Little Boots

Little Boots Pottery Farm, Whitney, Ilminster, TA19 0SJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 8 May 2018 19 August 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

 Older children have good opportunities to explore the farm, caring for the animals and growing and cooking their own food with staff. They know the particular hazards to look out for and assess risk for themselves. Younger children select toys for everyone to play with. Staff understand the individual babies' needs, so they are very secure and settled.  Staff assess children's progress accurately and use children's ideas to plan interesting activities. Children say, 'there is always something different to play with.' Staff ensure that babies have extensive opportunities to explore and learn from a wide range of well-chosen resources.  The manager has an accurate knowledge of good teaching and works effectively with staff to evaluate all aspects of the planned activities. She provides regular and incisive feedback to the well-trained staff so that they improve their teaching skills.  All children make good progress. Staff prepare older children well for going to school.

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This provision is good

Older children recognise letter sounds, rhymes and retell familiar stories. Younger ones count and recognise their names. Babies handle cups and stack objects.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not consistently explain, develop and explore ideas for individual children when leading a group activity.  The manager does not ensure all staff fully develop their skills in enabling children to extend their critical thinking.

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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

 ensure that all staff explain, question and explore ideas for each individual child when leading a group activity, to support their next steps in learning even further  develop further staff skills in enabling children to develop their critical thinking.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's learning and conducted joint observations of teaching and learning, indoors and outdoors, with the manager.  The inspector spoke to children, staff and parents. She considered the written views of parents.  The inspector held meetings with the manager to discuss teaching and learning, and the evaluation of the provision.  The inspector sampled necessary documents, procedures and policies.  The inspector spoke to staff and the manager about the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager and staff have improved children's knowledge of diversity well by setting up links with other children in different countries. The manager has enabled adults with learning difficulties to volunteer in the nursery each week to extend children's experience of the wider community. The manager and staff evaluate and improve the systems for assessing children's progress well. The manager reviews this regularly so that there are no gaps in learning. She works well with staff from other settings that children attend and other professionals to share information. The staff communicate highly effectively with parents, fully informing them about the development of the nursery. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and all staff use their training well, knowing signs to look for, and are vigilant in reporting any concerns they may have to the correct people. Staff ensure that they protect children well by not putting photographs online, for example.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff determine specific next steps for children's learning and support them well to achieve. They regularly suggest specific ideas for parents to support areas of learning at home; for example, to encourage children to retell stores so they learn the structure. Staff cultivate a strong and highly effective partnership with parents. Staff fully involve children in planning future activities. For example, children said they would like to grow strawberries, make a cake and go in a tent. Younger children receive good support to choose the equipment for the day and set it out. Babies explore water, sand and cornflour, for example, mixing them and eagerly clapping their hands to make 'clouds'.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Older children use their knowledge of materials to sort them for recycling and they put out the right number of cups on the tables at snack time. Staff support children to chop vegetables for the hot meal at teatime and put the discarded parts in the compost bin. Staff provide good role models. There are high-quality relationships between staff, children and parents. Staff inform parents about all aspects of the babies' and younger children's day and maintain routines from home. Staff support parents well to enable babies and younger children to feed themselves and be toilet trained. Staff provide individualised settling-in periods for each child and family. Children are emotionally secure and confident. Babies learn to communicate well using hand signs.

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Outcomes for children are good

Older children write labels, such as 'tasty food'. They recall the sequence of a familiar story and link it to their own experiences of exploring in the snow. Younger children count the pigs and rabbits, recording the number, and manoeuvre large toys from the shed to the playground. Babies crawl, pull themselves up and eagerly learn to walk and communicate. They get toys they want to play with and make marks with brushes. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress because staff meet their specific needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY472571 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1071712 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 - 4 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 63 Name of registered person Little Boots Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 19 August 2014 Telephone number 07936555676

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reference number

Little Boots day nursery registered in 2014. It is located on a farm near Ilminster, Somerset. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm all year round. There are nine members of staff. The manager and five staff hold level 3 qualifications, and three others are unqualified. The nursery receives funding to provide free early years education for 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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