The Little Acorns Day Nursery

The Little Acorns Day Nursery 22 School Lane, Coningsby, Lincoln, Lincs, LN4 4SJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 February 2017 Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 The dedicated and extremely knowledgeable provider offers very clear and focused leadership. She is relentless in her pursuit of excellence and her desire to continually improve outcomes for children. The caring and well-qualified staff team shares the provider's vision.  Staff place high priority on encouraging children's independence from an early age. Toddlers pour their own drinks and cut up their fruit. Older children serve themselves with lunch and with minimal support, they put on their coats for outdoor play.  Children are extremely well supported to understand the expectations for behaviour. Children learn to share and wait for their turn. Staff help them to express their own emotions and begin to understand how others feel.  Partnerships with parents are very good. Parents speak highly of the nursery and of the staff team. Parents are highly involved in all aspects of children's care and

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This provision is good

development. This helps staff to provide a consistent approach to children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although clear processes for performance management and the supervision of staff are in place, the provider has not yet evaluated staff's teaching skills in the pre-school room critically enough to develop their overall practice to a consistently outstanding level.  Staff in the pre-school room do not always focus enough on providing older children with high levels of challenge during activities so that they always build as much as possible on what they can already do.

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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

 focus more precisely on reviewing staff's practice in the pre-school room and support them to raise the quality of teaching, in order to increase the potential for children to make more rapid progress in their learning  provide older children with greater levels of challenge to help them make more rapid 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 spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the provider.  The inspector held a meeting with the provider. 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 took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The provider places high priority on keeping children safe. This is reflected in every aspect of practice. The provider supports staff very well to have a good understanding of the procedures to help keep children safe and secure. The recruitment procedure for new staff is robust. The provider uses an extremely thorough induction process to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles and understand their responsibilities. The provider is committed to actively supporting staff's ongoing professional development. She encourages staff to seek higher qualifications. This contributes towards improving outcomes and experiences for children. Systems for self- evaluation are very effective in recognising the strengths of the nursery and areas for further development.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff make precise and focused assessments of children's learning. They use an effective tracking system to monitor children's achievements. This helps them to identify and address any gaps that may be emerging in children's learning. Staff working with babies and toddlers show very good teaching skills. They make the most of every opportunity to extend children's learning so that they become motivated and inquisitive learners. Staff help older children develop a good knowledge of letters and the sounds they represent. They introduce the letter 'j' and encourage children to identify words that begin with this sound. Staff make very good use of partnerships with other early years professionals to ensure all children receive the support they need to succeed. This includes those children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff make very good use of information from parents to ensure children quickly settle in and make a positive start to their time in the nursery. Staff provide a calm environment where children form secure attachments with them and very good relationships with their friends. This helps to build children's emotional security. The provider and staff have created a stimulating environment to enhance children's enjoyment and adventures in learning. Children's good health and physical skills are promoted well. They enjoy nutritious, home-cooked food. They benefit from daily fresh air and exercise as they play in the outdoor area. Staff expertly support children's growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They encourage children to take responsibility for identifying risks and hazards in the environment and on outings.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those in receipt of funding, make good progress in their learning. Children of all ages are highly effective communicators and very confident in sharing their thoughts and ideas with staff and visitors. They develop good skills in listening, maintaining attention and following instructions. Children practise their reading skills as they look at the recipe for pancakes. They further develop their numeracy skills through identifying the numbers for weighing the ingredients on the scales. These skills equip children very well for the next stage in their learning, including their move to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY488820 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 1026722 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 105 Number of children on roll 53 Name of registered person Coningsby Community Hub Cic

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01526344118

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reference number

The Little Acorns Day Nursery was registered in 2015. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including one member of staff with qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, except for one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 5.30pm. The nursery also offers an out-of-school club. Sessions for this are from 7.30am until 8.50am and from 3.15pm until 6.30pm during term time and from 7.30am until 5.30pm during the holidays. 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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