Partou Little Dragons Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inspection of Little Dragons Day Nursery Dragon Hall, East Parade, HARROGATE, North Yorkshire HG1 5LB

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a wide range of exciting experiences at this well-organised setting. They have strong opportunities to explore with their senses. For example, children take part in activities using mud, wood, shells and pine cones. They decorate dough with petals and seeds and take turns to smell herbs and fruit. Staff are caring, nurturing and fun. They build strong bonds and good relationships with children. Staff provide good support for children's personal, social and emotional development. They plan activities that encourage children to explore their emotions. For example, children play a game in which they identify happy or sad faces. Children register themselves into the nursery. This helps them to feel a sense of belonging.

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The provision is good

Children share and play cooperatively together. They benefit from secure daily routines and regular mindfulness sessions. This helps them to feel happy, safe and secure. Staff support children's growing independence well. They encourage children to serve their own food and pour their own drinks at mealtimes. Children learn about good hygiene routines, such as when staff teach them to wash their hands and how to clean their teeth. Staff clearly praise and encourage children's efforts. This helps to boost children's confidence and self-esteem.

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need to do better?

n Staff plan stimulating activities that they know will interest children and extend their learning. They model new skills and language. Staff leave gaps in rhymes for children to fill, and they repeat children's words back to them. This helps children to feel valued and understood. n Children benefit daily from good opportunities for fresh air and exercise in the enclosed garden. They build their strength, balance and coordination as they kick balls, ride on bicycles and balance on beams. Staff encourage babies to reach and stretch while on their tummies in order to develop their core strength. n Children explore different ways of using their hands as they fill and pour with water. They develop smaller muscles and hand control, such as when they explore with sand and knead dough. n Overall, staff provide strong support for children's communication skills using singing, stories and sign language. However, staff do not always support

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need to do better?

children to be able to express and explore speech sounds. For example, they do not consistently encourage children to remove dummies from their mouths when they speak. n There is a strong emphasis throughout the nursery on children's early literacy. Staff invite parents to use the setting's lending library so they can share stories with their children at home. The manager uses additional funding that the setting receives to buy books and props to encourage children to interactively

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need to do better?

5 September 2023 join in with familiar stories. n Children enjoy group time and independent play. However, during group times, staff do not always limit distractions around children in order to support their listening and attention skills. n Children benefit from healthy, balanced and nutritious home-cooked meals. They take part in baking sessions with the nursery cook where they bake healthy options, such as courgette and coconut cake. The cook adapts the setting's menu to meet the needs of children with allergies or specific dietary requirements. n There is strong support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff understand the importance of working with other education and health professionals in order to develop a consistent approach to support children. n The team has close relationships with parents, who speak highly of the setting and its staff team. They praise the caring staff, the play environment, the range

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need to do better?

of activities on offer and the strong systems in place for communication. n The manager is very effective. She provides strong support for her staff team's well-being and continuous professional development. Staff are supported to improve their skills through meetings, training and observations of practice. n The manager and staff are very reflective and have strong systems in place for gathering the views of children, staff and parents. The manager and her staff team are dedicated and passionate about the quality of the service they provide and the outcomes for children in their care.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager has a thorough understanding of her role and responsibilities in relation to keeping children safe. This includes a range of aspects of safeguarding. All staff complete training in safeguarding and first aid. Staff support children to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they encourage children not to put toys in their mouths and to sweep up sand around the sand tray so that their friends do not slip. The manager and staff know what might concern them about a child in terms of safeguarding. They know who to contact and the processes to take to help keep children safe.

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should:

n review the use of comforters, such as dummies, to enhance support for younger children's developing speech and communication skills n reduce distractions during group times in order to further support children's listening and attention skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY455016 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10305393 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 73 Number of children on roll 65 Name of registered person Funcare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01423 313932 Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Little Dragons Day Nursery registered in 2012 and is located in Harrogate. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including one at level 5. The setting opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am to 6pm. The setting 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 that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager discussed with the inspector how staff organise and plan the curriculum and experiences for children. The inspector viewed the inside and outside spaces used by the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities and assessed the impact on children's learning. The manager and the inspector evaluated an activity together. n The inspector looked at a sample of the setting's documents. This included evidence of training and suitability of staff. n The inspector held discussions with the manager and staff. She took into account the views of parents.

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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

5 September 2023 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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