The Little School Limited

The Little School Limited St. John Ambulance, Priory Hall, 13 Love Lane, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 2AB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 May 2016 Not applicable

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate 4

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This inspection: Inadequate 4

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate 4

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This provision is inadequate

 The provider has not ensured staff have up-to-date knowledge of latest government legislation regarding safeguarding children. Management and staff lack knowledge of all possible signs that may identify a child is at risk of harm.  Staff do not have opportunities for ongoing professional development. The provider does not successfully monitor and improve their teaching practice. The quality of teaching is poor and children do not make adequate progress in their learning.  Staff do not always find out information from parents about their children's development at home, to help them plan for each child's specific needs.  Staff do not plan challenging activities that meet children's individual learning needs. They do not interact well with children to support their communication and language development. Children often wander around aimlessly with little engagement from staff.  Assessments of children's progress are ineffective. Staff do not monitor children's

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This provision is inadequate

development in all areas of learning or identify gaps in their achievements to provide appropriate support to help them catch up. In particular, children learning English as an additional language lack support and they are not prepared well for school.  The management team does not evaluate practice effectively to identify weaknesses and target effective actions to overcome them.

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It has the following strengths

 Children enjoy playing with their friends and make choices about their play.

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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 staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding children, including latest government legislation, to improve their knowledge of the possible signs that a child may be at risk of harm 24/08/2016

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Due Date

 improve the effectiveness of coaching and training to monitor staff practice, improve their personal effectiveness and raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good quality 24/06/2016

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Due Date

 improve partnerships with parents to share more information about children's learning in the setting and at home, to promote a shared approach to supporting children's learning and development 24/08/2016

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Due Date

 plan challenging activities based on children's individual learning needs to help them make good progress in all areas of learning, particularly with their communication and language development 07/06/2016

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Due Date

 carry out precise assessments of children's progress across all areas of learning to identify any areas where they are not making typical progress and provide appropriate support to ensure they catch up, particularly with children who are learning English as an additional language. 24/08/2016

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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

 make effective use of self-evaluation to focus on key weaknesses in the setting, particularly in relation to the quality of assessment and teaching.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching in the main room and assessed the impact this had on children's learning.  The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children.  The inspector spoke to parents on the day and took their views into account.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager, and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is inadequate

Safeguarding is ineffective. The management team and staff lack understanding of how to recognise possible concerns about children's welfare. For example, they have not kept up to date with current guidelines and have failed to understand the need to monitor children's absences. The provider undertakes the required checks on staff prior to employment to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. The management team does not effectively monitor staff practice or provide coaching and training to improve the quality of teaching. It does not use its self-evaluation processes well to identify weaknesses in practice and plan to improve outcomes for all children. Assessments of children's progress are irregular and imprecise. The management team does not check and review children's progress to identify gaps in their learning and put in place additional support quickly.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

Some staff identify children who require additional support but they do not act on this or provide suitable activities to encourage their learning. Not all staff know their key children's next steps in learning or understand how to extend their development. The limited communication and language support for children, particularly for those who speak an additional language, does not prepare them well for school. At times, staff interactions with children are poor. This limits opportunities for learning and engaging children in worthwhile activities. Parents are happy with their children's care. However, staff do not encourage them to share useful details about children's development and learning at home for consistency.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are inadequate

The limited knowledge and understanding about all aspects of safeguarding puts children's safety at risk. Staff do not help all children learn about peoples' differences. For example, they do not value children's home languages or encourage children to use them. In the main, most children behave well and respect others. Key persons meet children's care needs but they do not plan well for their learning. This has a significant impact on children's development. Staff help children have a healthy lifestyle; for example, they provide nutritious snacks with easy access to drinking water. However, activities and resources to extend and build on children's physical skills are limited.

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Outcomes for children are inadequate

Not all children are prepared well for the next stage in their learning or for the move to school. Some children do not make good enough progress in their communication and language development, and some do not reach a good standard in the English language. They do not learn to develop their early writing skills sufficiently.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY482219 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 994362 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person The Little School Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01264 361599

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reference number

The Little School Limited registered in 2014 and is a privately run group. It operates from a large hall in Andover, Hampshire. The group is open each weekday from 8.30am to 3pm, during term time. There are five staff; of whom, four hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 3. The group receives funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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