Little Saints Nursery

Inspection of Little Saints Nursery School House, Hillfoot Road, Totley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S17 4AP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

Children are happy and enjoy their time at the nursery. They have secure attachments with staff and seek them out to share their experiences. For example, younger children enjoy cuddling up to familiar adults to share stories in their newly developed cosy area. Staff get to know children well. They take time to help new children settle in and ensure they feel safe and secure.

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The provision is good

Overall, staff have high expectations for all children and plan a broad range of activities to extend on what children already know. Children in the pre-school room learn what makes them unique as part of their 'All about me' topic. They examine their facial features as they make self-portraits for a display. Younger children extend their vocabulary as they engage in activities centred around the popular story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. They explore size as they scoop porridge oats into small, medium and large containers. Children are well behaved, engaged and motivated in their learning.

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The provision is good

Partnerships with parents are strong. There is a good exchange of information between home and the nursery. Parents attend regular meetings with their children's key person where they discuss children's development and transitions into the next room or on to school. Parents are happy with the nursery. They praise the high level of care and education their children receive from nurturing and dedicated staff.

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need to do better?

n Staff decide what children need to learn based on their observations and assessments of what they can do. Children have opportunities to access a wide range of resources and choose what they would like to play with. Positive interactions with staff support children's learning. Although teaching is good, overall, staff do not always extend children's creative skills or allow them enough time to test out their own thoughts and ideas. n Staff incorporate children's interests into activities while making sure that their learning is paramount. Children learn about their bodies, senses, families and what makes them similar to and different from others as they explore an 'All about me' theme. Older children enjoy looking at an information book with staff as they learn about the human body. They explore different body parts, use their senses and talk about what makes them healthy. n Children are well behaved and polite. Staff help children to understand the

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need to do better?

nursery's rules and boundaries. A consistent routine helps children to understand what is expected of them and know what is coming next. For example, a timer is used to indicate when it is time to tidy away. All children stop what they are doing and sing a tidy-up song before they help to put the resources away.

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need to do better?

24 September 2019 n Children enjoy a good mix of child-initiated and adult-led learning opportunities. However, at times, whole-group activities are not organised as effectively as possible to enable all children to be fully engaged. Younger children quickly lose interest and become distracted as they sit for extended periods of time. n Staff support children's emotional well-being well and are attentive to their needs. They help children to calm down when they become upset and encourage them to talk about how they are feeling and what is making them unhappy. n Children develop their independence and self-care skills as they pour their own drinks at snack time and help themselves to water throughout the day. Children practise good hygiene procedures as they wash their hands independently and wipe their own noses. n The newly appointed manager has clear plans to monitor staff performance. She regularly observes staff interacting with children and gives them feedback on

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need to do better?

their performance. She has developed a termly supervision schedule to help to support staff development and well-being. n Leaders and staff reflect on the setting together to make improvements. The manager intends to develop the outdoor area so children can access this in all weathers. She is keen to develop a large-scale construction area with natural resources, such as wooden planks, crates and tyres, to provide children with more opportunities to explore and manage their own risks.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff know what signs or symptoms might indicate a child is at risk of harm. They understand how to identify and report any concerns they may have about a child's welfare. The manager ensures staff keep their knowledge up to date and that all staff are aware of wider child protection issues. When appointing new staff, the committee and manager follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable and have the skills they need to fulfil their roles in the nursery.

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should:

n support staff to fine-tune their teaching skills to give children the opportunities they need to explore their own thoughts and ideas and extend their creativity n explore additional ways to organise group times to engage all children and extend their learning opportunities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 300901 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 10071193 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 to 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Little Saints Nursery Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 0114 2352148 Date of previous inspection 22 April 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Little Saints Nursery registered in 2001. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, one holds a level 2 qualification and one is unqualified. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday during term time only. Sessions are from 7.45am until 5.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n Two joint observations were carried out by the inspector and nursery manager. n The inspector spoke with committee members, staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n A meeting was held between the inspector and the nursery manager. n The inspector looked at a sample of documents, including evidence of staff suitability and training.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

24 September 2019 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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