Little Learners Nursery

Little Learners Nursery Students Union, PO Box 230, Whiteknights, READING, RG6 6AZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15 August 2017 13 March 2014

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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

 Leaders support families well. Parents acknowledge that leaders and staff 'go the extra mile'. They work well with parents to provide additional support. Parents contribute to their child's learning journals, to show what they have learned away from the setting. For example, children bring in postcards and add them to their journals to show the places they have visited over a weekend.  Staff observe and assess children well from their starting points. They plan satisfying experiences based on children's needs and interests to extend their learning and progress effectively.  Staff provide a caring and warm environment for families and children. They work well with parents to ensure they keep children safe and meet their physical and emotional needs successfully. Children's points of view are valued well in the routines of the nursery.  Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff support younger children

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This provision is good

well for their next stage of development. They support older children effectively to gain the appropriate skills for moving to school.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although leaders monitor individual children well, they do not monitor groups of children's progress precisely enough to identify less noticeable differences in their learning.  Staff do not initiate enough opportunities for children who prefer to learn outside to extend further their communication skills.

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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

 extend opportunities more for children who prefer to learn outside to develop their early communication skills even further  extend further the assessments of different groups of children to accurately evaluate the progress they make and identify any less noticeable inconsistencies in their learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector conducted a joint observation with a senior manager to evaluate teaching and learning.  The inspector toured the nursery with the manager.  The inspector sampled a number of documents, including self-evaluation, safeguarding, staff performance files, children's learning and assessment documents, and risk assessments.  The inspector spoke to a number of staff and children.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Leaders evaluate the provision and support children well. They make changes to help children in their learning and regularly identify areas of development to extend learning further. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders make sure they follow robust procedures and policies to keep children safe. They ensure staff know how to report any concerns for a child, to protect their safety and welfare, such as tracking absenteeism. Leaders support staff well and provide good opportunities for professional development. For example, recent training has enabled them to modify their teaching and include further resources, to meet the needs of children who speak English as an additional language successfully. Leaders have developed good professional relationships with different agencies for guidance on children who may require additional support.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use their observations well to plan for children's next steps in learning. Staff across the nursery are good role models. They enable children to extend their learning well through participating and getting involved in their play. For example, they successfully identify mathematical opportunities with children in their role play. Older children count the number of plates and recognise different shapes and sizes. Children are able to take risks in their learning. For example, very young children who are close to walking are encouraged to move independently from one activity to another. Parents have good opportunities to contribute to children's learning and staff give them ideas to support their children at home effectively.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children build strong attachments with their key carers. Parents have regular opportunities to discuss their child's physical and emotional needs with them. Staff support children well to develop good social skills. For example, older children develop their own rules on how to behave in their rooms, so they care for each other as well as being safe. Children's behaviour is good as they are regularly involved in the daily routines of the nursery to help them become independent learners. They clean and tidy up together when they have completed playing with resources that support their learning.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children learn a wide range of skills that prepares them well for their next stage of learning. They are making good progress from their starting points. For instance, staff support very young children to extend their communication skills effectively. Staff name the toys and play resources and children copy the words. Toddlers learn to develop their physical and language skills successfully. They skilfully use cutting resources and name the shapes they make. Older children sit in the reading area and share books and ask questions of each other, developing their comprehension through stories they have chosen.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461079 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 1069238 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 - 5 Total number of places 106 Number of children on roll 85 Name of registered person Little Learners @ RUSU LTD

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 March 2014 Telephone number 01183 784128

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reference number

Little Learners Nursery re-registered in 2013, and previously registered in 1997. It is managed by The University of Reading Student's Union Committee. The nursery is open five days a week from 8am to 6pm, all year round. It receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 42 staff to work with the children. Of these, 34 hold recognised early years qualifications, the majority holding a qualification at level 3, with three staff, including the manager, holding higher qualifications.

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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