Little Explorers Day Nursery

Inspection of Little Explorers Day Nursery Treetops, Three Horse Shoes, Cowley, Exeter EX5 5EU

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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 enjoy their time at the setting. Staff welcome them warmly and provide children with activities that are of interest to them. They develop good social skills and enjoy the company of adults and children alike. Staff encourage children to be independent. They have provided children with water dispensers to enable them to pour their own drinks.

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The provision is good

Children behave well. Staff provide them with consistent boundaries to help children follow the rules of the setting. Children use resources to help them understand their own feelings and that of others. Staff provide children with different emotion cards, which help children to talk about their thoughts and moods. Children enjoy looking at family photographs in their personal books. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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The provision is good

The personal development of children is strongly promoted. Staff use 'moments of magic' and 'wow boards' to celebrate children's achievements. Children develop good levels of confidence and self-esteem. Staff use consistent praise and children feel valued.

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The provision is good

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff have been unable to take older children to visit their new primary schools. The nursery continues to help prepare children for this, such as providing school uniforms for children to dress up in.

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need to do better?

n Children develop a love of books from an early age. Babies cuddle up with staff and listen to stories. Younger children listen to their favourite tales and make paper crowns like the one the 'giant' wore in the story. Older children enjoy looking at books about different occupations. They learn interesting facts about the role of a dentist. n Staff know children well and what they need to learn next to help them build on their current skills. For babies, staff focus on helping them form close attachments. Younger children learn how to develop their communication skills. Older children learn how to be more independent in preparation for their move to school. n Children enjoy the freedom of being outdoors. However, due to the setting's rigid timetable, children are not always able to go out as often as they would like. Children who learn best outside do not consistently develop all the skills they need to help them move even further forward in their development.

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need to do better?

n Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents state that staff show children, 'compassion, love and care'. Staff send activities home, such as craft ideas, for parents and children to complete.

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need to do better?

28 July 2021 n All children have good communication and language skills. Babies experiment with different noises, such as making animal sounds. Younger children engage in imaginative role play. They use narratives in their play and act out experiences they have seen at home. Older children pretend to be at a doctor's surgery and use good language to talk about why they are 'poorly'. However, staff do not consistently use open-ended questions for younger and older children to extend their vocabulary even further. n Care practices are good. Staff clean all work surfaces, toys and children's sleep mattresses regularly to minimise the risk of cross-infection. Children have freshly laundered bedding and staff support children in cleaning their hands effectively. n Staff plan activities that benefit children's needs. For instance, children learn how to care for babies by using dolls. Children wash their dolls with flannels,

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need to do better?

wrapping them in a towel afterwards. This helps children understand how to be kind and gentle to others. n Children have good opportunities to visit places in the local community. They regularly visit the garden centre opposite the nursery. Children learn about different flowers, and they enjoy planting them once back at the setting. n The managers and staff work closely with other professionals. They put targeted plans in place to ensure children receive the necessary support they need to help them make good progress. n Managers support staff well and they ensure staff use their training knowledge to benefit children. For instance, children develop an understanding of what will happen 'now' and what will happen 'next'.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers and staff are fully aware of their responsibilities in keeping children safe from harm. They attend regular child protection training. Managers test staff knowledge to ensure they continue to be aware of when a child may be at risk and who to contact. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure new staff are suitable to work with children. Staff are aware of children's dietary needs. This helps to prevent children from eating foods that may cause an allergic reaction.

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should:

n provide more opportunities for children to access the outside area, to help develop their skills in all areas n develop further staff's use of questioning to help younger and older children extend their vocabulary.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2502286 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10191386 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

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inspection

Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Little Explorers Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 07701320653 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Explorers Day Nursery registered in 2018 and is located in the village of Cowley, Exeter. It is open from 7.45am to 6pm each weekday, all year round. The setting receives free early education funding for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are eight members of staff, four of whom hold level 3 qualifications, including the managers. Four staff members are qualified at level 2.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n The inspector held a joint observation with both managers and discussed the quality of staff teaching. n Interactions between staff and children were observed. The inspector spoke to parents and viewed written letters to ascertain their views of the provision. n The managers took the inspector on a learning walk to discuss what they would like children to learn. n Documentation was viewed, such as child protection policies, staff suitability and the validity of paediatric first-aid certificates.

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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

28 July 2021 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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