Little Smurfs Nursery Ltd

Inspection of Little Smurfs Nursery Ltd 25 Whitmore Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire B10 0NR

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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 arrive happily at nursery. Kind and caring staff greet them. This helps children to settle quickly, feel safe, and secure in their care. Children are content in the environment. They independently access the resources that interest them and enjoy the interactions they receive from staff.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy their time in the outdoor environment. They have many opportunities to develop physical skills. Children practise their climbing, balancing and jumping skills on the climbing frame, ride on a range of wheeled toys and giggle together while they chase bubbles blown by staff. Other children practise their listening skills. For example, they sit with staff to talk about what they can hear outside. Children are thrilled to say they hear 'birds' and then a 'fire engine'. They make marks on their paper to record what they have heard.

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The provision is good

Children behave well. They routinely use very good manners, saying 'please' and 'thank you', especially at mealtimes. Children respond well to guidance from staff to be kind and take turns. Older children learn to understand their own feelings and begin to manage their behaviour. Children develop positive attitudes to learning. They are gaining the knowledge and skills they need to prepare them for their next stages in learning.

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need to do better?

n The manager has designed an ambitious curriculum for children's learning. Staff understand the sequence of the stages of learning that children need, to continually make progress. They know the children very well. Staff use the information gained from parents when children first start attending. This is in addition to observations and assessments to plan an exciting range of activities for children. n Children show high levels of engagement in activities. They recall a trip to the supermarket and their interests' in the flowers displayed. Staff provide the opportunities for children to role play in a pretend florist. During play, children are keen to use their counting skills and operate the till to exchange toy money to pay for their bunches of flowers. n Staff promote speech and language well. This includes for children who speak English as an additional language. Younger children acquire and use new words

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need to do better?

quickly. Older children develop clear speech and sentence structure. For example, children remember what they have learned during a past theme of minibeasts. They talk about bees and remember how they make honey. However, on occasion, staff do not consistently provide children with enough time to process information and respond to questions they are asked. n Children develop confidence and show high levels of self-esteem. They receive

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need to do better?

1 April 2022 lots of praise and encouragement from staff for their efforts and achievements. Older children express themselves confidently. For example, they take turns to sing at a microphone stand. Staff join in the song with other children, singing and playing musical instruments together. Children grin and enjoy the applause at the end of their performances. n Children begin to understand about living healthy lifestyles. Staff provide them with healthy meals and snacks, paying close attention to children's dietary needs. Children talk with staff about foods that are healthy and foods that have sugar in them. They say they need to brush their teeth in the morning and before bedtime. n Overall, staff promote children's independence. Children manage their personal hygiene and toileting needs successfully. They pour their own drinks and feed themselves using appropriate cutlery. However, staff do no consistently provide

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need to do better?

children with opportunities to further develop their self-help skills and do things for themselves. n Children learn about the similarities and differences in themselves and others. They learn about different cultures through celebrating customs and stories. Children learn that different types of families may be different to their own. This helps children to recognise their uniqueness and develop respect for others. n Managers provide staff with appropriate training to ensure they have up-to-date knowledge and skills. The manager encourages staff to reflect on their practice as part of their programme of monitoring. Amendments to the systems for planning enable staff to spend the most possible time interacting with children. n Parents speak highly of the nursery and the friendly staff. They say they are happy with the daily information they receive on collection and the information about their children's learning and progress from the online system.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There has been a lack of oversight from leaders. They have failed to notify Ofsted of a new director, which is an offence. There is no impact on the safety of children because the individual has had their suitability checked by Ofsted, in recent checks. The manager and staff demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of signs and symptoms, which indicate that a child may be vulnerable to abuse. Staff know the procedures they must follow in the event they have concerns about a child's welfare. This includes the procedures to report concerns about the conduct of colleagues towards children. Leaders follow robust recruitment procedures, which includes background checks carried out to help ensure that staff suitability to work with children. Staff make routine checks of the environment to ensure that it is safe for children to attend.

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should:

1 April 2022 n ensure children are consistently provided with enough time to process information and respond to questions when asked n provide opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills even further.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2589582 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 10231524 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 75 Number of children on roll 45 Name of registered person Little Smurfs Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01215824123 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Smurfs Nursery Ltd re-registered in 2020. The provider employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3 or 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, during term times. Sessions are from 9am to 4.30pm. 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 nursery has received since the COVID- 19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken this into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together to discuss the organisation and intent of the curriculum and how the environment is arranged. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching throughout the inspection and considered the impact this had on children's learning. A joint evaluation of the quality of teaching during an activity took place between the leader and the inspector. n The inspector spoke to parents at appropriate times and took account of their views of the nursery. n The inspector spoke to children and staff at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector held a meeting with the leader and the manager and discussed how the nursery is organised. The inspector reviewed relevant documentation,

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Inspection activities

including evidence of the suitability of staff working at 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

1 April 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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