Little Pickles

Inspection of Little Pickles Granite Way, Moss Side Industrial Estate, CALLINGTON, Cornwall PL17 7SB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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The provision requires improvement

Children are welcomed by friendly and attentive staff as they arrive. New and less confident children are given reassurance and kindness from staff, who speak to them gently and give them cuddles. Children settle quickly and form secure relationships with the adults who care for them.

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The provision requires improvement

Children benefit from an attractive and stimulating environment and have daily opportunities to be physically active outdoors. Babies and toddlers explore the toys and resources with curiosity. For example, they learn that musical instructions make different sounds and are fascinated with the noises. Two-year-olds and pre- school children count enthusiastically during well-known nursery rhymes, which helps them to learn about numbers and quantities. However, children's learning and development needs are not met consistently. Staff are not always clear enough about what they want children to learn and there are some weaknesses in staff deployment.

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The provision requires improvement

Overall, children's behaviour is good. Staff help children learn to take turns and share the resources. Children are friendly and get along with others during their imaginative games, for example when pretending to make potions together with water and fresh plants.

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need to do better?

n Staff assess children's learning accurately. The management team, including the provider, has high expectations for what they want staff to teach children at the nursery. However, staff do not always embed the management team's aspirations for the curriculum into practice. Children do not receive consistent support from staff to help them engage more in activities and extend their learning. During these times, children lose interest and quarrel, which causes them to become upset and hinders some children's ability to focus on the activities. n Staff provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff and parents work closely together to help staff get to know the children well and plan additional support for their individual needs. Staff implement the strategies agreed with other professionals to provide consistency for children' learning and development. Children with SEND make

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need to do better?

good progress. n The management team provides some support for staff, such as updating their knowledge through training, but monitoring of staff's practice has been inconsistent. This has led to some staff not being clear about what they want children to learn and how this should be implemented. The management team is in the process of increasing the frequency and effectiveness of the monitoring of

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need to do better?

21 January 2022 staff's practice. While this is in the early stages, the impact is not yet evident. Staff report that they enjoy working at the nursery and have positive relationships with the management team. n Staff support children's communication and language effectively. They sing lots of songs, read stories and model a broad vocabulary, such as talking about 'jingly' sounds as children use musical instruments. Staff make good use of questions to challenge the pre-school children's thinking skills, and give them sufficient time to respond. For example, staff ask children how they know which item is heavier when using the balance scales, and children explain that one side is lower than the other. n Staff supervise children closely at all times. However, the management team does not deploy staff working with the younger children effectively. There are sometimes not enough staff supporting the babies and toddlers to allow them to

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need to do better?

meet the children's learning needs consistently. Nonetheless, staff working with the younger children form close bonds with them, and the children are content and happy. n Children develop confidence in their abilities at the nursery. For example, with encouragement from staff, two-year-old children wipe their nose and put the tissue in the bin, before proudly declaring 'I did it!'. Pre-school children learn to put on their shoes and coat independently before playing outside. n Parents speak highly of the relationships between the staff and their children, and comment that children enjoy coming to nursery. They receive some information from staff about children's experiences, such as photographs of their children during activities and assessments of their progress. However, staff do not share information about what skills and knowledge they want children to learn next, to support parents to extend their children's learning at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider has taken positive steps since the last inspection to improve safeguarding measures. The manager and all staff have completed further training to help them identify and report any concerns about children's welfare. They discuss their safeguarding procedures at staff meetings to ensure all staff understand how to recognise concerns and how to report these to the relevant agencies. All staff know how to identify and report wider safeguarding concerns and how to deal with any allegations against staff. The management team implements robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

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Due date

improve planning of the curriculum to target each child's learning needs and provide them with challenging experiences, to help all children make good progress 18/02/2022

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Due date

monitor staff's practice more effectively and provide staff with individual support and coaching, to help them implement the curriculum to meet children's individual needs 18/02/2022

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Due date

review and manage staff deployment effectively to meet the learning needs of babies and toddlers more consistently. 18/02/2022

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should:

n share more detailed information with parents about children's learning to support them to build further on children's knowledge and skills at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY476238 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10209479 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 55 Name of registered person Coombe Valley Nursery (Callington) Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01579 382937 Date of previous inspection 18 August 2021

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Information about this early years setting

Little Pickles registered in 2010 and re-registered in 2014. It operates from purpose-built premises in Callington, Cornwall. The nursery offers funded early education to children aged two, three and four years. It is open Monday to Friday, from 7am until 5.30pm, all year round. There are 10 members of staff employed to work with children, including the manager. Nine members of staff hold a relevant qualification at level 2 or above, and the manager is qualified to degree level.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the management team and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n The manager and the inspector carried out several joint observations of adult- led activities to reflect on the intent and implementation of the curriculum. n The inspector spoke with staff and several parents during the inspection and took account of their feedback. n The inspector spoke with the management team about the leadership and management of the setting.

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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

21 January 2022 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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