Little Palms

Little Palms 32 Market Street, Torquay TQ1 3AQ

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Inspection date 1 February 2019 Previous inspection date 9 October 2017

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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

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3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This is a provision that requires improvement

n Staff do not routinely ensure that adult-led activities provide enough challenge or stimulation to engage all children and build on what they know and can do, to help them make good progress consistently. Some children lose interest and choose to play elsewhere and others watch but do not participate. n Although staff provide good support for children's communication and language during one-to-one activities, the quieter children and those with speech delays receive little interaction during the rest of the session to continue to develop these skills. n Staff do not organise the times between tasks and activities as well as they could, to keep children engaged and help them understand the routine and expectations. n Leaders do not accurately evaluate the quality of the setting, to ensure staff's practice consistently supports children to make the best possible progress.

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It has the following strengths

n Leaders have recently reviewed supervisory meetings for staff, to ensure they can work together to monitor each individual child's progress and share any concerns more effectively. Staff know the children well and assess them accurately. Children make steady progress in their learning, overall. n Staff form positive relationships with children. They are sensitive, warm and help them to settle in quickly. For example, when new children become upset, staff quickly offer them reassuring cuddles or distract them with toys they know interest them. n Partnerships with parents are good. Staff routinely share detailed information with them about their children's achievements and next steps in learning. Parents comment positively about their children's experiences, saying that children enjoy coming and establish close bonds with the caring staff team.

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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 improve the planning and organisation of group activities to ensure staff provide good challenge and stimulation and engage all children, to motivate them to take part and help them make good progress consistently 01/03/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

improve the quality of teaching to ensure staff provide all children with the necessary support and interaction they need, to develop their communication and language, particularly the less confident children and those with speech and language delays. 01/03/2019

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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 review the organisation of transition times between routine tasks and activities to help keep children focused and engaged n develop self-evaluation to reflect more accurately on the quality of teaching and ensure staff meet children's individual learning needs routinely.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed children during several adult-led activities and in their self- chosen play. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning during a planned activity. n The inspector spoke with children, parents and staff to take account of their views. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager to ascertain how they fulfil the requirements of the early years foundation stage. n The inspector sampled a range of documents, including children's learning records and staff's suitability checks.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

Leaders monitor children's progress suitably, although they are in the process of reviewing this to acquire more detailed information, to indicate any patterns in learning more clearly. However, they do not reflect accurately on adult-led activities to ensure staff routinely challenge each child and build on their individual next steps in learning. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and staff have a good knowledge of how to recognise signs that a child may be at risk of harm and understand the action to take to protect them. They have developed their processes to enable better information sharing between the team if they have any concerns about a child. Staff receive regular support from the manager and have opportunities to develop their knowledge through further training. For example, staff have learned to set out resources that support children's individual learning styles, to motivate them to explore and 'have a go'.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not consistently plan engaging activities that take account of all children's learning needs. For example, they expect children of all ages and abilities to sit quietly and listen for a considerable time. Although staff successfully maintain the focus of some younger children, these children do not actively participate or practise any skills. Quieter children and those with speech delays do not routinely receive support or interaction from staff as they play, to enable them to develop their communication and language further. Nonetheless, children are content and willing to try new things. For instance, staff support the older children to gain the control and coordination to use tools, such as using scissors to cut fresh herbs. Younger children happily make marks as they paint and mix colours and proudly show off their efforts to staff. Children learn to count, such as clapping each time they say a number to 'time' how long a spinning top continues to

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children benefit from close relationships with the staff, although some children receive little interaction and support from staff as they play, to further develop their confidence to speak. Staff provide an attractive environment for children to play in and explore. However, staff do not always organise the times between tasks and activities effectively, to teach children the expectations. For example, after coming inside from the garden, some children cannot get to their coat pegs so throw their coats on the floor and rush off to play. However, children behave well, overall. They develop some good social skills, such as patiently waiting for their turn to try to catch a ball during a game.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children do not always receive the challenge, support or interaction needed to make the progress of which they are capable. Nonetheless, children acquire the basic skills needed for later learning, including school. Older children confidently share their thoughts, such as talking about what is happening in the books staff read to them. Younger children act out what they know, such as pretending to talk on toy phones. Children eagerly experiment with technology toys, investigating which buttons make remote controlled toys move in different directions.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY490781 Local authority Torbay Inspection number 10093339 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 53 Name of registered person Pre-School Learning Alliance

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 9 October 2017 Telephone number 01803 290471

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reference number

Little Palms nursery registered in 2015. It operates in the town of Torquay, in Torbay. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm for 51 weeks of the year. There are five members of staff employed to work directly with children, all of whom hold appropriate qualifications to at least level 3. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four years.

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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.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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