Little Acorns Day Nursery

Little Acorns Day Nursery Little Acorns Day Nursery, 13 Exbury Road, LONDON, SE6 4NB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/11/2014 13/12/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 The nursery environment is vibrant and welcoming and the outdoor play areas are a particular strength that stimulate children's learning through play and discovery.  All children make good progress and some make rapid progress because staff know the children extremely well and tailor activities to meet their individual needs and preferences.  The close partnership working with everyone involved in the children's care and education ensures children's well-being is effectively supported.  Children learn about being healthy and personal hygiene. Their health is also supported well because the nursery provides nutritious snacks and meals.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The programme of teaching children to understand sounds of letters tends to arise in the term prior to children starting school and is not consistently applied throughout the year.  Staff do not consistently underpin children's early understanding of problem solving and mathematics in all areas of play.

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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 spoke with children, parents, managers and staff at appropriate times.  The inspector observed children in their playrooms and during outdoor activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a selection of documentation including policies, staff records and children's files.  The inspector carried out two joint observations with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Little Acorns originally registered in 1991 and re-registered in 2013 under the same ownership and management, but as a limited company. It is privately owned and is one of a group of three nurseries owned by the same provider in the Catford area in Lewisham, South London. The nursery operates from a large converted detached Victorian house, which is in a quiet residential road. There is a wide front access and there are parking facilities immediately outside. The nursery is also accessible by local public transport services. The nursery is set out over one floor with separate areas for the under twos, toddlers and the pre-school age groups. Children have access to a large garden. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Opening times are from 8am to 6pm each weekday for 51 weeks of the year. Children come from the local community and most of their parents

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Information about the setting

travel to work in the surrounding area. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 11 members of staff who work with the children. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2 and 3. Two staff are working towards a relevant early years qualification and one is unqualified. The nursery employs a qualified cook. The nursery also has visiting specialists who provide sports, dance, drama and Spanish sessions.

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

 provide further support to the existing good practice for children's communication and literacy by regularly introducing them to the sounds that letters make

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

 develop the educational programme for mathematics further to support children in recognising different shapes, sizes and extending their purposeful use of numbers.

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who attend

Children have fun while learning in this stimulating nursery environment. This is because staff know how young children learn and use this knowledge well to support each child to make progress. Staff work with parents to note children's starting abilities and ongoing observations and effective planning keep children motivated. As a result, children make good progress during their time they spend at the nursery.

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who attend

Babies and toddlers are very content exploring their many resources. They particularly enjoy the sensory experience of messy play using their hands, arms and an assortment of brushes. Their curiosity and excitement of discovery challenges their physical development as they move around their playroom. Babies learn quickly because staff play and interact with them, constantly introducing attractive resources and books. Staff read well and sing songs and rhymes although not all staff consistently challenge more able children in the support of learning sounds of letters. During the inspection, staff listened and responded to the early babbling of babies, helping them to form their words. Older children showed confidence in singing and speaking and flourish with good staff support. However, staff did not elaborate on the different tones in relation to letter sounds to support more able children to connect letters to sounds. Nevertheless, the very wide and stimulating range of

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who attend

activities that children access provide depth and breadth in all areas of learning to ensure that children make good progress overall.

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who attend

Children count regularly, showing they are learning the sequence of numbers and staff display many posters of different mathematical shapes. However, staff do not consistently use numbers and shapes to help children to solve simple problems. For example by asking children how many plates they require to lay the table or recognising shapes in their environment. Staff make regular observations of children's play and effectively link these to the planning for children's next stage stages in their learning. Staff also involve parents with regular assessments, ensuring they add their comments. This also supports the parent partnership to continue children's learning at home.

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

All staff are very sensitive to helping children to settle into the nursery. The children form secure emotional attachments to their key persons, which helps them to make good friendships with their new playmates. The well-organised play environment means that children quickly become independent, particularly when addressing their own health care needs. Children can be seen hanging their coats on their pegs, going to the toilet and washing hands, which is good preparation for moving on to school. Children also showed how confident they are in wrapping up warm, putting on hats and wellington boots to go outside.

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

The exciting outdoor environment is a particular strength of the nursery. Children confidently climbed apparatus, jumped on the trampoline and climbed and swung on tyres showing their agility. They enacted games with staff in the playhouse about the pretend big bad wolf which supports their creative development together with free play in the mud kitchen. Children also learn about growth by caring for plants in the vegetable garden, some of which the cook uses in the kitchen.

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

Children's health and dietary needs are rigorously met. The cook prepares tasty meals each day that are inclusive of children's dietary requirements. Children savour their food and develop their social skills of eating together. Older children served themselves and babies showed delight as they sucked their orange segments. The daily routines of babies and toddlers effectively means there is a good balance of play and rest times. Children learn about their health needs as staff talk to them about what is happening to their bodies when they run and children know to help themselves to water when they are thirsty.

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

Staff's daily risk assessments of all areas ensure children's security and safety at all times. Children learn how to keep themselves safe because staff remind them how to safely manoeuvre cars and bicycles outside and how to appropriately use apparatus. Children also learn safe pet care. They help to feed the chicken and rabbits, which gives them responsibilities of how to care for living things. This engages children to consider the needs of others and develops their caring character and positive behaviour. Staff help children to develop an understanding of differences in others. They explore the diversity of cultures and customs of children within the nursery and in other parts of the world. Children enjoy sessions where they count and sing songs in Spanish.

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

Children attending the nursery settle well because staff tailor this time to each child's needs. Staff are very supportive of children identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work effectively in partnerships with other agencies and schools to ensure children access the support they need.

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provision

The managers have a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this knowledge well to support staff and monitor the effectiveness of teaching. The recruitment procedures are robust, as are the systems, such as induction and supervision, to support staff's continued professional development. Children are safeguarded because managers and staff receive regular training both in protecting children and first aid. This means there is good deployment of qualified staff in all areas of the nursery and children receive immediate appropriate treatment in the event of an emergency. The nursery's clear policies and procedures, together with appropriate documentation, fully underpin and meet children's health and safety welfare requirements. The nursery has a family atmosphere where staff work collaboratively as a team, helping each other. This means that all staff know the children very well and this supports them as

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provision

Staff plan good educational programmes based on children's needs and interests. They make regular observations of children's play and regular tracking of their progress by staff and managers ensures consistency of approach. Assessments such as the progress checks for two-year-olds are effectively used as a good communication aid with parents to discuss children's progress. This means that where there are identified delays in children's progress, both parties take effective action. Consequently, staff and managers provide parents with good support to help their children's development and learning, working well with other agencies.

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provision

The close partnership starts with good settling-in procedures and daily discussions at the start and the end of the day. Parents also receive newsletters and appointments to attend meetings for updates on children's progress. Discussions with parents during inspection confirm their high satisfaction of the service the nursery staff provide. One parent stated 'I could not have asked for better people to support my child'.

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provision

The provider and managers show a purposeful approach to bringing about continuous improvement through evaluation and action. Since the last inspection, they have made significant changes to the way they promote diversity to ensure all children's cultures and customs are duly reflected in practice. The managers effectively use the Ofsted self- evaluation form to highlight areas for improvement and prepare targets for completion. For example, staff noticed that the grassed area outside was turning to slippery mud due to high use by the children. The managers set up an action plan for this to be resurfaced with fake grass to enable children to run and play in safety. Managers listen and act upon the views of staff, parents and children, which makes this nursery an enjoyable place to be for everyone.

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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 EY462362 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 962593 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 56 Name of provider The Beeches Nursery Group Limited Date of previous inspection 13/12/2013 Telephone number 0208 6909507

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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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