Little Acorns Day Nursery UK Ltd

Little Acorns Day Nursery UK Ltd Oak House 49a Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 5SA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 November 2017 11 February 2014

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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:

 Leaders do not ensure that, at all times, they deploy staff effectively to meet the needs of the babies and toddlers. This means children do not always have the full support and attention they need emotionally to settle and engage fully.  Leaders do not ensure that staff consistently engage the youngest children in good- quality interactions and play opportunities. Children do not always receive the support they need from staff and appropriate activities to help them to make good progress.  Staff do not consistently support young children to be sociable at mealtimes. This limits children's opportunities to develop their social and personal skills for future learning.  Leaders do not monitor and evaluate staff practice effectively enough. The quality of teaching is variable, and not all children make good progress.

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It has the following strengths

 Effective two-way sharing of information means that parents feel well informed about their child's care and learning.  Staff teach children good independence and self-care skills. For example, children learn to wash their own hands from a young age.  Children are happy and settled. They develop good confidence and behave well.  Staff teach older children good literacy skills during their play and daily activities, which introduces them to concepts, such as letters and sounds.

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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 the deployment of staff to ensure they meet all children's individual learning needs at all times 26/02/2018

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Due Date

 raise teaching to a consistently good quality by improving the quality of staff interactions with the youngest children, to increase the opportunities for children to make good progress 26/02/2018

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Due Date

 improve mealtime routines to make them more social times for the youngest children, and provide increased opportunities for them to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. 26/02/2018

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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 self-evaluation processes to more accurately monitor staff practice and outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager at appropriate times during the inspection and in a scheduled meeting.  The inspector observed children's activities and staff teaching in all rooms.  The inspector looked at documentation, including a sample of children's records, planning and assessment records, and checked the suitability of staff to work with children.  The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of the inspection, and of the nursery's self-evaluation.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The systems for evaluating the service are not fully effective. Through staff supervisory sessions, the manager provides some opportunities for staff to discuss their professional development and training needs. However, this does not identify all weaknesses in practice, especially for those working with the younger children. Staff observe children's play and use this information to help them reflect on the children's next stages in their learning. However, in practice, staff do not make sure that all children engage in purposeful play activities. The manager ensures that staffing levels meet required ratios at all times. However, staff deployment is not always effective to ensure they consistently meet the needs of all children. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a good knowledge of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse, current legislation and the wider issues surrounding child protection. Nursery security is effective, which helps ensure

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

only authorised individuals can access the building.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff working with the younger children do not support their learning and progress effectively. For example, they often carry out other duties, which means the youngest children do not receive the emotional support or encouragement to engage in learning activities. Toddlers take part in small-group singing activities with staff and pre-school children learn about weight and measure water using scales. Children aged two, three and four years benefit from consistently good teaching which effectively challenges them. During the time they spend in these rooms children learn new skills which prepare them well for their next stage in learning and eventual move to school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff do not make mealtimes social experiences for all children. For example, they place some babies away from the others and do not give them the interaction they need when they are feeding them. Children have access to suitably stimulating toys and equipment that support their development sufficiently. Children benefit from daily fresh air. Some staff use positive praise and encouragement, especially those working with the older children, which helps to raise children's self-esteem. Toddlers are encouraged to manage risks effectively for themselves. For example, they safely climb up to the nappy changing unit. Staff work well with parents to support consistency of care for children.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Not all children make the progress of which they are capable. For example, not all activities for babies are developmentally appropriate which limits their interaction, learning and opportunities to join in. However, three- and four-year-old children play well together. They take turns and work together on tasks. Children behave well. With support, they learn to understand simple rules and expectations. Children take responsibility for tasks, such as cleaning the tables and scraping the food from their plates at lunchtime.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY378122 Local authority Ealing Inspection number 1068889 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 90 Name of registered person Little Acorns Day Nursery (UK) Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 February 2014 Telephone number 0208 567 0800

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reference number

Little Acorns Day Nursery UK Ltd registered in 2008. It operates from two units on the same site, in the London Borough of Ealing. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am to 6.15pm, all year round. The nursery is in receipt of government funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 10 staff who work with the children. Of these, one has a relevant level 6 qualification and seven have relevant qualifications at level 3.

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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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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

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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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