Little Stars Childcare

Little Stars Childcare Bear Road, BRIGHTON, BN2 4DA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 3 August 2015 15 May 2013

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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 nursery owners committed an offence as they employed a person who was disqualified. This means they had not been cleared as suitable to work with children.  Staff do not always provide enough opportunities for children to speak in their home language to extend their communication skills.

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It has the following strengths

 The leadership team is enthusiastically driving improvement in the nursery, particularly in the outside environment to enhance children's learning experiences.  The staff use good planning, observation and assessment systems to enable them to help children make good progress in all areas of learning, in readiness for school.  Staff and leaders work hard to build and maintain strong partnerships with parents. As a result, parents speak very positively about the care and education their children 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 appropriate procedures are followed regarding the employment of a person who is disqualified.

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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

 enhance children’s communication and language skills by providing further opportunities for them to use their home language during play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and support for children's learning.  The inspector talked to staff about how they care for the children and support their learning and development, and what they would do if they had concerns about a child in the nursery.  The inspector sought the views of parents who were available on the day of inspection.  The inspector carried out two joint observations with the nursery manager and one of the nursery owners to assess the quality of teaching and how well leaders monitor the quality of practice.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery owners and manager to discuss how improvements have been made since the last inspection and how staff are supported to develop their practice.  The inspector sampled a range of written documentation including: children's progress records, planning, staff files, policies and procedures, and confirmation that staff have

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Inspection activities

been suitably checked to work with children.

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who attend. This is good

Children in both rooms within the nursery are busy and happy. They lead their own learning, choosing what to do and play with from a wide selection of resources. Adult-led activities are challenging and capture children's interest, meaning they are purposeful for them. Staff use skills developed through additional training to teach children in stimulating ways. For example, children have a lot of fun as they learn how to squeeze handles on bottles to make water squirt out at different speeds, commenting how 'it's steaming'. Such activities build children's physical capabilities, in readiness for learning how to write. The quality of teaching is good because staff know the children, they plan stimulating activities and understand how to question the children to challenge them as they play. Toddlers develop good communication skills when staff repeat simple words, such as 'pop' as they blow and catch bubbles together. However, some children do not have enough

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who attend. This is good

opportunities to speak their home language during play to aid their developing communication skills.

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requires improvement

Children follow healthy lifestyles in the nursery as they eat nutritious food at regular intervals throughout the day, and get plenty of fresh air and exercise. At breakfast time the older children confidently scoop their own cereal into a bowl and decide whether to have full-fat or semi-skimmed milk with it. Babies develop their skills in crawling and walking as they move around safely and freely within their room. Staff teach the children how to keep safe as they play, particularly when outside using the sand pit and exploring the wooden boat. However, the nursery owners do not always ensure they follow good safeguarding measures when they employ new staff, to protect children's well-being. The children behave well and respond to requests from staff so they learn good manners, can follow instructions and develop confident personal and social skills in readiness for school.

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provision requires improvement

This inspection took place after concerns were raised about the recruitment and vetting of staff within the nursery. The nursery owners assess staff's suitability through adequate vetting procedures. However, they committed an offence by employing a person who was disqualified while they applied for a waiver for the disqualification. The nursery owners ensured no children were left alone with that person during this time, which helped to keep children safe. Staff have a good understanding of child protection and how to safeguard children. Ongoing supervision meetings help staff to improve their practice. This has a positive impact on the progress children make in readiness for school. The leadership team encourages staff to use knowledge developed through training in a purposeful way to improve the quality of teaching throughout the nursery. Specially planned activities and teaching outside help to extend children's learning and

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provision requires improvement

understanding of the world. Designated areas within the baby room encourage babies to explore using their senses.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY455968 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 1022469 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 47 Number of children on roll 115 Name of provider Little Stars Childcare Partnership Date of previous inspection 15 May 2013 Telephone number 07912972755

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Setting details

Little Stars registered in 2012 and operates from converted premises situated in central Brighton, E ast Sussex. The nursery is accommodated in two rooms, all on one level. Access to the nursery is via a set of steps. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm and on a Saturday from 10am to 3pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to enclosed outside play areas. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. There are currently 115 children on roll who attend at different times. The nursery owners are in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. A team of 22 staff work with the children. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status, the two nursery owners are qualified at level 4 and 16

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Setting details

staff hold qualifications at levels 2 and 3.

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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

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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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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