My Little Kingdom

Inspection of My Little Kingdom The Old Miners Hall, Stonyflat Bank, Prudhoe, Northumberland NE42 5FW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children are settled and happy in the nursery. Their well-being is supported. The key-person system is effective, which enables children to develop positive relationships with staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff supported families with home learning and activities. They provided children with seeds to grow flowers. When the nursery reopened, all the children brought in the flowers they had grown. Staff have good knowledge to support children with their next stage in learning.

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The provision is good

Children are confident and eager to play and learn. They actively choose where they want to play and are encouraged to be independent. Children are confident to serve themselves at mealtimes and pass the food to each other to self-serve. Outdoors, they explore an exciting, well-resourced environment which challenges their physical skills and supports their understanding of the world. Older children make bird feeders and talk about why the birds need the food in wintertime.

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The provision is good

Babies happily explore their environment. Staff interact well with babies as they demonstrate how to use resources in different ways. For example, they show babies how to build with wooden blocks. Children demonstrate excellent behaviour. They take turns in their play and work together, displaying positive attitudes to their play and learning.

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need to do better?

n The skilled manager has high expectations for the nursery and has a clear vision for the environment and what children need to learn. She has a clear knowledge of the setting and works with leaders and staff to improve the setting. n Staff carefully consider children's interests and use these to extend children's learning. They are clear about what they want children to learn. Children display high levels of engagement as they explore dough. They confidently choose their own utensils and materials. Children's early mathematical skills are developing well. They name shapes they make together, such as 'Sammy square' and identify shapes when asked by staff. Staff use their knowledge of children's current stages of development to enhance and extend learning through their teaching practice. n Staff provide many opportunities for children to develop early language. There is a wide variety of books both indoors and outdoors, and children are engaged in

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need to do better?

singing and action rhymes. Children enjoy listening to stories and join in with staff with familiar words and phrases. Staff model appropriate language and introduce children to new vocabulary, for example new vegetables such as aubergine, when playing a shopping game. n Children's independence is promoted both indoors and outdoors. They are

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need to do better?

27 January 2022 willing to have a go, but ask staff for support if needed. Staff capably encourage children to take risks. Babies are supported to climb the stairs to go back to nursery after being outside. Older children climb and balance outdoors, clearly enjoying the freedom to explore, and confidently use all of the resources available. For example, they get out their own sand utensils or paints when outside. n Children have access to a wide range of resources and materials which enable them to be creative and imaginative. For example, they look for treasure using buttons and boxes, and use different utensils to squeeze real fruit to make juice. However, occasionally, the routines of the nursery impact on children's play and engagement. For example, when children wake from sleeping, they do not have access to the plentiful resources on offer due to the organisation of the sleep routines. n Staff are well supported and have opportunities to access training and extend

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need to do better?

their learning and professional development. They work together as a team and reflect on what works well in the nursery. n Parents are highly complimentary about the setting and feel supported by the staff. Staff and parents work together to share experiences and learning from home and nursery. Parents feel that they are kept up to date with their children's learning through weekly galleries and their child's online learning. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. For example, staff use visual aids and children have individual targets to support their learning. There are links in place with professionals.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have completed relevant safeguarding training. They are aware of who the designated safeguarding lead is and what procedures to follow when there are concerns about a child. The manager is confident to follow procedures and work with professionals to keep children safe. Thorough procedures and checks are in place when recruiting new staff. Management and staff complete risk assessments on the indoor and outdoor environment to keep children safe, but also allow children to take risks and have challenges through their play.

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should:

n consider the needs of all children during sleep and transition times, so children have wider opportunities to access the resources available.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2551694 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 10220629 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 72 Number of children on roll 85 Name of registered person My Little Kingdom Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01661834888 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

My Little Kingdom registered in 2019 and is situated in Prudhoe, Northumberland. The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff. Of these, 20 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two with qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am 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 provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken this into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. They observed activities in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector spoke with staff, children and parents during the inspection. n The inspector held meetings with the leadership and management team. She reviewed relevant documentation such as the evidence of suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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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

27 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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