Little Munchkins Nursery & Pre-School

Inspection of Little Munchkins Nursery & Pre-School St Barnabas Church, Medway Road, Huntingdon PE29 1SF

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children arrive confidently and settle quickly. Staff warmly welcome children to the homely and nurturing environment. Children choose from a wide range of activities and resources that encourage them to explore and develop their imaginations. For instance, babies explore paint and making marks, and older children use everyday objects that help to develop their ideas and role play.

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The provision is good

The environment is inviting and well planned to encourage children's learning and development, with a strong focus on communication and language skills. Staff know children well and purposefully provide resources that reflect children's emerging interests and individual stage of development. Children are happily engaged in purposeful play. Babies beam with excitement as they splash water and bathe dolls. Children listen to staff, showing interest and positive attitudes.

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The provision is good

Children behave well. Staff act as good role models. They give children clear and consistent messages that help them to understand what is expected. Children hear and use courteous language. They see staff act respectfully towards each other and the children. Staff give children lots of praise and encouragement. Children are happy and show that they feel safe and secure. They build strong bonds with staff, who provide them with reassurance should they feel upset.

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need to do better?

n Since the last inspection, the nominated individual has taken prompt and decisive action to raise standards in the nursery. She has sought guidance and support from the local authority and made significant improvements, including changes in staffing and appointing a new manager. She has established a clear ethos and vision for the nursery. Her staff team is committed to drive improvements to create a safe and stimulating environment that inspires children to learn and achieve well. n Staff work well in partnership with parents. They establish an effective two-way flow of information that helps to provide children with consistency in their care and learning. Parents are positive about the nursery and the changes that have been made. They state that they feel well informed about their children's day and what they need to do next in their learning. They share that their children feel safe and that their needs are well met.

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need to do better?

n Staff are well qualified and understand how children learn and develop. They take the time to get to know children well, and plan effectively to help children build their knowledge and skills securely. There is a strong focus on supporting and developing children's communication and language skills and helping them to build a rich vocabulary. Staff use a variety of strategies effectively, including support for children who speak English as an additional language. Staff carefully

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need to do better?

14 January 2020 prepare the environment and resources to encourage children to explore and communicate their ideas and thoughts. n Children have good opportunities to explore and be active inside and outside. Staff talk to children about how to keep themselves safe. For instance, they encourage children to think if a muddy area is safe to play in. Children develop good independence skills. They learn to put on their coats and boots when they choose to play outside. They serve themselves at mealtimes, thoroughly enjoying the freshly cooked food and varied menu. n Staff working with babies are calm, reassuring and attentive to their needs. They work closely with parents to support babies' home routines. Babies have plenty of space to explore and gain control in their physical development. Staff support babies' early speech and understanding well. For instance, they repeat sounds and utterances back to babies, naming objects and actions as babies explore.

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need to do better?

Staff read stories and sing songs, encouraging babies to join in. Babies show that they are familiar with the songs, for example they anticipate the scream when they hear 'Row, row, row your boat'. n Sometimes, staff working with older children do not recognise how to provide them with enough challenge to help them achieve at the highest levels. n The manager ensures that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. She has good systems in place to review practice and coach staff to help them develop further. Staff state that they feel well supported and that their workload is manageable to help them achieve a good home and work balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training and updates about safeguarding and child protection matters. They know the possible indicators that a child is being abused. They know what to do should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Staff have a good knowledge of wider safeguarding issues, including the risk to children of being exposed to extreme views and behaviour. Leaders follow robust recruitment processes to help to assure the suitability of adults working with children.

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should:

n build further on the existing supervision arrangements for staff to enhance the quality of teaching to the highest level and provide children with higher levels of challenge in their learning and development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY500684 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10094495 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 0 to 8 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 82 Name of registered person Little Munchkins (Huntingdon) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07702273757 Date of previous inspection 24 January 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Little Munchkins Nursery & Pre-School registered in 2016. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The manager holds an appropriate qualification at level 7 and qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery also provides after-school care during school term time for children up to the age of eight years. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector had a tour of the premises with the manager and discussed how the curriculum is organised. n The inspector spoke with staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n Two joint observations were completed with the manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of the staff working in the nursery. n A number of parents spoke to the inspector and their views were taken into account.

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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

14 January 2020 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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