Little Acorns Day Nursery

Inspection of Little Acorns Day Nursery 91 High Street, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Saltburn-By-The-Sea TS12 2DY

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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

Staff in the nursery work hard to provide a safe and home-from-home environment for children to learn and develop in. Overall, they focus on helping children to extend their knowledge and broaden their experiences. Children develop high levels of self-confidence and enjoy their learning. For example, older children are keen to join in activities and wait eagerly to join in small-group sessions to extend their literacy skills. They use the knowledge gained from trips to the local shops to play imaginatively in role of the shopkeeper and talk about the cost of things on their lists. Children benefit from being part of their local community and staff regularly teach them about the wider world. Older children are kind to each other and their behaviour is positive. For instance, they share props for the story and move over to allow others to join in.

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The provision is good

Staff have high expectations for all children and quickly identify potential gaps in their learning. They work closely in partnership with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to help develop young children's communication. Since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff have worked hard to consider ways to help children feel safe and secure. This has had a positive impact on children's emotional well-being, and parents comment on how well staff have supported them through tough times.

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need to do better?

n Children show that they feel happy, safe and stimulated in the nursery. They show excitement when they attend on a morning, and benefit from regular and consistent routines. For instance, children wash their hands, put their shoes away and pop their slippers on to start their day. Staff welcome children as they enter the nursery and use circle time to help children learn each other's names. Children develop good personal, social and emotional skills and have secure bonds with staff. n Children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning and their move on to school. They show increasing concentration during experiences and are keen to keep trying to develop their skills. Staff plan a varied and balanced curriculum for children to make good progress, particularly indoors. For example, they sensitively model number names and counting to children as they engage imaginatively in the home area. Children listen intently to their favourite stories

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need to do better?

and join in with key phrases, showing a love of books from an early age. Other children show pride as they make snips in their paper and copy staff's actions to use scissors effectively. However, staff are still working on how to promote children's learning effectively in the new garden area. n Staff help children to understand what it means to be healthy. They use songs to encourage children to brush their teeth and teach children about the

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need to do better?

13 September 2021 importance of washing their hands. Children know that they need to use the soap thoroughly. They talk about getting energy and building muscles as they enjoy healthy lunches. Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, they provide time for children to find their own coats and put on their own shoes before they go outdoors. This helps children to take an active part in their own self-care. n Staff are well supported by the manager and the provider. They are good role models for children and show enjoyment in their work. The manager regularly provides staff with supervision sessions and appraisals to reflect on their practice and well-being. This helps staff to make continual improvements which benefit children and ensure that staff are happy at work. For example, staff have completed training to help them boost children's language skills and have enhanced the rooms upstairs to provide spaces for small-group sessions to help

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need to do better?

prepare children for school. The manager completes well-being questionnaires with the team to make sure that the level of support she provides is effective. n Leaders and managers maintain a range of partnerships with other professionals in the community. For instance, they work closely alongside the early years team in the local authority and complete regular audits to help them to promote inclusion. The nursery is linked to the setting next door which provides care for babies and young children. However, staff do not always make the best use of the information they gather. For example, they wait to find out about children's likes and interests after they have already moved up. In addition, some information about new pre-school children's development is not known to staff so they are unable to build on children's prior learning from the start.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe and manage appropriate risk in their environment. For example, children show an understanding of road safety as they walk to their garden. They quickly find a partner to hold hands with and know they cannot go in to play until staff have checked that the area is safe. Leaders and managers ensure that staff are provided with training to refresh their knowledge of child protection and wider safeguarding issues, such as county lines. Staff are vigilant and prioritise children's safety and well-being. They confidently describe procedures to follow if they have concerns about children's welfare and know how to identify, record and report potential abuse.

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should:

n consider ways to promote children's learning even further, specifically when using the garden area, to help those children who prefer to learn outdoors

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should:

13 September 2021 n use the information gathered about new children more effectively, to get to know them quickly and build on their prior learning from the start.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY557881 Local authority Redcar and Cleveland Inspection number 10175200 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 33 Number of children on roll 45 Name of registered person Hind, Kay Anne

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reference number

Telephone number 07972784450 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Acorns Day Nursery registered in 2018. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff, most of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The manager holds a relevant degree in childcare. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery provides wraparound care for local schools and funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery is linked to the nursery next door which provides care for babies and younger children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery 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 their evaluation of the nursery. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n A joint observation was carried out by the manager and the inspector during unplanned experiences outdoors. n The inspector held a discussion with the manager and the provider in relation to the leadership and management of the nursery. She looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of staff's recruitment, qualifications and their suitability to work with children. The inspector discussed children's learning and development with the staff team and nursery manager. n The inspector spoke to parents over the telephone and in the outdoor area on

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Inspection activities

the day of the inspection, and obtained verbal feedback for the inspection.

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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

13 September 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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