Little Seahorse Nursery/Hi Tide Kidz Club

Inspection of Little Seahorse Nursery/Hi Tide Kidz Club St Ives Children's Centre, The Burrows, St. Ives, Cornwall TR26 1DJ

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children happily embrace the attentive staff on arrival and skip down the corridor to play with their friends. They settle quickly and benefit from staff who know them and their families very well. Children are curious about their environment and are especially engaged in the outside areas. Younger children laugh as they slide down a grassy mound on their tummies and climb back up to do it again. They show perseverance and confidence as they challenge themselves. Toddlers like to roll on large balls and crawl through tunnels to build their core and upper body strength. Older children develop their physical capabilities as they navigate climbing ropes and balance beams and hop on one leg.

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The provision is good

Passionate staff place the needs of the children at the heart of everything they do. Staff take time to discuss children's individual arrangements daily with parents, helping staff support children's well-being effectively. Despite not entering the setting due to the continued impact of the pandemic, parents explain that they can talk with staff and the management team whenever needed. They are highly complimentary about the support they receive and praise the setting for working with outside agencies in a timely manner. Parents say their children have become more resilient while attending the setting and receive love and care from all the staff.

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need to do better?

n Effective communication strategies are a strength in the setting. Children develop their skills as they pretend to be magicians. They mix primary colours together and make new colours with paint, water and pipettes. Staff skilfully teach children to recognise and name primary colours, and extend other children's vocabulary to create new colours such as 'mouldy green'. Staff tune into the children's interest in rainbows and provide dried coloured pasta to thread on spaghetti to further their understanding of colour and pattern. n Staff develop children's listening skills through consistent routines. They clap in unison at various points in the day as a method to gain the children's attention. Children respond and join in when they hear it. They begin to tidy up or follow the instruction for the next activity. This helps to develop children's listening and attention skills and their understanding effectively.

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need to do better?

n Children are encouraged to be imaginative and they enjoy using natural resources. They 'squash and squeeze' clay, then cut it into slices and add twigs and stones to their creations. Younger children make marks and lines on walls, and toddlers scoop and sieve sand into containers to further develop their fine motor skills. However, staff do not always use these opportunities to further children's knowledge of mathematical concepts, such as counting and numbers. n Staff ensure all children are included and they differentiate their teaching for

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need to do better?

10 March 2022 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, staff will use early signs to communicate with children and ensure they speak slowly and at the children's height. A clear curriculum is in place as staff follow the children's lead and plan their next steps for development. This improves learning outcomes for all children. n Children develop their understanding of the world. They visit the local bookshop with staff, and each purchase a book with a voucher. Following this, children make their own storybooks, of which they are very proud. They also visit the local lifeboat and fire station to expand their knowledge of jobs people do in the town. Children's understanding of differences between themselves and others is enriched as they learn about festivals in different countries and enjoy eating food from around the world at snack time. n Information is shared on healthy eating and dental hygiene with children, staff

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need to do better?

and parents following the completion of the 'Healthy Under 5s' programme. This has led to positive improvements in the nutritional value of children's packed lunches and a wider understanding of how to brush teeth effectively. n Staff undergo a range of training, including safeguarding and reforms to the early years foundation stage. Although this is offered regularly, sometimes the topic matter from the training has been misunderstood. Managers do not have strong systems in place to check the staff's understanding of training received and to ensure consistency.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Children are well cared for and kept safe. All staff are alert to the possible signs of abuse and have a sound knowledge of local safeguarding procedures and relevant outside agencies. Staff liaise with the setting's safeguarding designated lead when necessary. This helps to ensure that children are protected and swift action is taken if required. Children are encouraged to manage age-appropriate risks. For example, young children are taught to use steps independently and older children are taught to use two hands when climbing large equipment. Nearly all staff have a current paediatric first-aid certificate, and managers ensure that they are deployed appropriately, which means staff can deal with minor injuries children may sustain effectively.

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should:

n plan and offer more opportunity for children to count and use numbers in their play n develop methods to check staff's understanding of training to ensure content and key messages have been understood.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY337656 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10126012 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 Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 92 Number of children on roll 165 Name of registered person Julie Cooper and Stephen Cooper Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 01736 794222 Date of previous inspection 4 August 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Little Seahorse Nursery/Hi Tide Kidz Club registered in 2006. It is sited in St Ives Children's Centre, at the rear of St Ives Leisure Centre in Cornwall. It is run by a husband and wife partnership, trading as Little Seahorses Childcare. The provision is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm throughout the year. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There is one manager and 20 other staff who work with the children in the nursery and the out-of-school club. Most of the staff have early years or play work qualifications. These include two who have early years professional status, one who holds a qualification at level 6, two who hold level 5, two who hold level 4, eight who are qualified to level 3, and three who hold level 2.

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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 that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The nominated individuals 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 quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nominated individual. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector and children spoke to the inspector during 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

10 March 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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