Little Folks Nursery & Out of School Club

Little Folks Nursery & Out of School Club Westwards Close, Kingstanding, Birmingham, B44 8LR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/09/2014 19/03/2014

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 All staff fully understand their role in safeguarding children. They provide an environment which is welcoming, stimulating and safe, and where all necessary steps are taken to protect children's welfare.  The management team have made effective use of self-evaluation and action plans to address previous recommendations and to identify areas for future development. This ensures that children continue to benefit from improvements made at the nursery.  Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff ensure that there is a joint approach to children's care and learning. Consequently, children are well supported and enjoy the time they spend at the nursery.  Staff are effective in providing care that meets children's specific requirements, thus ensuring that children with additional needs are also making effective progress in respect of their individual starting points.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Some staff do not use all opportunities to fully challenge children's creative and thinking skills as they do not frequently engage them in sustained conversations.  The outdoor provision does not fully enhance learning experiences so that children make connections and improve their grasp of language and literacy in various contexts.

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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 viewed all areas accessed by children, including the outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning activities in the all three rooms and the outdoor area of the nursery and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed children's development records, evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working in the setting and a range of other policies and procedures, including the improvement plans.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection.  The inspector carried joint observations with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Little Folks Nursery & Out of School Club was registered in 2011 and is one of a number of nurseries run by Mishi Nurseries Limited. It operates from an adapted warehouse in Kingstanding, Birmingham and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate qualifications at level 3. The manager holds a foundation degree and two staff hold Early Years Professional Status. There are currently 42 children on roll, who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-olds. The nursery supports 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:

 maximise all opportunities to enhance children's creative and thinking skills, by consistently using open-ended questions to engage them in sustained conversations

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

 develop the outdoor provision by introducing print and signage to show children the uses of print in various contexts, in order to further improve their already good grasp of language and literacy.

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who attend

Children access a friendly, welcoming and lively nursery. Staff make effective use of their understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage to support children's learning and development. This is because they observe children at play and use this information along with children's interests to plan activities. Staff complete observations on their key children, and others in the nursery, to ensure all children's achievements are captured. Children identified as working at lower levels than expected for their ages are well supported through additional activities. For example, staff develop strategies in partnership with the other agencies to develop children's social skills. As a result, all children are developing the required skills to prepare them for the next stage in their learning. The progress check for children aged between two and three years is completed and shared with all relevant partners. This ensures early intervention services for children

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who attend

who might need additional support are accessed effectively.

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who attend

Overall, teaching is good because staff know how children learn and use this knowledge to engage children in play. Staff collect learning and development information from parents when children first begin attending. This is used to inform the initial assessments and allows them to support children's individual needs from the onset. Staff support young children's and babies' language very well. They constantly talk to them and offer them choices of activities to engage them in conversation. Staff acknowledge children's interests and some use open-ended questions to support children's learning in an unrushed environment. For example, staff and children explore pictorial flash cards. They talk about ladybirds and the colours on the ladybird. This is further extended as staff ask them what other things around them are black. This supports children as they develop their thinking skills and understanding of the world, providing them with skills necessary for their next

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who attend

stage of learning. However, other staff occasionally miss opportunities to engage older children in sustained conversations and enhance their thinking skills, consequently, there are occasions where opportunities to develop children's language and critical thinking skills are not fully maximised. Staff provide good opportunities for children to link letters and sounds of the alphabet. This is because staff provide opportunities for children to read books from a very young age and the indoor environment is rich in text. Staff introduce unfamiliar words in a narrative context and allow children to share their own ideas. They use different voices and intonation when they read stories to children and encourage them to join in wherever possible. This helps children to listen with increasing attention and show interest in illustrations and print in books. This helps to develop children's literacy skills in preparation for their next stage of learning, such as school. However, the outdoor

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who attend

environment has fewer opportunities for children to make connections and improve their grasp of language and literacy. There are few prints or signage to show children the uses of print in various contexts. Staff provide good opportunities to develop mathematical concepts during play, such as counting and comparing sizes, as they build towers using building blocks. As a result, children incorporate early counting and mathematical vocabulary into their everyday play-based learning.

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who attend

Staff understand their role in ensuring that every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs. They effectively seek to engage and support parents in guiding their child's development at home. Parents contribute to their children's starting points by completing information about their children's interests. They benefit from regular discussions at the end of sessions, the use of newsletters and regular updates about their children's learning and development. Parents feel welcomed and are kept well-informed about their children's progress in a variety of ways. This means that parents are fully and effectively involved in their children's learning.

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

Children are warmly welcomed into the nursery where their emotional needs are well met. Children relate well to their key person and develop close emotional attachments with them and their peers. For example, younger children are reassured and effectively supported to become familiar with their new surroundings. This supports their emotional well-being and, as a consequence, they are gaining confidence and self-esteem. The nursery obtains a wealth of information from parents prior to their children starting with them. This ensures that staff are fully aware of children's individual needs, abilities and preferences. They consider these when planning activities and learning experiences. As a result, children make the transition between home and the nursery with ease. Children are well supported when they move from the nursery and into local schools. Summaries of children's learning and development are shared with their school teachers, which helps to

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

improve communication and co-ordination between professionals, staff and families.

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

Children become independent as they move through the nursery and develop a secure understanding of self-care skills and healthy practices. They have discussions with staff about how to stop germs spreading as they wash their hands before lunch. Children talk about different food and guess what they will be eating as they wait for their lunch to arrive. Children learn to cooperate and negotiate with their peers and are extremely helpful when practitioners engage them in activities, such as serving themselves with food at lunchtime. Staff are well deployed throughout mealtimes to engage with children and provide any assistance. This ensures that such routines are calm, sociable experiences. Children access outdoor play daily and enjoy the activities set up for them, such as slides and tricycles. This means that they develop physical skills, while learning about exercise, which supports their overall health and well-being.

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

Children's behaviour is good. Distraction techniques are used effectively by staff to avoid an escalation of conflict between children. As a result, children are aware of the boundaries set and the behavioural expectations of the nursery. Children are encouraged to keep each other and themselves safe and demonstrate a clear understanding of the safety rules and routines of the nursery. The result is a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and trust between children, adults and parents alike.

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provision

The owners and the manager have high aspirations for the nursery and strive to provide a quality service. Since the last inspection by Ofsted, where the setting received a number of actions to improve and a subsequent monitoring visit, the manager and owners have been working together with the local authority early years consultant to review and evaluate the provision. They have addressed previous actions and recommendations and want to focus on the continued development they visualise for the nursery. In particular, they have ensured that they consistently meet the adult to child ratio throughout the day, in all the rooms of the nursery. In addition, there are effective actions plans in place to support the nursery with further improvements. Children's safety is a priority for everyone at the nursery. Risk assessments are in place for both the indoor and outdoor areas, and are conducted regularly and reviewed frequently to ensure that all aspects of the nursery

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provision

remain safe. Safeguarding is taken seriously and owners and the manger ensures that all adults working with children are suitable to do so. This is achieved through rigorous recruitment, induction and supervision procedures. All adults understand their roles and responsibilities relating to potential child protection and are familiar with local reporting and recording protocols. They attend regular training and local authority safeguarding briefings so they remain up to date with the local requirements. All externals doors are locked to ensure no unauthorised access to the nursery. Visitors are asked to sign in and out. Procedures with regards to the use of mobile telephones and cameras are in place and fully implemented.

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provision

Robust recruitment practices ensure that there is a strong, motivated workforce, who work together well. Performance management is maintained through meetings, management and peer-on-peer observations and supervision sessions. This ensures that strengths and good practices are highlighted and celebrated, while those areas for individual development are worked on and supported, either by collaboration with colleagues or by further training. Partnerships with parents are effective throughout the nursery. There are several strategies across the nursery being implemented to enable parents to engage with their children's setting. For example, parents are encouraged to share their reviews in a suggestion book.

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provision

The owners and manager demonstrate a clear understanding of their responsibilities to meet the learning and development requirements. Children's learning is monitored effectively, ensuring that any areas of concern are discussed with the key people, parents and external agencies and a support plan is adopted. For example, an individualised programme is put in place when potential additional needs are highlighted by practitioners. The manager and key people acknowledge the importance of sharing information with other providers and professionals, to ensure that children make the best possible progress and are supported as they move to other settings, such as school.

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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. 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 EY428026 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 976536

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 65 Name of provider Mishi Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 19/03/2014 Telephone number 01213845790

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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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