Little Acorns Nursery

Little Acorns Nursery Camelford Hall, Clease Road, Camelford, Cornwall, PL32 9PL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 April 2017 23 March 2015

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The manager does not support staff effectively enough to extend their skills and knowledge to help influence secure learning outcomes for children.  Teaching standards are not consistently strong. Some staff do not make the most of organised activities that help to extend children's thinking skills or help develop their understanding of solving problems and predicting outcomes.  Self-evaluation is not effective. Although the manager identifies weaknesses within the setting, such as staff performance, she does not take concerted action to make improvements.

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It has the following strengths

 Children develop sound physical skills. Children are active throughout the day and play with a variety of equipment in different environments, such as outside.  Children learn to be imaginative. They enjoy pretend and role play, which helps them to make sense of their experiences and the world around them.  Children are happy and form close bonds with staff and other children, helping to develop positive social skills.  The manager recruits new staff safely, such as completing suitability checks and obtaining references.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and the Childcare Register the provider must:

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Due Date

 develop procedures to support staff more effectively, extend their skills and raise teaching standards 03/05/2017

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Due Date

 improve the quality of teaching so staff deliver the best possible outcomes for children in all areas of learning 03/05/2017

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Due Date

 notify Ofsted of changes to circumstances as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the change occurs 03/05/2017

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Due Date

 inform Ofsted of the name, date of birth, address and telephone number of members of the committee. 03/05/2017

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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

 improve evaluation methods to identify all areas of weakness across the setting and plan for continuous improvements that reflect positively on outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children playing with others, independently and with staff.  The inspector spoke to staff, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager about how she monitors staff practice and plans for children's learning and development.  The inspector sampled a small range of documents including policies, children's records and staff qualification certificates.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Partnerships with parents are well developed. Staff exchange appropriate information with parents so they can work together to provide consistent care and learning arrangements, such as toilet training. Similarly, staff form secure partnerships with other professionals. This helps them to provide specialised development opportunities for children. However, although staff attend mandatory training, such as safeguarding, they do not extend their skills sufficiently across all areas of learning. Similarly, arrangements to monitor all staff's individual practice are not effective. Together, these do not enable children to learn as much as they could, especially during organised activities, such as thinking about and predicting outcomes for simple scientific experiments. The provider has not informed Ofsted about changes to the committee members or opening times, as required. This is also a breach of the requirements of the Childcare Register.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Overall, children enjoy their time at nursery and enjoy the activities prepared by staff. The manager and staff plan learning experiences well and tailor them for individual children's learning suitably. However, some staff do not use these activities enough to support children's learning needs or provide enough challenge across all areas of development. Some staff use good teaching skills and model how to be imaginative with craft materials. This helps children to learn to express themselves through art. The manager monitors children's progress suitably. She has developed procedures to help her identify and plan support for children's development.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Weaknesses in the leadership and management do not fully support children's welfare. Despite this, staff use routines suitably to help support children's emotional development. For example, they offer a café-style snack system where children can eat as they become hungry. Staff praise and encourage children regularly, motivating children to persevere in their play and form positive self-esteem. Children are busy and have a wide variety of opportunities from which to choose. They behave well, showing they feel secure and settled at nursery.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children develop some skills for their future learning. They develop their language skills well, and some sign language. Children learn some simple mathematics, such as counting. Children build some understanding of the world around them and make imaginary trips into space. They enjoy listening to stories and concentrate well. Children learn to complete simple tasks, such as setting up their lunch, which helps to increase their independence.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 102788 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 1088907 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 2 - 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person Little Acorns Nursery at Camelford

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 23 March 2015 Telephone number 01840 212114

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reference number

Little Acorns Nursery opened in 1980 and re-registered in 2006. It is located in Camelford, Cornwall. The nursery is open Monday to Wednesday from 8am to 5pm and Thursday and Friday from 9am to 3pm, during term time only. There are 10 members of staff who all hold an appropriate early years qualification. The nursery receives funding to provide free 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

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

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