Little Hands Nursery School - Newton

Little Hands Nursery School - Newton Newton Hall, Town Street, Newton, Cambridge, CB22 7ZE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 8 March 2017 Not applicable

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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 manager's inspirational leadership encourages the staff team to drive forward improvements. Staff feel valued and motivated by the support they receive. They work highly effectively together as they carry out their roles with passion and commitment.  Staff know children exceedingly well. A robust key-person system fully supports children's emotional well-being and helps them to develop secure and trusting relationships. Key persons make highly effective use of information about children's development to plan meticulously for their individual needs and interests.  Staff help children to develop high level skills in order to keep themselves safe. Children eagerly carry out safety checks on the environment and equipment. The manager has proactively researched ways to help children know how to keep themselves safe online. Storybooks and information for parents are used very well.  The cultural diversity of the children is respected and valued. The manager seeks out

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This provision is outstanding

wonderful resources to support the learning of children who speak English as an additional language. Staff's use of number books, posters and nursery rhyme discs help all children to hear, learn and respect other languages and cultures.  The outside area is a wonderful place for children to explore and discover the natural world. Children play in muddy puddles for sustained periods of time. They add glitter and have immense fun whisking and stirring their pretend cake mixture. They excitedly seek out binoculars to look for a woodpecker they hear in a nearby tree.  Staff work extremely well with parents. For instance, parents share children's interests and achievements through a variety of methods, which staff use with great success to inform planning and support children's 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

 continue to support staff to develop their teaching skills, in order to consistently enthuse, engage and motivate children to learn at the highest possible levels.

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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 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 outstanding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures and this underpins everything they do. Staff consistently implement a robust range of policies and procedures to promote children's safety and well-being. Recruitment and induction procedures for new staff are excellent. The manager holds regular meetings with staff to continually review their superb practice and highlight any further training needs. The expert knowledge gained from training is used to ensure children's excellent progress. For example, a strong focus is being placed on children's mathematical development to coincide with a research project being undertaken through a higher level qualification course.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff make the very best use of every opportunity to enhance children's knowledge and skills. For example, they help children to learn about angles as they play with gutter pipes and balls outside. Children quickly learn that the steeper the angle of the pipe the faster the ball travels. Indoors children are highly creative. They spend considerable amounts of time making pictures and models with precise detail. Children look carefully at daffodils and use their excellent skills to make superb observational paintings. Staff teach children about weight and measure as they play with malleable materials, using weighing scales and different sized jugs. Children's progress is tracked meticulously. The managers and staff provide swift, targeted support for individuals and groups of children. This helps to close gaps in learning and ensure that all children make the best progress possible. Managers recognise the potential to develop staff's practice even more and seek highly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

appropriate ways to support them to develop their teaching skills to even higher levels.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff have high expectations of children to be independent and this helps them to swiftly learn to do things for themselves. They use knives to chop fruit for snack and discuss what they should eat to keep themselves healthy. Staff use all opportunities to praise children's efforts, raising their self-confidence. When children become frustrated staff give them time to manage their emotions, staying close by until children are ready to discuss their problems. Sensitive prompting helps children to succeed and their smiles show their pleasure at their achievements. Children enjoy exploring the countryside, they notice the changing seasons as they see spring flowers growing and look for new signs of life on plants and trees. During the summer months, they embark on growing vegetables which they use for cooking activities. This further supports children's excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children show a very positive attitude towards learning. They listen attentively and talk confidently about their family and experiences in group situations. Literacy and mathematical opportunities are incorporated into a wide range of activities, such as in messy activities and outside play. Children are competently developing valuable skills that they need for their next stage of learning and at school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY485511 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 1002441 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 62 Name of registered person Little Hands Nursery Schools Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01223872796

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reference number

Little Hands Nursery School - Newton was registered in 2015. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm through school term time and during some school holidays. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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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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