Little Gems Nursery and After School Club

Little Gems Nursery and After School Club Ravenscroft Primary School, Ebony Way, Kirkby, LIVERPOOL L33 1XT

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Inspection date 21 August 2018 Previous inspection date 20 January 2016

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3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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3

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

n Staff do not always plan activities for individual children to ensure they make consistently good progress. This is most evident in the two-year-olds room. Planning to boost children's development is more effective in the baby room and pre-school room. n Children who attend other settings in addition to the nursery do not benefit from a coordinated approach to their learning and development. Partnerships focus on the exchange of daily care information only. n The managers overview of established staff performance methods is not always thorough enough to identify swiftly when staff require extra support. n Teaching to help children learn about people whose life experience or culture is different from their own is not always planned effectively.

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It has the following strengths

n Children develop warm, nurturing relationships with staff, who know their family circumstances. Staff are deployed effectively and give children close, personal attention, meeting their physical and emotional needs swiftly. n Staff find out what children can already do when they start and overall, accurately assess what they need to learn next. Teaching for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is very good. n Children enjoy small group activities where they sing rhymes or listen to stories. Children take turns to answer questions. Toddlers count how many ducks are left behind and pre-school children try to match letter shapes to the sounds they represent.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure suitably challenging activities are regularly planned to help individual children, specifically those children who are two-years- old, to make consistently good progress in their learning 31/10/2018

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure a shared approach to learning and assessment is implemented where children also attend other settings, in order to coordinate and extend their learning opportunities. 31/10/2018

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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

n monitor the performance of staff more effectively so that any areas for development are swiftly identified and acted on n provide children with more opportunities to learn about people whose life experience or culture is different from their own.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector had a tour of the premises and spoke with staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery deputy manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the nursery deputy manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The inspector spoke with parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

While systems are in place to monitor the performance of staff, they are not always implemented effectively. Managers are unaware that for some two-year-old children, planning to help them make progress is inconsistent. Staff are well-qualified and experienced. They mentor apprentices, helping them to develop their knowledge and skills. Safeguarding is effective. Staff know how to recognise and refer children whose well-being may be a concern. Overall, they have a good understanding of their professional responsibilities. Partnerships with health professionals are strong and contribute to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good progress. However, partnerships with the other settings children also attend are not effective in supporting children's learning. Parents comment that their children are happy and settled. They say staff are friendly and exchange information with them verbally

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Children age two have access to fun activities, which they enjoy. For example, they wash cars and tricycles with soap and sponges or concentrate as they make colourful collages or trace over letters and shapes. However, due to issues with staff absence, planning for some children's learning has been overlooked for lengthy periods of time. In addition, throughout the nursery, teaching to help children learn about the similarities and differences between people in the wider world is not planned as well as other aspects of learning. Pre-school staff demonstrate good teaching. An effective balance of planned adult-led activities and child-led play contributes to most children making good progress. Children learn to distinguish between the different sounds musical instruments make and confidently name rhyming words. Babies have lots of opportunities to explore using their senses. They feel paint, splash in water and squeal with delight as they pop large

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

All children are well behaved. Staff model being kind and sharing. They reinforce the simple rules, such as having 'kind hands' and 'listening ears'. Pre-school children respond positively to the instructions staff give them. Children enjoy free access to well-resourced outdoor areas. They climb and balance or negotiate obstacles as they ride around on tricycles. In preparation for starting school, children choose between healthy sandwiches and wraps or a hot meal at lunch time. Babies enjoy cuddles as they have a bottle or are gently rocked to sleep.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Overall, children make steady progress and pre-school children are well prepared for the move to school. Children show a keenness to communicate and a friendliness towards visitors. They are curious, full of fun and develop independence in self-care. All children show an interest in making marks. Babies paint with their fingers, toddlers paint on walls with water and pre-school children learn to write their name.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY345926 Local authority Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Inspection number 10064045 Type of provision Full day care

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childcare on non-domestic premises Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 54 Name of registered person Maryvale Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 20 January 2016 Telephone number 0151 548 0222

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reference number

Little Gems Nursery and After School Club registered in 2007. The nursery employs ten members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications, including one with qualified teacher status, two at level 5 and five at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, except for one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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procedures set out in the guidance Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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