Little Willows Day Nursery

Inspection of Little Willows Day Nursery (Corsham) 38 Stokes Road, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9AA

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure at the setting. They form good bonds with staff and make friends with each other. Children and babies settle down quickly on arrival to engage in activities independently and with staff. For example, babies snuggle up to staff as they share a book together.

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy music and movement activities. They move their bodies eagerly to the rhythm of the music and balance beanbags skilfully on different parts of their bodies. Children join in enthusiastically with actions and songs, showing good listening skills and control. For instance, they pretend to be sleeping crocodiles and wake up quickly when told, giggling in delight as they move their arms like a crocodile's mouth to 'snap, snap, snap'.

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The provision is good

Children experiment with a range of media and materials and are keen to show off, and talk about, their creations, such as frosty-day pictures and train track constructions. Staff give children plenty of praise, encouraging them to take pride in their achievements and boosting self-esteem and confidence.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise. Babies stand at the water tray strengthening the muscles in their legs as they examine the ice that has formed. Staff encourage them to walk with support and to take their first steps. Older children have fun as they re-enact stories, for example as they ride push-along bicycles to go on a bear hunt with staff.

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need to do better?

n The managers reflect on the quality of the provision regularly and make improvements. For example, they have made changes in the environment to encourage more children to experiment with resources to practise their early writing skills. The provider and managers have plans to develop the outdoor area to enhance children's learning across the curriculum. n The provider encourages managers and staff to develop their knowledge and skills. This includes support to obtain early years qualifications, such as degrees. Managers and staff receive regular appraisals and ongoing training opportunities to promote children's care, learning and development. n Staff plan and provide stimulating activities based on children's interests and their next learning steps to help them make progress. For instance, children develop the small muscles in their fingers in preparation for early writing. They concentrate deeply as they try to reach through the spider's web made of

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need to do better?

masking tape to pick up small plastic animals with tongs. Other children develop their imagination as they pretend the web is a bouncy rope and enthusiastically move small-world firefighters across the rope to put out the fire.

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need to do better?

5 December 2019 n Staff help babies and children to develop their communication skills. They talk to them, sing songs and rhymes and introduce new words to develop vocabulary. Occasionally, staff miss opportunities to extend children's language skills. Sometimes, when staff ask children questions, they do not give them time to respond before providing an answer. Older children engage eagerly in circle time activities, such as making 'silly soup', as part of their literacy development. However, staff do not consistently use the correct phonic sound for letters during the activity to reinforce children's understanding. n Staff introduce mathematics into activities. For example, they talk about shapes that toddlers draw, support children to count and encourage them to talk about the size of spoon required to stir the 'silly soup'. Staff challenge older children to make simple calculations about how many more chairs they need, for instance

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need to do better?

when children help to move tables and chairs to set up for lunch. n Staff support those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities particularly well. This includes gaining support from, and liaising with, other professionals and implementing individual support plans alongside parents. Staff adapt practice to meet children's individual needs. This helps children to make good progress from their starting points. n Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They support children well to share and take turns. They help children to understand emotions, for example encouraging them to talk about how they are feeling and why. n Children receive nutritious, home-cooked foods. Overall, staff use daily routines effectively to help children to develop their self-care skills. Babies learn to feed themselves, and older children pour their own drinks and carry their plates of food confidently to the table. At times, the youngest children are kept waiting

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need to do better?

too long for their lunch or for staff to clear up and carry out routine chores. This means staff miss some learning opportunities and children do not receive the highest support possible. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak positively about the staff and feel involved in their children's learning. They receive regular information about their children's day, achievements and next steps in learning. They appreciate the support that they receive from staff to help provide consistency for their children at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers use robust recruitment processes to ensure the suitability of staff for their role. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection signs and symptoms. They are confident about what to do if they have any concerns about a child or if an allegation is made against staff. Staff teach children to keep themselves safe. For example, they give children good explanations about how to set up a ramp to the balancing beams to avoid the ramp slipping as children walk up.

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should:

n develop staff's skills further, to ensure that they give children enough time to think and respond to questions and to teach children the correct pronunciation of phonics, to extend children's language and literacy skills n review the organisation of the daily routines, particularly for the youngest children, to make the most of children's time for play and learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY546672 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 10130004 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 to 4 Total number of places 41 Number of children on roll 49 Name of registered person Little Willows Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01249 701444 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Willows Day Nursery (Corsham) registered in 2017. It is one of two privately owned nurseries and is located in Corsham, Wiltshire. The nursery opens each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm. There are 12 staff employed to work with the children, including the manager. 10 staff hold relevant early years qualifications, including one with early years professional status, two at level 5, one at level 4, and six at level 3. The nursery employs a chef. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector had a tour of the premises with the manager. n The inspector observed the quality of staff interactions with children, indoors and outdoors, and spoke to the provider, managers, staff and children at appropriate times. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector talked to parents and considered their views. n The inspector sampled a range of documents, including staff suitability for their role, first-aid qualifications, the safeguarding policy, the complaints file and children's records.

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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

5 December 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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