Little Sunlights

Little Sunlights The Romsey School, Greatbridge, Romsey, SO51 8ZB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 May 2017 Not applicable

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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 provider has not made sure that the lead practitioner for safeguarding has attended child protection training to keep her knowledge updated.  The provider does not monitor the quality of teaching effectively. Some staff do not consistently support the children’s learning and develop their language skills.  Staff do not use the information gained from observations of the children’s play and achievements to support their learning effectively, especially for younger children. Therefore, not all children make good progress.  The provider’s self-evaluation is not strong enough to help identify all areas where improvement is needed to provide good-quality care for children.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy and settled. They have trusting relationships with the staff and their key person.  Effective partnerships with parents and other professionals mean that there is a regular two-way exchange of information. Staff link with external agencies for any children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to agree on individual development plans.  Children have regular opportunities to use their senses to explore and experiment with a wide range of creative materials, such as paint and sand, and gluing and sticking.  Children are provided with nutritious and healthy food options. Staff talk to children about foods that are good for them to raise their awareness of eating healthily.

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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

 make sure that the designated safeguarding lead practitioner attends a child protection training course 26/07/2017

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Due Date

 make better use of assessment to identify where children are in their learning and use the information gained to plan challenging activities that are geared to children's individual learning, in particular for the younger children. 22/08/2017

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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

 develop systems for monitoring staff performance and supporting their ongoing professional development to help provide consistently good teaching and learning  develop the self-evaluation process further to ensure it is effective in identifying all areas that require improvement to raise the quality of the provision to at least good.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors and outdoors, interactions between the staff and children and looked at the play equipment and resources.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager after viewing activities to discuss the impact of teaching.  The inspector spoke with the manager, staff and some parents. She also talked with the children at appropriate times.  The inspector looked at documentation, including a sample of children's records and staff suitability records.  The inspector discussed the systems used to evaluate the nursery.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Self-evaluation is not used rigorously to include all aspects of the provision. Although the interim manager has quickly identified weaknesses and started to prioritise areas for development, this is not yet having a good impact on children's learning. Systems for monitoring staff performance and supporting their ongoing professional development are not strong enough. This means there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning. Recruitment and vetting procedures to determine the suitability of staff to work with children are thorough. Designated staff for safeguarding have not completed child protection training. However, this does not have a significant impact on children as all staff have a sufficient understanding of safeguarding issues and procedures. Staff supervise children appropriately to help keep them safe. Safeguarding is effective. Following a risk assessment of the outdoor areas, the provider has taken suitable action to

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

address issues. For example, areas are cordoned off so they are inaccessible to children until they are made safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff observe children as they play to help them assess their progress. However, they do not use the information effectively, particularly for younger children, to plan activities that engage them well enough. This means that, at times, younger children wander around. Children have fun exploring the texture of the paint and cornflour mix. They show care and control as they scoop it out and transfer it to the various containers. Staff get involved and encourage conversation appropriately, but they do not model language and introduce new words consistently enough. The older children enjoy stories. They listen well and the staff make use of props to involve them fully, for example, to support their early literacy skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff do not consistently use the resources effectively to offer children purposeful play experiences. Nevertheless, they interact with children in a friendly and caring manner. Children relate well to the staff and one another, which supports their emotional well- being. Staff teach children to be kind and considerate, for example, to share the building blocks with each other. Staff regularly praise the children, which helps to boost their confidence and self-esteem. Children have access to the outdoor play space, which provides them with daily fresh air and exercise. Staff follow appropriate hygiene procedures and nappy changing routines to support the children's health suitably.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Although children enjoy their time at the nursery, they do not make the best possible progress in their learning. Children learn some skills that help them to prepare for starting school. For example, they enjoy sorting and matching toys of various colours and sizes to the corresponding plates. This helps to support their mathematical development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY496071 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 1099022 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 - 4 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person Romsey Community School Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01794 522106

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reference number

Little Sunlights registered in 2016. The nursery opens on weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are eight staff working with the children; of these, five hold an early years qualification at level 2 or above. The interim manager holds qualified teacher status.

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

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