Westlands Little Stars Childcare

Westlands Little Stars Childcare Westlands Primary School, Ostend Place, NEWCASTLE, Staffordshire, ST5 2QY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 January 2017 31 October 2012

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The managers have an extensive amount of experience within the early years sector. They show passion and commitment for delivering the best service for children, which motivates and drives the excellent staff team. Staff feel supported in their professional development, which is highly personalised according to their needs and interests.  The highly qualified room leaders in each age group use their expertise to coach, mentor and support the other staff. The additional use of observations and meetings between managers and individual staff helps everyone constantly improve.  A particular strength of this nursery is the reflective way staff use assessments of children's abilities. They analyse information to identify groups of children not making rapid progress and swiftly implement enhancements to close any gaps. They review measures to ensure they are effective and that children make excellent progress.

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff know children exceedingly well. They make highly effective use of information to plan meticulously for children's individual needs and interests. A robust key-person system fully supports children's emotional well-being and helps them to develop secure and trusting relationships. They are exceptionally happy, settled and assured.  Children are successfully prepared for their next stage of learning in school. Staff enable them to become competent in taking care of their own needs, develop their skills in literacy and mathematics and teach them about social behaviour in groups. The pre-school group regularly joins in with school activities.  The quality of interactions between staff and children is exceptional. The dynamic delivery of learning by staff keeps all children captivated and fully focused at group times. It also encourages them to be totally engaged and active participants in learning. They are making excellent progress in their learning.

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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

 evaluate the impact on teaching and learning of staff's informal training and research.

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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 spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with a room supervisor and one of the nursery managers.  The inspector held a meeting with the providers who are also the nursery managers. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and read written testimonials from parents to take account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Staff share the managers' vision and drive for excellence. They undertake a wide range of courses and research. Managers have identified that there is scope to extend the analyses of the impact of professional development to check that it continues to contribute towards maintaining exceptionally high standards. Opportunities for parents to become involved in children's learning are wide ranging. For example, children borrow books and parents have prompt sheets to explain how they can get the best out of reading times. Parents take part in stay-and-play sessions to learn more about how to support their child's learning. Staff encourage them to provide observations about children's achievements at home to enhance assessments of progress. Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have children's safety and well-being at the heart of their practice and are highly proactive in protecting children from harm. Confidential information is kept appropriately. They work

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

with a range of health and social care professionals to give children the best start in life.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff skilfully weave learning into all activities. Even the least experienced staff understand their vital role in ensuring children's learning is extended. They are skilful in directing conversations to help children make connections and consolidate their mathematical and literacy skills. Staff are inspirational and enthusiastic in their storytelling. They pose questions and use tone of their voice, giving the impression that children and adults are on a learning journey together. This develops children's sense of curiosity and builds their natural desire to explore and investigate. Staff draw out personalised and manageable targets for children's next steps in learning on a weekly basis. They regularly check each other's assessments of progress and observe teaching to identify ways to improve.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff model exemplary behaviour for children to follow. All children show high levels of respect for each other. When a child needs to pass someone, they know to say, excuse me please, rather than rushing through. They benefit from daily fresh air and exercise as they play in the outdoor areas. Children show great excitement as they play with slippery ice and frosty mats, while also learning about their own safety in icy conditions and how to manage risk highly effectively. Children develop an excellent understanding of the importance of good health and hygiene. The nursery is well maintained and clean.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are making rapid progress and have a thirst for learning. The level of concentration at group times is exceptional. Children are developing confidence in their early reading skills. Toddlers confidently identify the sounds letters make and some pre- school children start to blend sounds to form words and use simple reading books. They have very good general knowledge and develop exceptional thinking skills. Writing skills are incorporated into a wide range of activities, such as dough and outside play. Pre- school children are very well prepared for the move on to school. They use the school canteen and are very independent, confidently select their own lunches and handle their lunch tray with skill. Toddlers are also very competent at mealtimes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY369083 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 1059783 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 104 Number of children on roll 184 Name of registered person Little Stars (Westlands) Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 31 October 2012 Telephone number 07736 932398

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reference number

Westlands Little Stars Childcare registered in 2008. There are two care bases within the grounds of Westlands Primary School, one for children up to two-years-old and the other for children from three to 11-years-old. The nursery employs 22 members of childcare staff, all but one of whom are qualified at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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