Little Acorns Day Nursery

Little Acorns Day Nursery 13 Exbury Road, London, SE6 4NB

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 January 2018 7 November 2014

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

p.1

This provision is good

 All staff are positive and caring, and provide a very welcoming and nurturing environment. They build strong bonds with children, who feel happy and valued.  Staff accurately assess children's development and the manager monitors children's progress closely. She checks for any gaps between groups of children, such as boys and girls, and addresses these quickly. Staff plan successfully for children's next steps in learning and offer further support where needed. All children progress well from their developmental starting points.  Staff support children's communication and language skills successfully and children confidently express themselves. They eagerly join in with daily 'Spanish' sessions and learn new words quickly, such as counting and identifying colours in Spanish.  Parent partnerships are strong. The manager and staff keep parents fully up to date with their children's development. They regularly share records of what children are

p.1

This provision is good

learning and ideas for how parents can offer further support at home. Parents comment very positively on the quality of care their children receive.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although the manager supports staff well, she does not supervise them closely enough and set precise targets to help raise the good quality of practice to the highest levels.  Staff do not consistently make the most of the questions they ask children to fully extend their learning.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 supervise staff more closely and offer further support to help raise the quality of practice to the highest level  make better use of questioning to help fully extend children's learning and support rapid progress.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching practice and the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector held discussions with the managers, staff and children.  The inspector read some of the nursery's documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures.  The inspector sampled children's development information and records.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and discussed children's play, learning and progress.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The dedicated manager reflects carefully on the effectiveness of the nursery. She works well with staff, parents and children to help identify strengths and areas for further improvement. For example, she has recently introduced regular trips to a local nature area where children's outdoor learning is supported by a trained teacher. Children take part in a variety of experiences, such as building with natural objects and cooking on campfires. Overall, the manager effectively supports her staff to develop their practice and encourages further training and childcare qualifications. After recent training, staff introduced new books to support children's positive values, such as respecting each other's differences. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have up-to-date knowledge of how to deal with any child protection concerns and follow strict procedures.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff are well qualified and know the children well. They successfully use children's interests to help provide an engaging and stimulating environment. Children of all ages enthusiastically take part in a wide range of activities. For example, two-year-old children enjoy pretending to look after each other, using the role-play doctor's kit. They confidently talk about needing medicine if they are unwell and using toothpaste to clean their teeth. Staff support pre-school children's mathematical skills well. For example, they teach children number-matching games and encourage them to work out one more and less as they count. Staff use songs skilfully to help build on babies' experiences. For instance, as babies explore toy animals, staff sing songs about visiting the animals in the zoo and babies excitedly join in, making their animal sounds.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are very kind and considerate of others. They take great pride in caring for the nursery's pet chicken and rabbits, and talk sensitively about what they need to be happy. Children behave well, are sociable and make strong friendships. They actively include others in their play and happily share their experiences. For example, children ask others if they want to join in with games and kindly share out roles in their imaginary play. Staff are particularly attentive to the care needs of babies and offer them warm affection when needed. Babies settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Staff encourage plenty of outdoor play and children enjoy exercising in the well-resourced garden. They particularly enjoy using the trampoline and develop good balance and coordination.

p.3

Outcomes for children are good

Children of all ages enjoy their learning and quickly gain the skills they need for the next stage in their learning and for school. Pre-school children are curious about nature. They confidently use magnifying glasses and factual books to help describe and identify toy insects. Two-year-old children are very imaginative and gain good control over creative equipment. Babies walk confidently from an early age and enjoy climbing up and down soft-play ramps. All children are well-motivated, inquisitive and eager learners.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY462362 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 1071559 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 32 Number of children on roll 56 Name of registered person The Beeches Nursery Group Limited

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 November 2014 Telephone number 0208 6909507

p.4

reference number

Little Acorns Day Nursery registered in 2013. The nursery is open each weekday between 8am and 6pm, all year round. There are 10 members of staff, eight of whom hold relevant qualifications between level 2 and qualified teacher status. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

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 .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5