Little Nippers

Little Nippers Old Man's Rest Building, Ryelands Park, Owens Road, Lancaster LA1 2LN

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Inspection date 28 January 2019 Previous inspection date 1 March 2016

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2 Outcomes for children Good 2

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This provision is good

n The nursery is led and managed by a skilled, knowledgeable and well-qualified management team. Managers successfully create a culture of evaluative practice within the nursery where children, staff, parents and other professionals are all involved in the self-evaluation processes. This helps to inform targeted improvement plans that help to drive continual improvement of the nursery and outcomes for children. n Staff continually strive to establish effective partnerships with parents and find creative ways to support learning at home. Parents are highly valued as their child's first educator and they are widely encouraged to share and contribute to their children's learning. Parents speak very highly of the staff team. Partnership working with other professionals is equally as effective. n Staff seek detailed information on babies' care routines. This helps babies to develop secure attachments and promotes smooth settling into the nursery. As a result, they

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This provision is good

quickly grow in confidence, happily smiling and waving to new visitors to the nursery. n Recent changes to planning mean staff now largely plan 'in the moment'. They accurately assess children's learning and, together with information from parents, other professionals and children's interests, seize opportunities to draw out children's knowledge and build on it there and then. Activities are rich and varied, helping children to become high engaged during play and make good progress. n Children behave very well and play cooperatively with their peers. Staff are warm and nurturing towards the children and act as good role models. They practise good manners with the children and remind them to say 'please' and 'thank you'. n Children gain an excellent understanding of risk through activities and resources that encourage them to explore their environment. They use crates, wooden stumps and planks to create their own environment where they can climb, jump and balance.

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This provision is good

n On occasion, staff interactions with children are limited. Some staff do not yet use a broad range of teaching techniques to fully engage children in their play. n Although managers monitor staff teaching, evaluations gained from performance management are not always used to inform highly effectively strategies that aim to raise the quality of teaching to the very highest levels.

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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 use evaluations of staff teaching more effectively to raise the quality of teaching to the very highest levels across the whole team n strengthen staff interactions and engagement with children and use a wider range of teaching methods to help children make even greater progress.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning, during play inside and outside. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager. n The inspector spoke to members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and held a meeting with the nursery provider and manager. n The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and other written comments. n The inspector looked at children's records, evidence of the suitability of staff and a range of other documentation, including policies and procedures.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding and their individual responsibilities to protect children, through ongoing training and support from managers. They are well versed in nursery policies and the procedure to follow in response to a concern. Robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures help to ensure children are cared for by suitable adults. Risk assessments cover the nursery premises and outings children attend, helping to maintain children's safety. Children's progress is monitored closely. The manager and staff are able to identify any emerging gaps in children's learning and implement support where necessary. For example, following identifying gaps in children's literacy skills, staff re-designed the book area, increased the range of resources available and worked hard to create further opportunities to engage children in their reading at home.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The atmosphere within the nursery is lively and purposeful. Children show high levels of engagement during their play and benefit from the overall, strong teaching from staff. Children confidently explore the outdoor area. They negotiate space well as they steer wheeled cars around objects and other children, helping to develop their physical skills. They enjoy exploring the natural environment and show an interest in ice that has formed. Staff sensitively join in with children's play. They model ways to explore the ice and introduce new vocabulary as they describe how the ice feels. This helps support children's growing communication skills as well as their understanding of the world. Staff working with babies use wonderful tones of voice and sing nursery rhymes in an animated manner, which babies move their bodies to and squeal with delight.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children are happy, secure and show high levels of confidence and self-assurance. For example, they happily talk to new visitors to the nursery and invite them to play. The well-established key-person system ensures children's needs are well known and met. This supports children's emotional and physical well-being. Children's health is fostered well. Children have daily access to the outdoor area. The nursery supplies waterproof clothing, meaning children can play outdoors in all weathers. Staff talk to children about their healthy options at lunchtime and refer to the healthy eating displays, promoting children's awareness of the importance of a healthy diet.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children enjoy listening to stories and join in with some familiar phrases. They use good small muscle control as they make marks and draw for purpose, for example when 'writing' shopping lists while playing in the role-play area. Children are learning about themselves and their place in the world, and they are exposed to diversity within their everyday play. Children are developing the necessary skills for future learning and their eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY478660 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10076073 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 - 2 Total number of places 28 Number of children on roll 48 Name of registered person Nippers Children's Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2016 Telephone number 01524 844441

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Little Nippers registered in 2014 and is located in Lancaster. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are available from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery employs seven members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications, including the manager who holds a qualification at level 7. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for two-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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