddy who visits children, support a very strong attachment. Staff are extremely considerate in listening to children and acting on their ideas, such as making folders for them to keep their work in. Staff's close attention to children's individual needs mean that children are very confident and secure in the nursery. Staff have created a good learning environment where children can be independent, active learners. Resources are arranged at child height, with word and picture labels so children can easily find what they want. Outdoors, staff arrange activities

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

that cover the whole curriculum which supports active learners. The routine maximises children's time to follow their ideas and extend their play. For example, they can choose when to stop for a snack, because the snack bar is open for a period of time. This means children do not have to be interrupted and can finish what they are doing before eating.

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

Children have good opportunities to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Children choose from a range of healthy foods at snack time and enjoy good levels of independence. For example, they can pour their own drinks and clear their cups and plates away after use. The attractive snack area has posters and information about food, and staff take opportunities, such as story-times, to talk with children about healthy eating. As a result, children can identify which foods are good for health and which are occasional treat foods. Children follow good hygiene routines because staff have well-established systems. Children independently wash their hands after messy play and before eating. Children enjoy frequent opportunities for outdoor play. They use hoops, bikes and balancing courses to build their skills, strength and flexibility. They also enjoy digging, carrying water and other physical tasks which support their play. Children have a wide range of opportunities to

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

build their small muscle strength, as they draw, make marks in cornflour and use threading materials. Staff are skilled at teaching children to manage their safety, holding out arms to help with balancing, or remembering not to flick dusty soil in case it goes in their eyes. In this way, children learn to see what might be harmful and help to keep themselves safe.

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

Children's behaviour is very mature and considerate. Staff are very clear about their expectations and talk with children about the nursery rules and how to manage feelings. Children know how to cooperate and take turns and support fair play. They enjoy playing in groups and invite their friends to join them as they understand that playing together is more fun. Children show high levels of curiosity and are very willing to have a go at new things and persist in learning new skills. They are resilient if faced with disappointment, such as when something is tricky to master. Children are also happy to take responsibility for tidying and managing their personal belongings. This means they have very strong skills for their future learning.

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provision

Leadership and management is exemplary and the whole team understand how to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They have a very clear shared ethos, which inspires them to consistently do the best they can for children and build a solid foundation from which to grow. Safeguarding procedures and policies are extremely well embedded and all staff know their duties and responsibilities. All staff are checked as to their suitability before they start work and know what procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child. Policies and procedures are available to parents so they understand the staff's responsibilities. The manager has rigorous and detailed recruitment procedures to employ staff of a very high calibre, who are fully committed to their vocation. Staff maintain documentation and records to an exceedingly high standard, which underpins children's well-being.

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provision

The manager works alongside staff in all aspects of the work so fully understands their strengths. Ongoing supervision and appraisal is well-organised so staff have frequent opportunities to build their professional development. Close working practices mean that senior staff act as role models and all staff learn from each other. The manager supports a reflective model of practice, where staff evaluate their work on a daily basis. They attend in-service training and visit outstanding settings to enhance their professional knowledge. The manager consults with staff and parents to gather their views and also has highly effective ways of capturing children's views. The reflective practice and views of families feed into action plans, which are systematically prioritised and reviewed to make sure improvements are well-embedded. The manager analyses the data from staff tracking children's progress and is building a strong overview of how each group is achieving. For

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provision

example, she has data from each key-person group and can cross-reference to resource and skill audits to make precise interventions. In this way, children's learning and development is expertly supported. The manager has plans to extend her analysis to include other groups, such as the achievements of boys or summer-born children, to continually enhance the provision.

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provision

Parents have exemplary opportunities to be a part of the nursery and build a very strong partnership with staff. The home visit is a key part of the relationship, and the nursery has an open door policy, so parents can visit and stay at any time. Parents comment on how much they appreciate staff's expertise and openness, and state that they know they can talk to them at any time. Parents value the termly meetings to discuss children's progress and the daily feedback on children's activities. Parents enjoy attending informal stay and play sessions where they can see how staff and children interact and how the provision works. Parents comment on how this enriches their play at home. The staff team are very considerate of parents' views and deal with any concerns or issues in an open and empathic way. The manager has highly effective partnerships in the community and works closely with other professionals to support children, especially those with additional needs.

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provision

For example, if children have any achievement gaps or developmental delays, staff work closely with parents to secure the right support in a timely way. This helps children to make rapid progress, as parents and staff are soon sharing effective strategies to address children's individual needs. The manager meets regularly with schools in the area and works in partnership to support children as they move on from the nursery. The manager gathers detailed feedback from the schools to enhance the nursery's methods in giving children the skills they need for this crucial next stage.

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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 EY413780 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 961253 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 43 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Simply Ethical Ltd Date of previous inspection 14/01/2011 Telephone number 079905 78 682

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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

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’.

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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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