Little Stars (Leicester) Ltd

Little Stars Leicester Ltd 33 Lutterworth Road, Aylestone, Leicester, LE2 8PH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/04/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The outdoor area is well resourced and provides children with a wide range of experiences to be active. In addition, meals and snacks are healthy and nutritious and this contributes effectively to promoting the children's health.  Positive relationships with staff and children result in children who are happy and confident and easily involve adults in their play. Staff work well with parents to meet children's individual needs and preferences.  Staff in the baby room provide a broad range of experiences and are attentive and responsive to the needs of the babies who confidently explore both indoors and outdoors.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not consistently recognise children's progress and use the information gathered to plan experiences and activities to further challenge children's learning, in particular, in the toddler and pre-school room.  Staff caring for children in the toddler room do not consistently make best use of available resources and space and provide a broad enough range of experiences to offer all children a rich and varied environment.  The leadership team does not effectively monitor the consistency of practice and teaching and learning throughout the nursery and self-evaluation does not identify all areas for improvement.

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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 activities in the play rooms and the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the registered individual/manager and the deputy of nursery.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the registered individual/manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the nursery, the provider's self- evaluation, development plan and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day and information and feedback from parent surveys.

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Information about the setting

Little Stars Leicester Ltd was established in 1999 and was re-registered in September 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register as a limited company. The nursery operates from a converted house in Aylestone, Leicester. Children are cared for in three age-appropriate rooms and all share access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs nine members of staff, including the manager. Of these, three hold a qualification at level 5 and six hold an early years qualification at level 3.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am until 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. There are currently 46 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The nursery supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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must:

 develop the use of space and use and range of toys, resources and activities on offer for children in the toddler room to provide a more rich and varied range of experiences, to increase enjoyment and challenge

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must:

 improve the use of observation and assessment, for children in the toddler room and in the pre-school room, to help staff more effectively plan a clear learning intention for activities to provide a more challenging range of learning experiences.

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

 build on the systems in place to monitor the educational programmes, and observation and assessment and improve staff supervision by placing a greater emphasis on developing teaching and children's learning across the nursery

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

 use robust self-evaluation, to help identify fully all areas for improvement to help improve further the quality of play and learning experiences.

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who attend

Children, parents and carers are warmly welcomed on arrival and children easily settle into play. On entry to the nursery, parents and carers are consulted about their children's emerging needs and achievements. This information is used well by staff to help children settle and plan for their interests when they first start. Parents and carers are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning. For example, the recently introduced learning story record provides parents with a detailed observation of what their child has been doing and how their child will be supported further. This is able to capture the child's comments and those of the parents. All parents and carers have access to the children's developmental profiles, which are made easily accessible. In addition, they also receive a written summary progress report at different stages, for example, when their children are aged 18 months, two years and then when children are leaving to start school. That said,

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who attend

although staff make regular observations of what children do and record their next steps, staff caring for children in the toddler room and in the pre-school room do not use this information well to help inform planning. For example, some activities do not have a clear learning intention, lack challenge and insufficient opportunities are created for children to be involved in active learning and to think critically. Therefore, while children acquire the basic skills in preparation for school or their next stage of learning, they are not all making at least good progress from their starting points. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language are supported well. For example, staff place a clear focus on ensuring any gaps in their development are identified early and work with parents to support these children on targeted areas identified.

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who attend

All staff place a clear focus on supporting the children's physical development both indoors and outdoors. For example, children in the baby room have the opportunity to move, roll, sit and stretch and more active babies are supported well to crawl and walk as they use climbing equipment. All children, including the babies, benefit from the outdoor area. This offers a wide range of large and small physical play equipment which challenges the children's physical skills well. Children's communication and language in the baby room is developing well. Staff engage them successfully by singing to them, making eye contact and using their voice to attract their attention to provide opportunities for early conversation. They constantly talk to the children about what they are doing and reinforce new words well. Daily singing sessions, actions songs and story sessions are welcomed by all the children and used well to support children's language development. Staff caring for

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who attend

the children in the pre-school room and toddler room use circle time to engage children in discussion and they are confident speakers. However, at times staff do not place enough emphasis on introducing new vocabulary during some activities. This is because not enough thought is given to the full potential of the learning outcomes available in some of the activities on offer. Therefore, interactions at times lack challenge, in particular, for the more able children in the rooms.

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who attend

Staff in the pre-school room work well with children encouraging them to be interested in counting, shape and size within the environment and daily routine. For example, children have been using their hands as a measure to compare size. They begin to confidently count, sort and match and use the computer to consider mathematical concepts. However, staff do not successfully incorporate a mathematical component, such as weight and capacity in the role play or sand and water area, to further enhance the more able children's mathematical learning. The staff encourage children to observe the weather and changes in the environment whilst playing outdoors, and regular walks in the local area provide some meaningful first hand experiences for children to learn about the natural world. Children learn about their own and others' cultures as they learn about the celebrations of a variety of festivals and learn about their local community as they visit the

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who attend

local shops and places of interest. Staff caring for children in the pre-school provide appropriate opportunities for them increase the children's literacy skills. For example, these children begin to recognise their own names at morning registration and confidently use a range of writing materials. Staff provide a mixed range of opportunities for children to explore a variety of painting techniques, arts and crafts and to use their senses to explore resources, such as sand, water, cereals, dough and jelly.

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

The key-person system in place helps support staff to get to know the children and their parents when they first start and build a strong relationship with them. Staff are warm, gentle and adopt a nurturing approach to support children's emotional well-being. Staff in the baby room carefully follow the babies' individual routines and preferences and are attentive to their needs. For example, a new baby who is settling is given all the attention needed to help the baby feel safe. Consequently, the baby freely explores the environment. When children are ready to transfer to another room there are secure systems in place to support parents and the children to ensure the move is smooth and the children's emotional well-being is given high priority. Strong links have been forged with the local feeder schools to support the move to the next stage of learning. For example, some of the teachers from the schools visit the nursery and staff have taken

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

photos of the schools and teachers and obtained school uniforms. This all contributes significantly to sharing information to help support the children's well-being, care and education. Children are well behaved and respond well to gentle reminders and also remind one another about agreed codes of behaviour. For example, children remind each other to use 'kind hands' and their 'listening ears'.

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

The environment and resources are safe and adequate. The baby room and outdoor area are well resourced and offer a broad range of experiences to keep children interested and occupied. However, in the toddler room the staff do not always make best use of the space and resources available. For example, not a wide enough range of resources are made freely available to increase enjoyment and challenge. In addition, in pre-school the staff do not fully utilise what is available to ensure planned goals in learning are met consistently.

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

Children benefit from freshly prepared meals and snacks, which are healthy and nutritious and enjoyed by the children. For example, the four weekly winter and summer menu incorporates fresh meat and vegetables and a range of milk and fruit-based desserts. Children learn about staying healthy as they learn about healthy foods and the importance of exercise. There are effective hygiene practices in place to prevent the spread of infection, such as when changing nappies. Staff supervise the children well so that they can move safely and freely both indoors and outdoors. For example, children manage the stairs to the first floor well as they hold the handrail and are supported by the staff.

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provision

All staff are well qualified in child protection issues and clearly understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to this. For example, there are secure systems in place to ensure staff are suitably vetted and inducted in health and safety, safeguarding and child protection. All the required records, policies and procedures, including risk assessments, are in place and up to date to help secure children's safety and welfare.

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provision

The management team consists of the registered person who is also the manager and a deputy; they are both well qualified and experienced. They have accurately identified in the self-evaluation the strengths and that some staff need further support to improve the quality of teaching. However, they have not identified fully the weaknesses in and use of resources and space in the toddler room. Therefore, self-evaluation is not fully effective and robust in identifying all areas for improvement. The leadership team carry out six monthly appraisals and support staff by offering them additional training to improve practice. However, they do not effectively monitor the consistency of practice throughout the nursery, such as the quality of teaching and use of observation and assessment to ensure all children make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are strong and continue to strengthen. Parents and carers are kept well informed about the nursery polices and the educational programmes. For example, the nursery website, notice boards, regular newsletters and daily diaries are used well to keep them up to date. Parents' satisfaction surveys and discussion with parents on the day of the inspection show they are happy with the level of information they receive, how well their children have settled and the relationships fostered. Parents' ideas and suggestions are followed through well. For example, all children now clean their teeth after their meal, following a parent's suggestion. There are secure systems in place to share information with other nurseries and schools and professionals involved with the children to meet the needs of children.

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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 EY470492 Local authority Leicester City Inspection number 939888 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 47 Name of provider Little Stars Leicester Limited Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01162839991

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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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