Little Nightingales Day Nursery

Little Nightingales Day Nursery Nightingale Cottage, Barnet Road, London Colney, ST. ALBANS, Hertfordshire, AL2 1BG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 March 2017 15 October 2012

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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

 Staff are highly aware of when they need to change the staffing arrangements in order to meet the requirements for ratios of adults to children. Children of different ages are happy to play together at the start of the day. Managers ensure there are sufficient staff in each room to support and supervise the number of children.  Staff give high attention to identifying areas of risk in the nursery. Daily checks of the environment are securely in place. Staff look carefully at all recorded accidents and carry out further checks on all areas where accidents have occurred.  Staff use books well as an effective teaching aid. Toddlers enjoy stories being read to them in the garden. Staff in the pre-school room introduce activities through stories, such as growing beanstalks. During the weekly book club, children eagerly discuss the favourite parts of the books they have taken home.  Parents speak highly of the nursery. They talk about how happy their children are and

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This provision is good

the good progress they make. A parent's forum is in place and this offers a place where parents can express their views and ideas. Staff have close links to the local children's centre and signpost parents to programmes of support where necessary.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff who work at the nursery on a temporary basis do not always have the same high levels of induction and supervision as the permanent members of staff.  Children who prefer to learn outdoors are not consistently given opportunities to develop their imagination through their play outside.

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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

 support temporary staff to understand their role more effectively and increase the quality of their teaching and interactions with children  provide a wider range of opportunities outdoors to support the imaginative play of those children who prefer to learn outside.

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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 carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the provider and nursery manager and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views. She also spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including the nursery safeguarding procedures, complaints, attendance records and children's observation and assessment records.  The inspector reviewed the nursery's evaluation documents and discussed other methods of reflective practice.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The managers and staff are highly reflective of their practice. They seek the views of parents and children on new projects, such as developing the outside area. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a clear knowledge and understanding of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about children in their care. They know which professionals to contact if they have child protection concerns, both in the nursery and to other relevant agencies. The management team has a recruitment and induction system and this is highly effective for most. New permanent members of staff report how well they are supported to thoroughly understand their role and responsibilities. Managers use regular supervision meetings to support permanent staff to look at their own performance. Staff have many opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills through training. The talk positively about the impact this has on

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

their practice, such as having a deeper understanding of how babies develop and learn.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children are given many opportunities to choose their play and how they learn. Babies enjoy sensory experiences as they explore a range of materials in discovery baskets. Staff use clear descriptive language with the babies to help them learn new words, such as hard and soft. Staff help toddlers to understand basic mathematics. As they play with dough, they count the segments they have made on a caterpillar's body and discuss long and short. Older children enjoy pretend play indoors. They make up stories as they play with toy dinosaurs and vehicles. Staff give them time to express their ideas, offering support when it is needed and to extend their learning. Staff plan effectively for their individual key children. They complete a range of daily observations to identify where children's interests are and link these interests to their next steps in learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff's support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. They work in close partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure children's needs are met. Children are provided with healthy foods at snack and mealtimes and they are learning how to attend to their own care needs. They enjoy physical activity in the garden, such as riding on bicycles and climbing up slides. Staff gain useful information from parents when children start at the nursery. This helps babies to settle well and they soon feel secure as staff individualise their routines. Staff use all opportunities to encourage children to share and praise their efforts, helping to raise their self-confidence.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making good progress in their learning. Babies and toddlers develop curiosity and positive attitudes towards their learning. Older children enjoy using the computer to spell out their names. Children are learning to respect each other and discuss similarities and differences. For example, they look at the photographs of each other's families and discuss how they are different. This helps to prepare them well as they meet a wider range of children and adults when they start at school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY348672 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1086073 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 69 Name of registered person Little Nightingale's Children's Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 15 October 2012 Telephone number 01727 827533

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reference number

Little Nightingales Day Nursery was registered in 2007. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including one member of staff who holds early years professional status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children and supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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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