Little Leaf Nursery

Little Leaf Nursery First Floor, Ivy Leaf Memorial Club, Wimpole Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 7RJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/08/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children have access to a wide range of good quality resources, enabling them to make independent choices and supporting their interests and learning effectively.  The staff establish good relationships with parents, keeping them well informed about their child's progress and welcoming their comments and suggestions.  The nursery is well led and managed. Expectations are high and there is a strong commitment to developing a high quality provision for the benefit of the children attending.  Staff are particularly skilled in recognising some children's anxieties or fears and they work hard to alleviate these, making the environment as comfortable as possible.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always take full advantage of the opportunities in everyday situations to introduce children to mathematical language and ideas.

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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 compulsory part 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 two playrooms and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the manager throughout the visit. Safeguarding was discussed and a sample of the policies viewed.  The inspector sampled children's information and development records.  The inspector also took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector and manager undertook a joint observation in the pre-school room.

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Information about the setting

Little Leaf Nursery registered in 2014 and operates from the first floor of a clubhouse in West Drayton in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Children have access to two play rooms and there is a small garden for outside play on the ground floor. The nursery is accessed via a flight of stairs. There are currently eight children on roll. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery currently employs four staff all of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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

 take more advantage of the opportunities in everyday activities to extend children's mathematical skills and to introduce and practise mathematical language.

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who attend

The staff team has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Overall, they are secure in their knowledge of how to promote the learning and development of young children. In addition, the environment is supportive to learning: it is rich in resources and complemented by varied and imaginative experiences in all areas of learning. Staff ensure there is a broad range of interesting activities set out each day and resources are easily accessible to children in safe low-level storage baskets and units, to enable them to choose for themselves. Therefore, children gain skills in independence as they readily help themselves to what they would like to play with. Children arrive and, after saying goodbye to their parent or carer, explore the environment and settle down with their choice of play, showing that they feel secure. Children enjoy exploring the wide range of toys provided and become engrossed in their play.

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who attend

Staff are in the early stages of completing children's individual learning journals. These records contain a wealth of information, including children's starting points, tracking documents and many observations, to support future plans for each child. A system is in place for assessing the progress of two-year-olds in the three prime areas of learning, to be shared with parents once the children are completely settled and have been attending for a few months.

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who attend

Staff build on children's interests to provide learning opportunities that motivate children. For example, children enjoy taking part in activities on the theme of 'Under the sea', which staff planned after children showed an interest in the toy fishes when playing in the water. Staff engage children well in conversation and they ask questions that encourage children to think and respond. They listen to what children have to say, which means that children learn that their views are valued, and develop confidence in speaking. Print in the environment supports all children's emerging literacy development. However, on occasions , staff miss opportunities to introduce mathematical vocabulary into routine, everyday tasks. For example, at the inspection, staff missed opportunities to count with children as they went up and down the stairs to the garden.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy exploring the home corner area and spend long periods of time busy with their imaginative ideas. This home environment is well resourced with pretend food and real life, everyday objects. Staff help children in developing their ideas and use this role-play area well to particularly support children who find mealtimes and social occasions difficult to manage. For example, children practise sitting at the table and pretending to eat. This supports them in learning about the importance of sitting down when eating to keep themselves safe, and it helps them to become confident in such social situations.

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who attend

Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well as some staff speak additional languages and others learn key routine words to help children settle. Parents have daily opportunities to meet with staff to discuss their children's achievements and progress. Parents' meetings are being organised for the Autumn term, to share information about children's progress more formally, and provide further support for their learning.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the purpose of the key person system and this is securely in place to support children to build relationships with their special member of staff, in order to promote their emotional security. Staff spend time gathering information from all parents when children first start at the nursery, enabling staff to understand their children's individual needs and routines and to meet them from the outset. Children receive lots of reassurance as they separate from their main carers and settle in. This helps them to feel confident and secure.

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

Children's personal social and emotional development is fostered well; children have formed some good friendships and play well together. Staff manage children's behaviour well, they use positive strategies to deal with any minor issues. Children receive lots of praise and encouragement, which supports their self-confidence and esteem. Staff show particular skill in recognising if children have anxieties or fears, and they support these children sensitively to feel relaxed in the nursery environment. For example, when children find mealtimes difficult, staff take a calm approach, so that children gradually become more curious about new foods, and more confident to try them.

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

Children's specific health, dietary needs and allergies are recorded and known by staff. Children learn about healthy lifestyles and follow good hygiene practices when washing and drying their hands before snack or after toileting. Children's independence and self- help skills are developing; children select from a choice of fruit and they choose and pour their own drinks. Children are provided with a healthy and nutritious cooked meal during the day. Children have opportunities to play in the garden during the day and they thoroughly enjoy this time outside. The nursery makes effective use of a small, grassed area for outdoor play. This supports children's physical health and well-being.

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

Staff are vigilant and supervise the children very well. Gentle reminders from staff help children to understand about keeping themselves safe as they play and use a variety of equipment. The nursery is comfortable and has ample space for children to move around in safely, to fully explore the resources. The nursery has effective security systems in place; any visitors need to ring the doorbell and show their identification before entering the nursery. The nursery has a separate entrance to the clubhouse on the ground floor and the children's play area is located away from the outside space for the clubhouse guests. This ensures children's privacy when they are playing in the garden.

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provision

The staff team has a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Robust recruitment procedures are in place, which ensures adults working with the children are suitably checked, and this includes a thorough induction process over a number of weeks. Staff have received safeguarding training and know and understand their responsibilities for safeguarding. They understand the procedures to follow if an allegation were to be made against a member of staff. In addition, the manager ensures that a clear log is maintained of any incidents and of any concerns in relation to the children or to staff conduct.

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provision

Children play in a safe and secure environment because staff give children's safety and well-being high priority. The manager ensures that correct ratios of adults to children are always maintained and has effective risk assessment procedures in place to identify any hazards in the environment. For example, following risk assessment in relation to the temperature of the nursery during some hot weather, the manager purchased some fans to help keep the nursery cool. Staff also conduct daily checks on the premises.

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provision

The manager has high aspirations for maintaining quality in all aspects of care and education in the setting and has embraced the mentoring support set up to guide her development of the nursery. Although the nursery has only recently opened, the manager uses clear action plans to review practice and target areas for improvement. She is supporting staff to continually reflect on their practice and develop their understanding of continuous improvement. Staff are all currently in their probationary period and formal supervision is scheduled to take place. Staff have begun to work in partnership with other agencies, such as the Early Years team, and are enthusiastic to continually update their professional development. They have already signed up for further training with the local authority. Partnerships with parents are good. The setting places value on ensuring that parents develop a sense of belonging to the setting, to contribute to the well-being of their

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provision

children. Parents are provided with good information to ensure they are well informed about how the provision operates and about their child's progress, their achievements and daily experiences. Parents are welcomed into the nursery when they drop off their child in the morning and when they collect them later on. Comments from parents indicate they are very happy with the service provided and are appreciative of the flexibility that the nursery offers. The manager has built up links with the local children's centres and has plans to develop partnership working with local schools within the year.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY478062 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 984290 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 1 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 8 Name of provider Janet Williams Higgins Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01895 438876

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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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