Munchkin Academy

Inspection of Munchkin Academy Hill Rise, Luton, Bedfordshire LU3 3EE

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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 play and learn happily together. They enthusiastically gather around the skilled, friendly members of staff to find out new information and to practise skills they have learned before. This helps them to become proficient in tasks that will carry them through childhood, such as measuring quantities and safely cutting vegetables.

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The provision is good

The youngest children are well supported while they play and explore alongside slightly older children. They move playthings and equipment around the playroom and spend long periods of time feeling and looking at vegetables and herbs that staff have provided. Children listen to the attentive staff and repeat simple and familiar words, helping to expand their emerging vocabulary.

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The provision is good

Children return to activities they enjoy. They recall the ingredients they need to repeat experiments, such as creating scientific reactions, and quickly spot the additional resources staff have introduced for the activity. They happily explore and experiment and are able to tell staff why and what they are doing. This helps children to consolidate and extend their learning even more.

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need to do better?

n Staff immerse children in positive and rich language through their narration, songs, questions and discussions. Children take time to listen and carefully construct their own sentences to respond to their friends or staff. Children who speak English as an additional language quickly pick up important words and feel confident to try out new words and phrases. Staff effectively support children's understanding. For example, they use visual timetables and key words in children's home languages to help them feel settled in the nursery. n Children quickly develop a love for books. They follow the positive examples from staff and other children. They quickly learn that they can find out new information from books in addition to enjoying fiction stories. Staff carefully select books to introduce new words and concepts that support children's own ability to communicate and to help them understand the world around them.

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need to do better?

n The owner and the manager have high expectations of staff and the quality of care and education in the nursery. They seek external advice and support from other professionals and agencies to help ensure that continual improvements are made and reviewed. This contributes to the consistently good-quality learning experiences children receive. n Children behave very well. They respond positively to the gentle reminders from staff to share, take turns and be kind to others. Children are curious and quickly engage in purposeful play and exploration. They are keen to recall what they already know. Staff ask them which letters have been added to a wall display.

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need to do better?

9 December 2021 Children identify the letters and match them to the names of their friends or familiar objects. They listen to what the other children say and offer their own suggestions when invited to do so. n Staff encourage children to strengthen their muscles. For example, children run in the garden and throw and catch balls. They talk about exercise and understand the importance of rest and having a nutritious diet. This contributes to children's good physical development. n Staff plan activities and provide equipment that help to support children's continued development and learning needs. Key persons observe children's progress and skilfully create opportunities for children to solve problems, predict outcomes and answer questions themselves. This helps children to strengthen their independent thinking skills. n When children first start in the nursery, staff gather information from parents about their child's care routines at home and their likes and anxieties. Staff also

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need to do better?

find out key medical information to help them assess how to keep children safe and secure in the nursery. However, staff do not gather enough information to precisely identify what children already know and can do in order to help support their learning right from the start. n Staff share information about what children have done and enjoyed on a daily basis with parents. Despite this, not all parents feel that they receive clear information to help them to continue to support their children's learning at home in a sufficiently focused way in order to help children learn even more.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff confidently know how to report any concerns they might have about children's well-being. They know who the lead person for safeguarding in the nursery is. They also understand that if they feel a child remains at risk of harm or injury they are able to report their concerns to the appropriate local authority department or person themselves. Staff have a good awareness of local issues that could impact on children's safety, including the impact of extreme beliefs and behaviours.

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should:

n gather even more information from parents to find out what children can already do and understand when they first start at the nursery n review and adapt ways in which information is shared with parents, including how parents can support their child's ongoing learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2532413 Local authority Luton Inspection number 10208503 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 13 Name of registered person Sundon Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01582 562531 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Munchkin Academy registered in 2019. The nursery employs five members of childcare staff, four of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the managers and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n The manager conducted a learning walk with the inspector. She described why and how the curriculum is planned and the impact it has on children's progress. n The new temporary manager completed a joint observation with the inspector. They discussed the support and supervision for staff and the quality of the education they provide. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. She looked at documents, including the evidence of the suitability of staff, paediatric first-aid qualifications and children's attendance registers. n The inspector spoke to a large proportion of parents and took their views into consideration. n The owner of the nursery had a telephone conversation with the inspector.

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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

9 December 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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