Little Elms

Little Elms Little Elms, Cooks Road, Elmswell, Bury St.Edmunds, IP30 9BX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 February 2015 2 August 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 Outstanding 1

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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

 Children are extremely happy and settled in this warm and welcoming setting. They form exceptionally secure emotional attachments to staff.  Staff provide an exceptionally stimulating environment for the children. There are easily accessible resources that spark children's imagination. As a result, children in both rooms develop their independence and confidence as they make choices in their play.  Partnerships with parents are highly effective as staff are committed to working together with them. This supports all parents to remain actively engaged in their children's learning in the setting and at home.  Children are offered a wide range of experiences and activities that are highly stimulating. The quality of teaching is good, and sometimes outstanding. Children are fully engaged in activities and experiences that promote their learning and development across all areas of learning.  Leadership and management are strong. Management has a clear drive to improve and

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This provision is good

ensures that the setting regularly reviews and develops the already good practice. Regular staff meetings, accurate self-evaluation and effective supervision ensure that management are clear about areas to develop even further and the effective methods to do this.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children have fewer opportunities to explore simple technology, such as computers, on a daily basis.  The management team is still refining the monitoring of children's progress to inform even more precise identification of children's learning needs.

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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

 provide further opportunities for children to engage with and learn about appropriate information and communication technology, in order to develop and build on their interests and skills in operating equipment, including computers  refine the monitoring of children's progress across the different aspects within each area of learning to inform even more precise planning for individual children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two main setting rooms and outside play space.  The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and held meetings with the manager of the setting, curriculum leader and chair of the committee.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the curriculum leader.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's records, planning documentation, evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures.

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who attend. This is good

The quality of teaching is good and some is outstanding. Staff support children's speaking and listening skills well in group activities, such as games where they learn about letters and sounds. Children effectively communicate and take turns during these activities and during memory games with the younger children. Staff routinely observe children in their play and assess their capabilities. As a result, they plan activities that are tailored to the children's individual learning needs to ensure they make good progress. The setting informs parents of the assessments have been completed, such as the progress for children between the age of two and three years. Parents comment on the value of progress records and parents evenings in order to support their child's learning at home. The use of computers and other forms of information technology is limited. This means that children are not being fully supported to develop a secure understanding of

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who attend. This is good

information and communication technology.

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outstanding

Children are supported exceptionally well, to develop the skills which helps them embrace new experiences with confidence and ensure they are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Staff provide an exciting and stimulating environment for the children. It is exceptionally well resourced and organised. Exemplary settling-in processes for new children supports them to be happy and settled. The extremely close links between the rooms supports a seamless transfer for children. Children are exceptionally confident and freely access both rooms during the morning. The key person system is highly effective. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make very good progress because the setting has highly effective communications with other professionals. Children are kept safe and behave exceptionally well. Staff are extremely secure in their knowledge of child protection procedures.

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provision is good

Management understands and implements the learning and development requirements well. Staff have visited other high quality settings to reflect on their own practice. They recognise the benefits of monitoring children's progress across the different aspects within each area of learning more precisely. They are keen to ensure that a highly effective balance of activities is always provided so that individual children make even more rapid progress. All staff have robust recruitment checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children. This helps to ensure that children are kept safe. Management understands the appropriate action to take when an allegation is made against a member of staff, to protect the safety and welfare of the children. Systems in place to identify strengths and plans for improvement are working well. Management also take an active role within the rooms, role modelling outstanding teaching. Staff training is having a positive impact on

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provision is good

raising the quality and consistency of teaching.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY420834 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 852149

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 92 Name of provider Little Elms Date of previous inspection 2 August 2011 Telephone number 07947167701

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Type of provision

Little Elms was established in 1978 and registered in new premises in 2011. It is a registered charity and is managed by a voluntary management committee. The pre-school opens each weekday during school term times. Sessions are from 8.45am to 11.45am and 12.15pm to 3.15pm, with a lunch club from 11.45am to 12.15pm. There is a before and after school club operating from 7.45am to 8.45am and from 3pm to 6pm. There are also holiday sessions offered during most school holidays. These run each weekday from 7.45am to 6pm. There are 20 members of staff, 10 of whom hold relevant qualifications at level 2 and above.

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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