Little Legs Nursery

Little Legs Nursery 664 Rayleigh Road, Hutton, Brentwood, CM13 1SJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 October 2015 Not applicable

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 Monitoring procedures, including assessments of children's learning and development and staff performance, are not sufficiently robust to identify and target areas for improvement.  Staff do not always use information from their observations to accurately shape children's further learning experiences and track their progress.  Teaching strategies are too inconsistent to support the good progress of children, particularly in their language development.  At times, daily routines do not always support opportunities for children to lead their own play.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff form warm relationships with children, who demonstrate that they are happy and confident in the nursery and develop a sense of security in their surroundings.  Children benefit from a well-resourced, homely and stimulating environment. They have access to the outside area in all weathers, which enhances children's development across all areas of learning.  Staff establish strong and trusting partnerships with parents. They work closely with parents and other professionals to support children's individual care, development and learning needs.

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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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Due Date

 ensure ongoing assessment is consistently used to monitor and track children's progress and inform the planning of challenging activities that sharply focus on their precise learning needs, helping them to make the best possible progress 27/01/2016

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Due Date

 improve teaching strategies, in order to consistently give children sufficient time to put their thoughts into words to further support their language development. 27/01/2016

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 review the organisation of routines, such as group activities and snack time, so that children's opportunities for sustained play are further encouraged  develop rigorous monitoring of practice and enhance processes to monitor the delivery of the educational programmes, including the assessments of children's progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager and provider. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the nursery's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The provider and staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures and are aware of their responsibilities in this respect. The manager monitors staff performance, both informally through working alongside the staff and more formally through annual appraisals, to identify some training needs. The manager uses regular staff meetings to discuss and share any ideas and practice issues to further enhance the provision for children. However, defined targets for improvement have not yet been established. In addition, procedures to monitor the delivery of the educational programmes, including assessments of children's progress, are not sufficiently rigorous across all areas of their development. Consequently, any gaps in children's learning or areas where they may need extra support are not always clearly identified.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff observe children as they play and have a general overview of their development. However, they do not always effectively use this information to monitor and track children's progress against all areas of their development. Consequently, the planning of activities is not always sharply focused on children's precise learning needs. In spite of these weaknesses, children enjoy their time and access a stimulating range of indoor and outdoor resources that cover all areas of learning. Staff encourage children's development in early literacy as children are eager to share books with them, establishing children's interest in reading for pleasure and purpose. Staff pose questions to children to check their understanding. However, at times, less experienced staff do not wait for their response, which limits children's opportunities to develop their thinking skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children share warm relationships with the approachable and friendly staff. However, at times, the routines of the nursery are not sufficiently flexible to give younger children time to develop their own ideas and become fully engaged in their play. Children learn about the needs and feelings of others through sharing, taking turns and helping others. Their behaviour is generally good, as the staff share consistent expectations and act as effective role models themselves. Complying with these boundaries means children enjoy their nursery experiences and have some emerging skills to underpin their eventual move on to school.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Most children at the nursery are working comfortably within the range of development typical for their age. Children develop some of the key skills needed for the next stage in their learning, such as the move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY482576 Local authority Essex Inspection number 994578 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 85 Name of provider Little Legs Limited Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01277621064

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Setting details

Little Legs Nursery was established in 2010 and re-registered following a change of ownership in 2014. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff, nine of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 6.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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

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Setting details

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