Little Fingers Day Nursery

Little Fingers Day Nursery Malt House Farm, Green Street Green Road, DARTFORD, DA2 8DX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 February 2015 13 January 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

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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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 The children have good relationships with staff. They display confidence as they move freely around the premises, making good use of the readily available, good quality, resources and space. Children make their own choices about what they play with.  The children behave and play well together because they understand the good rules for behaviour used throughout the nursery, reinforced with gentle reminders by staff.  Children are provided with healthy snacks and meals throughout the day. Older children help prepare their snacks and competently serve themselves at meal times. Their key person serves babies and toddlers.  The staff accurately assess and record children's progress. They are competent in using these to provide activities that appeal to the children's individual interests and abilities. Managers effectively monitor the children's progress overall.  Staff give high priority to keeping children safe and secure by using good security

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This provision is good

systems, making regular head counts throughout the day and vetting visitors thoroughly. Children learn to about keeping themselves safe and using equipment appropriately.  Parents comment that they have good working relationships with staff. They are involved in their children's learning through their discussions with staff on a daily basis, to ensure they always know what their children are doing or have done.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although staff support children learning English well, they do not always effectively use the variety of methods available to them to increase children's understanding of the spoken word.

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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

 increase the use of different methods of communication to improve the understanding of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a variety of paperwork including the nursery's safeguarding policy and procedures.  The inspector talked to managers, staff, parents and children at different times during the inspection.  The inspector and the manager carried out a short joint observation in the toddler room.  The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children indoors and outside.

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who attend. This is good

Children are excited about activities they engage in, such as making their tree-house den using a clothes-horse and different materials to make it snug and warm. Staff teach children to love books by helping them to construct their own. Therefore, children choose to use books effectively during activities and when sitting quietly on their own. The babies and toddlers love to explore the accessible activity baskets, helping them to learn about their environment. They develop their physical skills by carefully testing their abilities as they climb on soft-play equipment. Staff are effective in supporting children during their moves to different rooms and on to school. Staff offer good support to children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Signing is used throughout the nursery. However, staff sometimes forget to use some other methods which may be more helpful to the individual child, to encourage their progress.

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good

Children have lots of physical play opportunities both indoors and outside. This contributes to their healthy lifestyles while at the nursery. The older children use the huge outdoor area to full advantage as they engage in team games and small group work. Children learn to share activities and respect each other's choices and feelings. Children regularly participate in fire evacuation drills so they learn how to keep themselves safe in an emergency. Children also learn how to handle hazardous equipment; for example, they learn how to carry knives and scissors safely. The provider's annual risk assessment of the premises is thorough. Staff are also competent at identifying any risks or hazards in their individual rooms on a daily basis and make changes to ensure children are physically safe at all times.

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provision is good

All adults in the nursery understand their roles and responsibilities to protect children and keep them safe and secure. This is because managers regularly assess the levels of staff training and arrange for further courses, especially those covering food hygiene, paediatric first aid and child protection. Managers achieve the competent monitoring of staff performance through peer and manager observations, regular individual supervision meetings and annual appraisals. Staff are effective in liaising with others to ensure that children attending different settings receive consistent care and learning opportunities. The provider and manager have effective systems in place to evaluate the nursery, using the views of staff, parents and other professionals. Staff also capture children's comments about the nursery as they play. Managers are successful in creating of a challenging plan of improvements for the nursery, to provide more opportunities for children's learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY339104 Local authority Kent Inspection number 834913 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 86 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider Little Fingers Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 13 January 2011 Telephone number 01474700047

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Setting details

Little Fingers Day Nursery was registered in August 2006. It operates from a purpose-built facility in Darenth, Kent. The nursery is open for 51 weeks of the year, Monday to Friday, from 7am to 7pm. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register. The nursery provides funded early education for two, three and four-year-olds. It supports some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and some children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery has 18 staff including the owner; 15 members of staff hold relevant childcare qualifications.

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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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