Haltwhistle Little Star

Haltwhistle Little Star Woodhead Lane, Haltwhistle, Northumberland, NE49 9DP

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 March 2018 6 May 2015

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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

 Staff are deployed effectively. Leaders regularly monitor and observe staff's practice. This helps them identify areas for improvement and professional development, ensuring teaching is consistently strong.  Effective monitoring systems are in place which quickly identify any gaps in children's learning. This means strategies can be implemented to ensure all children make good or better progress in their learning in relation to their starting points.  Leaders have given great thought to the layout of the different learning areas, carefully matching them to children's needs and interests. For example, babies enjoy sensory resources at a low level, such as mirrored surfaces and twinkling lights. This helps to ignite their curiosity.  Babies and younger children happily explore their learning environment. There is plenty of room for them to develop their physical skills as they learn to crawl and walk.

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This provision is good

 Children make good progress in their learning and development. They are developing some of the key skills required for their future learning. For example, they concentrate and persevere for long periods of time when creating spring flower pictures.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff do not give older children enough opportunities to practise more complex counting.  Although leaders and staff have developed strong partnerships with parents, information about their children's achievements at home is not always regularly shared with staff.

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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

 increase the range of mathematical experiences available for older children to ensure they are constantly challenged in their counting skills  develop further ways to engage more parents in sharing their children's achievements at home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke with parents on the day of the inspection, viewed completed parents' questionnaires and took account of their views.  The inspector spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection and observed staff's interactions with children.  The inspector observed staff planning and viewed children's learning files.  The inspector spoke with leaders to discuss the service they provide, including how they evaluate this to improve outcomes for children and their families.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Leaders are very dedicated and committed to their roles. They use effective methods to evaluate and identify areas for improvement. For example, by seeking the views of all staff, parents and children. Leaders and staff have a strong understanding of safeguarding and child protection procedures. They update their training regularly and know who to contact should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Safeguarding is effective. Robust risk assessment procedures help staff to ensure that the indoor and outside environments are safe and secure for children. Good induction processes ensure staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Partnerships with parents are strong. They receive regular updates regarding their children's learning. Parents are very complimentary about the care and support leaders and staff give them and their children. Partnerships with other settings are strong. Staff share information about children's

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

learning with other settings. This helps provide continuity of care.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The quality of teaching is consistently good. Planning is comprehensive and highly effective. Leaders and staff have a good understanding of the age groups that they teach. They know their key children very well. They make effective use of their observations to regularly monitor children's progress and frequently assess them participating in activities. This helps them to identify children's next steps in learning. Staff plan interesting activities that help children learn about the seasons of the year. For instance, children enjoy exploring a tub of spring flowers and learn flower names, such as hyacinth and daffodil.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are considerate and caring role models and warmly welcome children, parents and visitors when they arrive at the nursery. Staff are very attentive to the needs of all children. Consequently, children are happy and settled. Behaviour is age appropriate. Staff gently encourage younger children to take turns and share. This positively promotes their emerging personal and social skills, helping them learn acceptable boundaries. Wall displays celebrate children's personal achievements. For instance, 'wow' moment trees celebrate children's achievements, such as 'a new tooth has hatched' or 'I was kind today'. This helps develop children's sense of pride and positively promotes self-esteem. Children confidently and independently wash and dry their own hands.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children learn to value and respect their own and other people's differences. For instance, they learn about and celebrate different cultures. Children display good concentration skills. Older children sit and listen well to stories, enthusiastically joining in with the storyline. Younger children participate by making animal noises. Children are developing an understanding that letters carry meaning. For instance, they are beginning to recognise their own names in print as they self-register upon arrival.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY278887 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 1091888 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 - 11 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Haltwhistle Little Star Pre-School

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 6 May 2015 Telephone number 01434 322233

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reference number

Haltwhistle Little Star registered in 2004. The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff, of whom seven hold relevant qualifications at level 2 and above, including one at level 6. Both managers hold early years professional status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. 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

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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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