Little Impressions Day Nursery

Little Impressions Day Nursery Unit 9, St. Albans Road Industrial Estate, St. Albans Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST16 3DR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 2 February 2015 8 September 2014

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Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Requires improvement The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Requires improvement The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Requires improvement The setting does not meet legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 On occasions, children are not safeguarded to a good level when they play outside. This is because children from the pre-school room are sometimes supervised by a member of staff who does not have a current first-aid certificate, and the systems for staff to call for help are not fully robust.  Teaching requires improvement because the system for tracking children's progress is not yet fully embedded. Consequently, staff are not fully aware of the progress that individual children and different groups of children are making, in order to identify if any interventions are needed.  Supervision procedures for staff are in their infancy. Observations of staff practice have been completed for some of the staff and these inform the supervision meeting. However, they are not yet embedded to support staff in raising the level of care and education provided to at least a good level.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff have a good knowledge of child protection procedures. They clearly understand the procedures for reporting any concerns and are alert to signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. This helps to safeguard children.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff involve parents in their children's learning and share information regarding children's development regularly. This enables staff and parents to promote children's learning and development together.  Children's well-being is supported appropriately. Staff have positive relationships with children and, as a result, children are happy and settled in the nursery.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 strengthen the safeguarding arrangements for when children play outside, to ensure that a paediatric first aider is able to respond to emergencies quickly  develop the systems for tracking children's progress, and use the information gathered to determine the progress of individuals and groups of children, in order that interventions are sought if required  raise the quality of teaching to help staff promote the care and education of children to at least a good level by, for example, improving the monitoring of staff practice through peer observations and regular supervision sessions.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector observed activities and the quality of teaching.  The inspector held meetings with the owner and manager of the provision and had discussions with other staff members about their roles and responsibilities, including safeguarding.  The inspector looked at a selection of policies and procedures, which included safeguarding, children's learning records, and a range of other documentation.

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who attend. This requires improvement

Staff make regular observations of children's learning and encourage parents to share what children achieve at home. However, tracking of children's progress is not fully embedded, so that staff have a clear understanding of what support individual or groups of children need. Consequently, children's progress is not yet good. Staff plan a varied range of activities that cover the seven areas of learning. They promote children's language and literacy skills well. For example, babies explore the sand and learn new words, such as heavy. Older children learn how to write their names and listen to the initial sounds in words, which prepares them well for their future learning at school. Staff develop children's mathematical skills effectively. More able children are challenged to count beyond 15 and confidently compare the weight of toy bears on the scales. Children investigate how balls move along the guttering outside and use tools to break ice. Staff

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who attend. This requires improvement

talk to children about how the ice melts when it is on their hands. Children enjoy the daily play sessions outside, riding bicycles around cones.

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requires improvement

Children are confident and benefit from staff who generally meet their individual care needs appropriately. Staff give comfort to children who are unwell and sensitively support babies who are upset. Staff work closely with parents when children first start. They share detailed information with regard to children's routines and plan settling-in visits to support children in making the move from home to the nursery. Good links with school staff mean that children are supported appropriately for the move to school. Children's independence is developed well by staff during routines. Older children put on their own coats to play outside and staff encourage babies to feed themselves. Children play well together and staff reinforce positive behaviour through encouraging the sharing of toys. Six of the staff have a paediatric first-aid certificate. However, they are not always present when children play outside, to ensure children are fully safeguarded.

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provision requires improvement

Management work hard to try and ensure they meet the majority of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The new manager has a clear vision for the nursery, and has started to implement many changes in the past month. Improvements to the environment mean that it is much more enabling and welcoming for children. The manager monitors the planning of activities to ensure that the seven areas of learning are covered. However, the weaknesses in the tracking of children's progress mean that staff are not fully aware of how to support children in making at least good progress in their learning. In addition, observations of staff practices and supervision sessions are not frequent enough to support staff in further improving their teaching skills. There is a high level of qualified staff and training courses attended are beginning to improve staff's teaching skills. Staff attend training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and

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provision requires improvement

work in partnership with other professionals in order to meet any learning targets set.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY360529 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 990321

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 41 Number of children on roll 27 Name of provider Play Paradise Nurseries Limited Date of previous inspection 8 September 2014 Telephone number 01785 252777

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Type of provision

Little Impressions Day Nursery was registered in 2007. The nursery employs 8 members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, one holds a qualification at level 4, and one holds a qualification at level 5. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm.

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Type of provision

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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Type of provision

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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, safeguarding and child protection.

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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