Little Lambs Ltd

Little Lambs St Mary's Parish Rooms, 201 High Road, LOUGHTON, Essex, IG10 1BB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/11/2014 14/09/2009

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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 2

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This provision is good

 Teaching is good. Staff skilfully interact with children to encourage their imaginations and extend and challenge their play and learning. This means that children make sustained progress over time.  A rich learning environment, especially outdoors, creates a wide range of exciting opportunities for all children. This means that children are keen, enthusiastic confident learners.  Children feel safe and secure in the pre-school and arrangements for safeguarding the children are robust.  Staff establish very positive and trusting relationships with parents. An effective two- way flow of communication supports children's welfare and learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to enhance the already good assessment of children's learning by making them even more precise in order to further challenge the most able children.

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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 pre-school rooms and the outside learning environments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documents and other documents including the safeguarding policy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and parents at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Little Lambs was registered in 2008 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from the first floor of St Mary's Parish Rooms in Loughton. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 9.15am until 2.45pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children and there are 58 children on roll. The pre-school supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre- school employs 12 members of childcare staff. Of these, two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 10 at level 3.

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

 enhance the already good assessment of children's learning to make them even more precise in order to further challenge the most able children.

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who attend

Children receive a warm and friendly welcome to the pre-school. They enjoy a wide and varied range of well-resourced activities that support and promote their continued learning and effectively meet their needs. Staff plan well, taking into account each child's interests and age and stage of development. This good planning along with quality teaching means that children continue to develop skills and attributes needed for future learning. Staff support all children very well as they play. They sit alongside them, at their level, and help and encourage them in their activities, letting children lead. This enables children to make decisions in their play and to confidently explore their environment. As a result, children are happy and engaged in activities for prolonged periods of time. Encouraged by attentive staff, children excitedly use writing resources to practise their early writing skills. Children enjoy using books and have opportunities to freely access these from the cosy

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who attend

and attractive reading areas. Their spoken language is developing well as staff engage in constant conversation with children, valuing their responses to the questions that they pose.

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who attend

Staff skilfully extend children's learning as they introduce simple mathematical concepts of shape and size. For example, while playing with mud outdoors, staff encourage children to talk about the colour, shape and size of the containers they are filling. As a result, children enhance their early mathematical skills and develop positive dispositions for learning. Supported by attentive staff, children enjoy planting spring bulbs, so learning about the changing seasons. Children benefit from use of the exciting outdoors learning environment that includes opportunities for den building and gardening. While outdoors, staff support children to safely take risks and explore through play with learning extended through playful teaching. Consequently, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in their development and are gaining skills to support their future learning.

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who attend

Staff know children well because they take time to meet them and their parents. Staff gather information from parents and children as they settle in. They use this information to complete a starting point assessment and to discover each child's needs and interests. Children's learning journals show good observations linked to the areas of learning. Staff use these observations to track children's progress effectively and highlight areas of weakness. Timely interventions ensure that all needs are appropriately met and that children develop the skills and attributes needed for transition to school. Assessments are precise and robust. However, on occasion a small number of assessments do not fully reflect the achievements of some of the most able children. This has been recognised by staff and is an area for development.

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

Children share warm relationships with the approachable and friendly staff. New starters settle quickly into the pre-school. A well established key person system is in place to help children build relationships with their special member of staff. This supports their emotional needs and as a result, children are motivated to learn. Children demonstrate a positive approach to learning, and behaviour in the pre-school is good. Staff provide excellent role models, interact well with children and engage them in meaningful conversation which results in an extremely calm, relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

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

Staff develop and extend children's understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle that involves physical exercise and a healthy diet. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise during outdoor play. They have a wide range of opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles, for example, they are offered a range of nutritious healthy snacks. Children have access to water throughout the session and are offered water or milk with their snack. Children sit together and are very sociable. They talk to each other and share experiences, such as holidays and outings. Staff use this opportunity to encourage talk about the morning, what the children have done and what they are going to do after pre- school. In this way, children's interests are further extended and they learn to listen to each other and form opinions.

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

Children's well-being is given the highest priority at the pre-school. Staff have appropriate training in first aid and are very well aware of the medical or dietary needs of children in their care. Effective procedures are in place and are regularly reviewed to support children's welfare effectively. Staff know and understand the needs of all children and are able to provide any extra support needed to ensure their inclusion in all activities. There is a very strong family feel to the pre-school as many children attend with siblings. The very stable staffing policy means that staff know the families extremely well. Consequently, all children feel secure and make excellent emotional attachments while at pre-school.

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provision

The provider has a good understanding of the requirements to safeguard children. Secure policies and procedures are in place and staff know what action to take if they have concerns about a child's welfare. The premises are kept secure and thorough risk assessments are undertaken, ensuring children can play safely and freely. Staff work well as a team to promote the smooth running of the session. They are well deployed, indoors and outside, ensuring children's safety and supporting them in their play and learning.

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provision

The manager and her team are reflective and demonstrate a commitment to the continual development of the whole provision. All staff demonstrate a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They understand their responsibility to promote the learning and development of all children which means that children are consistently provided with a range of experiences to meet their needs. The manager monitors staff performance both informally through working alongside the staff and more formally through annual appraisals. Staff are supported to attend some relevant courses and gain additional qualifications. The manager uses regular staff meetings to discuss and share any ideas and practice issues to further promote effective outcomes for children.

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provision

Parents value the strong partnership and relationships they have with the pre-school. They speak highly of staff and are delighted with the activities they provide for children. They receive high levels of information about their child and are actively encouraged to be involved in their progress. Parents' views and opinions are sought and incorporated into the routine and planning so that the individual needs of children are fully met. Effective relationships with other professionals and external agencies are established so that children's needs are supported and help them to make progress. Staff promote good links with other early years providers, which further aid children's progress and development. Information sharing is effective and this eases children's move to other settings or on to 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 EY379912 Local authority Essex Inspection number 858568

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 58 Name of provider Little Lambs Ltd Date of previous inspection 14/09/2009 Telephone number 07761 692749

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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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