Little Tots Nursery

Little Tots Nursery 59 Prince of Wales Avenue, READING, RG30 2UJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 February 2015 9 February 2011

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Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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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:

 The nominated person has not ensured that the systems to complete suitability checks are robust and well monitored. In addition, she does not keep a complete record of all the required suitability details on site and accessible for inspection.  Staff are not fully successful in involving all parents in their children's learning and therefore continuity between the home and provision is not always shared effectively.  Staff do not fully encourage children's personal independence skills, especially during daily routines such as dinner time.  The nominated person and staff do not sufficiently evaluate or monitor the quality of the service they provide. As a result, they have failed to identify or address key areas for improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff ratios are high and methods used to organise staff within the provision are effective, therefore children's well-being is safeguarded.  The good quality of teaching, along with stimulating indoor and outdoor environments and staff's secure knowledge of the children, helps children make good progress in all areas of learning and development.  Staff have strong links with parents and other professionals to help them meet children's individual needs well. As a result, children are helped to move on to school, gaps in development are minimised and parents are happy with the service they receive.

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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

 ensure checking and monitoring of staff suitability is robust and records of information about vetting and suitability checks completed are kept, including the criminal records disclosure reference number, the date it was completed and who obtained it  ensure all records, including those to show information about staff and committee members, vetting processes have been completed, are easily accessible and available for inspection.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 extend further arrangements to engage all parents in their children's shared learning  enhance the organisation of daily routines, such as dinner time, to fully support children's developing independence  develop self-evaluation systems to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the provision, to ensure all requirements are met and to help ensure continuous improvements are made.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 implement effective systems to ensure that the registered person, manager and any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children; and any person who lives/works on the premises where childcare is provided (including on a voluntary basis) is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (compulsory part of Childcare Register)  implement effective systems to ensure that the registered person, manager and any person caring for, or in regular contact with, children; and any person who lives/works on the premises where childcare is provided (including on a voluntary basis) is suitable to work with children which must include obtaining an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (voluntary part of Childcare Register).

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Inspection activities

 The inspector toured the premises used by children.  The inspector observed children and staff practice.  The inspector spoke to parents to gain their views.  The inspector spoke to the nominated person, staff and children.  The inspector sampled documentation and policies.

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who attend. This is good

Staff offer children good educational experiences, and children are making good progress across all areas of learning and development. Staff support them to form good relationships. They encourage children to negotiate and interact with each other to problem solve and work together. Staff praise children and consistently manage challenging behaviour well. Children enjoy exploring the indoor and outdoor environments. In particular, they enjoy stories, painting, climbing and balancing in the garden, and visiting a forest school, where they make huts from sticks and explore nature. Staff teach children sign language, and aid their communication using pictures so all children, including those with additional educational needs, learn the routines and feel secure. Staff assess children's learning to identify and support progress; however, they do not engage all parents to contribute to children's shared learning.

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requires improvement

Staff build strong relationships with children and therefore children are happy, feel secure and settle well. Children happily explore their surroundings, and can move from indoors to outdoors freely. Staff support children to develop independence generally well. Children use the toilet and wash their hands with minimal help, depending on their age, needs and abilities. They put on their coats, boots and waterproofs before going outside to play, with staff supervising and helping when required. During snack time, children take turns to choose and prepare fruit. However, during dinner time, staff fill children's water cups and therefore older children do not have opportunities to further enhance their self-care skills. Staff teach children to understand their bodies, reminding them to be careful when they lift objects in the garden, and talk to them about their muscles. Children have good opportunities to develop early reading and writing skills, and learn to count and to link

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requires improvement

letters to sounds in preparation for their move to school.

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provision requires improvement

The nominated person is aware of her responsibilities with regards to children's learning and welfare. Self-evaluation processes are implemented and involve the views of staff, parents and children. However, she does not sufficiently monitor the implementation of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. For example, not all records were available at the inspection to demonstrate that all adults working with the have completed suitability checks, as required. The nominated person carries out annual appraisals and regular staff meetings. Staff are well qualified and attend regular training to keep their knowledge up to date. The staff team have strong working relationships with teachers, early years advisors, and speech and language therapists. Therefore, children receive the support they need to make progress and are well prepared for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY349641 Local authority Reading Inspection number 835261 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 76 Name of provider Little Tots Nurseries Ltd Date of previous inspection 9 February 2011 Telephone number 0118 959 1371

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Setting details

Little Tots Nursery registered in 2007. It is a private nursery which follows the Montessori ethos. The nursery is situated in the west of Reading, Berkshire. It is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open from 8am to 6pm, each weekday, for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four. There are 16 staff employed in the nursery, all of whom hold relevant qualifications. One staff holds Early Years Professional Status, two hold Qualified Teacher Status and the rest have relevant early years qualifications to at least level 2.

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Setting details

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

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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Setting details

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Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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