Little Angels Childcare & Nurseries Ltd

Little Angels Pre-School Nursery Weaver Primary School, Western Avenue, NANTWICH, Cheshire, CW5 7AJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/10/2014 11/12/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The manager monitors the broad and extensive range of exciting educational programmes with full effect. As a result, every child participates in purposeful play and exploration and is consistently challenged to reach the next stage in their development.  Partnerships with parents are highly effective. Staff ensure that parents are continually actively involved in their children's learning and development.  Staff comprehensively identify and successfully minimise potential risks. Their knowledge of the signs of abuse and awareness of their responsibility to protect children ensures that children in their care are fully safeguarded.  Children's development in mathematics and literacy is continually promoted exceptionally well by staff as part of daily routines because of the first class teaching skills of the staff.  The move from pre-school to school is exceptionally smooth because of the utmost

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This provision is outstanding

priority that the setting places on working closely with the school who actively contribute towards children's progress. As a result, children become extremely confident and self-assured.

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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 inside and the outside learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager. The inspector looked at a range of policies and procedures and looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documents and checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of views of parents and carers spoken to on the day. The inspector held a meeting with the manager and spoke to staff throughout the inspection when appropriate.  The inspector gave feedback to management team.

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Information about the setting

Little Angels Pre-School Nursery is privately owned and has been registered since 2004. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a mobile classroom within the grounds of Weaver Primary School, Nantwich. A maximum of 20 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9am to 3pm term time only. All children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 21 children aged from two to under five years on roll. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 extend the already exceptional observation process by further developing the excellent peer support groups to accelerate children's progress even more.

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who attend

The highly skilled staff have an excellent understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They plan and provide a superbly rich variety of challenging activities. Planning is highly focused and purposeful with teaching being outstanding. The vibrant environment, both inside and outside, is exciting and highly stimulating and is a significant factor in children being motivated in their learning. Children make excellent progress and their individual learning needs are exceptionally well met. Planning is based upon children's individual next steps, which are accurately identified by their key person. Children are closely monitored by their key person and supported by first class management to ensure they are always given the opportunity to achieve their utmost best. All children access the outdoor area via a low-level ramp. They are actively encouraged to help the staff risk assess the ramps for frost and being slippery.

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who attend

Children are also consulted about what kind of protective clothing they think is necessary to go outdoors depending on the weather. This supports them even further in their ability to develop excellent self-help skills and further their superb independence. This emphasis on self-help and independence helps prepare children for school. Key persons carry out meticulous observations and sharply focused assessments of each child's abilities. These are recorded in their individual development journeys, where their continuous progress in all areas of learning is regularly updated and tracked. This ensures children's progress is ongoing and teaching is matched to their identified needs.

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who attend

Staff provide an exciting and richly resourced learning environment, which is well organised, enabling children to freely choose resources to support their play and learning. For example, children enthusiastically choose to play in the excellent digging area outdoors. They talk about a wide variety of subjects, such as making a hole for the mole. This is based on previous learning and a story the children had shared. Staff are available to enhance their learning further by offering new words and pointing out that the words children are using make a rhyme. This results in highly stimulated learners who make rapid progress. Staff are very attentive towards children's needs and understand the importance of good teaching in supporting their individual learning needs at all times, especially for those children developing skills which are outside the expected range for their age. For example, children who are exceeding in their learning are further supported

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who attend

to ensure they continue to make steady progress. Staff make excellent links with the local school to ensure all resources and support is fully exploited for the children's benefit. This expert approach means all children make consistent progress to reach their optimum potential. Staff make excellent use of open questions with children during their play as they engage them in practising their increasing language skills. Children are encouraged to join in conversations and are given enough time to think about what they want to say.

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who attend

The environment is rich in print and staff encourage children of all ages to draw, write and make marks in all different mediums such as paper, mud and sand, consequently they develop those skills necessary for early writing and literacy. An excellent selection of books, both fiction and non-fiction, are available and children independently select these at all times to share with the staff and each other. For example children are observed as they read to each other playing teacher. A wealth of good literature and a stimulating environment is actively promotes children's love of books inspiring them to read. Excellent systems are in place to share information with parents about their child's daily care and learning with a summary of progress shared with parents every three months to keep them up to date. Children have their own home books that are used for sharing information between the pre-school and home. For example, if children take part in an

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who attend

activity and are enthusiastic about it parents are able to repeat the activity again at home with the family. This results in children developing their own interests and determining their own learning experiences with the full support of everyone involved in their care. Consequently children make exceptional progress through high quality and consistent teaching.

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

Children are exceedingly well prepared as they get ready to move on to other settings and into school. One of the contributing factors in this exceptional preparation is the way the pre-school places such high priority on children gaining independence in everything they do. The programmes employed by the pre-school are exemplary and result in children being exceptionally confident. For instance, the forest school becomes an enhanced learning activity as all the children are learning about taking turns, being aware of others needs and space and, making informed choices. They are encouraged to risk assess and make considerations about how to remove any hazards and stay safe. This results in very confident children who are able to think critically and make decisions. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise every day, as the indoor playroom opens out directly onto the outdoor area. This gives children of all ages the choice of whether they prefer to play indoors or

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

outdoors, supporting their developing physical skills and confidence as they have a wide variety of choice of what to play with in the outdoor area. For example, they choose from a mud kitchen and nature trail as they delight in exploring the outdoors and are inspired by the digging and the bug finding area. All areas are risk assessed with the support of the children. Staff plan excellent activities and opportunities for children to learn about assessing risks and protecting themselves from harm.

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

Staff work exceptionally well together with a full understanding of the importance of the key-person system in supporting children's emotional well-being. Transition visits into the setting or between pre-school and home are gradual and extremely well supported. This demonstrates that children's emotional well-being is given top priority by the staff. This is also effectively supported through the outstanding key-person system which ensures that all children develop a supportive attachment to a named staff member. Parents share comprehensive and detailed information about their child's care and learning needs with the key person, on joining the pre-school. The child's level of well-being is shared with parents every day. This helps to establish the excellent progress made when children move from home into the pre-school, and informs settling-in visits. As a result, this extremely sensitive process results in children being very happy, highly settled, secure and

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

confident to learn and explore their wonderful environment. This prepares them well for the next stages in their learning. When children are ready to move on to school, the changes are supported to an extremely high standard. Children make weekly visits to the school sharing their resources and group activities. For example, children learn about information and communication technology when they use the school's computers and they join in with the school's letters and sounds activities and they learn about rhyme and reading. Teachers come in to the pre-school to visit the children and detailed information is shared, with parental consent. This ensures that children are effectively supported and that their move to school is a highly positive one.

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

Children attend to their personal hygiene needs with delight, enthusiastically singing as they independently wash their hands with a bubble gum scented hand wash. Staff support children well in understanding the importance of a healthy diet through discussions about foods that are healthy and those which are not. Children have a wealth of excellent opportunities to develop their independence and self-help skills. This is because staff know the children exceedingly well and recognise when they are ready to take responsibility for things, such as managing their own hygiene needs when using the bathroom and washing their hands. The learning environment enables children of all ages to independently select from the good quality resources of their choice, supporting them to extend their play and develop their imagination. Positive behaviour is consistent with children happily playing games together and socialising in friendship groups at meal times. Children are polite and

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

respectful and this is due to the extremely positive role modelling of the staff, who demonstrate high levels of respect towards one another. For example, children are taught to share and take turns with skilful strategies put in place by staff. As children play they wait for a five minute timer to ring because they know that is their cue to give their friend the toy they have been waiting for. These personal skills in managing their emotions and developing positive relationships support children extremely well towards the next stage of their learning, such as school.

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provision

All members of staff have a thorough and highly effective understanding of their roles and responsibilities in regard to safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. Staff receive regular training and are fully familiar with the child protection procedures. Comprehensive policies are frequently updated and staff are extremely confident of the need to follow these. The manager frequently reviews the excellent policies and procedures to ensure robust practices are followed. The management team provides strong, effective leadership, ensuring that all of the safeguarding and welfare requirements are met implicitly. Robust recruitment processes ensure that staff are appropriately qualified and meet stringent suitability requirements. New employees have a thorough and comprehensive induction to ensure they understand and meet the extremely high standards set by management. Continual monitoring by the management team and

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provision

effective and frequent supervision, ensure that all staff maintain the highest possible standards of professionalism and integrity. All staff, including the management team, are subject to observations of practice to help identify effective practice and address any shortfalls in staff performance, so that children have the best possible quality of teaching.

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provision

Leadership is inspirational and it is clearly evident that the children and the quality of teaching are the first priority. There is a strong focus on self-evaluation and reflective practice and this ensures that parents and children are highly involved in the pre-schools continual pursuit of excellence. The pre-school have recently identified a need and have begun the process of peer observation and support buddies. This will contribute significantly to further improving the already exemplary practice and in turn enhance children's learning and development even more. Parents and staff are encouraged to continually contribute their views personally or through a questionnaire process. Management and staff analyse these responses as a team and review how these are to be addressed to improve the already outstanding practice. This demonstrates the pre-school's commitment to continuous improvement and the high value placed upon parental

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provision

involvement. The setting employs experienced, qualified and skilled staff, all of whom hold a childcare qualification. There are staff who are working towards qualifications at degree level. It is clear that this expert workforce use their training and experience to develop their teaching practice and the pre-school's aspirations, through outstanding daily provision to support children in making the best possible progress. The management team closely monitor the planning and assessments of children's learning ensuring that all children are making rapid progress. Children's needs are quickly identified and they receive targeted support appropriate to their individual needs. All children records are meticulously maintained to ensure these reflect the children's learning needs at all times.

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provision

Parents highly value the positive relationships they have with the staff and the wonderful welcome they receive. Staff value and encourage parental involvement, and their superb contributions are noted in the information they share when their child first starts in the nursery. Additionally, observations from home are highly effective in building the strong relationships that support children's development across all areas of learning. Staff ensure that links with other professionals involved with the children they support are excellent in order to ensure each child's care and learning is fully catered for so that they can make the best progress 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. 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 EY290685 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 848762

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 21 Name of provider Little Angels Childcare and Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 11/12/2008 Telephone number 07891 585988

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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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