Little Acorns Nursery and Creche

Little Acorns Nursery and Creche 143 Alder Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8HR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26 September 2017 13 September 2013

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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 Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 The management team does not ensure that performance management systems are followed consistently. Training and coaching of staff are not sufficiently effective to support consistently good teaching.  The quality of teaching is not consistently strong to ensure children achieve as well as they can, particularly in their communication and language development.  Staff do not provide all parents with a written summary of their child's progress between the age of two and three years as required.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy, self-assured and emotionally secure. They behave well.  Staff work closely with other professionals to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.  Children's early writing skills are developing through a wide range of activities. For example, older children write signs to label areas of their room. Younger children enjoy using pom-poms attached to pegs to make marks in flour.  Children and staff work well together to organise their rooms. Good-quality resources are easily accessible to the children, allowing them to make independent choices.  Children's physical and exploratory skills are developing well. They handle a range of small tools, such as scissors and brushes, with increasing control. They show an awareness of space as they move freely around outdoors, using climbing equipment and cycling around a pathway.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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Due Date

 improve monitoring arrangements to ensure staff performance and the quality of teaching are consistently good 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 improve opportunities for children to develop good speech and language skills in readiness for school 10/10/2017

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Due Date

 provide parents with a written summary of their child's progress between the age of two and three years. 10/10/2017

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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 completed two joint observations with the deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the deputy manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to some children and parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Staff's practice is not rigorously monitored and addressed to ensure teaching and learning are consistently good. Staff make some use of knowledge and understanding gained from their qualifications and training to promote children's learning. New ways to observe, assess and track children's progress and collect information to help monitor the learning of different groups of children are being embedded. However, staff do not provide all parents with a written summary of their children's progress check at age two years. Nevertheless, there have been some positive developments since the last inspection. For example, younger children now have their own room and happily choose what to play with from a good selection of resources that interests them. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Improved record keeping means that full details on how staff's suitability is checked through recruitment and vetting are available. Safeguarding information is

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

displayed and staff receive training and regular updates. This ensures staff understand their responsibility to keep children safe and report any child protection concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Some experiences are not sufficiently organised to match children's individual learning needs and challenge them so they make the best progress. Ongoing information is not used well enough to identify gaps in children's learning and ensure they are supported to catch up. Although children are becoming keen writers, their emerging speech and language skills are not consistently supported. Staff do not always model the correct use of language, provide sufficient commentary or introduce new vocabulary. This means some children are not making the progress they need to in readiness for school. Information gathered from parents, alongside staff's observations and assessments, is used well to plan suitable activities for children when they first start.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff and parents exchange some information on a daily basis, which effectively helps continuity of care. Staff use praise, rewards and stickers well to support children's personal, social and emotional development. Children help to tidy away toys when they have finished playing, use the toilet with increasing independence and set their own place at lunchtime. Children learn to respect and tolerate each other's differences through a range of activities and stories. They talk about their unique features as they look closely at their face in the mirror and draw what they see.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Although the quality of teaching is not consistently good and some activities lack challenge, children develop some good basic skills. They confidently interact with staff and visitors and show a keen interest in reading, writing and counting. Overall, children are developing their social skills and independence in readiness for their eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY314772 Local authority St. Helens Inspection number 1064782 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 1 - 4 Total number of places 39 Number of children on roll 38 Name of registered person Trees Community Centre Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 September 2013 Telephone number 01925 596 104

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reference number

Little Acorns Nursery and Creche registered in 2005. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2, three at level 3, two at level 4 and one at level 6. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, all year round. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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