Little Acorns Baby Unit And Day Nursery

Inspection of Little Acorns Baby Unit And Day Nursery 184 Broadway, Yaxley, Peterborough PE7 3NT

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is outstanding

Babies thrive in the safe and nurturing environment that staff provide. Staff are highly skilled and well trained in their work with babies. They know babies and their families incredibly well. Staff use this information, together with their professional knowledge of typical child development to plan effectively to inspire babies' curiosity. Babies are extremely well settled and ready to explore. Staff intuitively adapt the environment to meet babies' emerging needs and interests. They strive to mirror babies' home routines because they understand that each baby is unique. This helps children to settle well and form strong bonds with their key person. Babies are confident to seek reassurance should they feel upset. Staff ensure that babies' needs are promptly met and this helps to build trust and high levels of self-esteem.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff are ambitious for all babies. They are highly focused on helping babies to learn and develop. Babies have plenty of space, both indoors and outside, to practise physical movement. They receive lots of praise and encouragement that helps them develop positive attitudes and to keep trying. Staff follow babies' emerging interests to develop communication and language skills. Babies show understanding and start to repeat words they hear such as whisk, lemon and squeeze as they re-enact making pancakes with play dough.

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need to do better?

n The experienced and well-qualified provider has established an effective curriculum that helps children achieve developmental milestones and build on what they know and can do. The provider is ambitious for all children, developing the curriculum to help prepare each child for what comes next. The provider's vision for children is shared by all staff who implement the curriculum exceptionally well. The child-centred approach ensures that all children receive tailored support that helps them build firm foundations for their future. n Staff act as excellent role models for babies. They are calm and reassuring, model respect towards each other and the babies, and use polite language consistently. Staff seek babies' consent throughout every aspect of care and play, showing that they value children's voice in matters affecting them. This helps babies to build a strong sense of self-being and confidence to express their

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need to do better?

choice. n The transitions when babies move to the toddler room at the sister nursery are handled extremely sensitively to help them manage change positively. Staff ensure parents are fully involved in the arrangements. Staff from the sister nursery attend the baby unit regularly to help babies become familiar with them. Babies' existing key person accompanies them to many taster sessions in the toddler room. This provides babies with a familiar adult to help them settle in

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need to do better?

14 February 2024 the new environment. Staff consider babies' emerging friendship groups and arrange for friends to move together. n Staff help babies to begin to understand behaviour expectations and self- regulation. They help babies learn to share. When exploring play dough, staff ensure there is a wide range of resources to model how to share and take turns. Seeking babies' consent they help them to share the frying pan and take turns to use the whisk, constantly narrating babies' actions and offering praise. n Staff identify babies' emerging friendships and take this into account when organising small group activities. Older babies show that prior learning about sharing is becoming embedded as they sit with their friend and look at books together, or hand toys to one another. n Parents are extremely positive about the care their babies receive. They say that they receive detailed information from staff about their baby's day and how to

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need to do better?

support the next stage in learning at home. Parents value the high-level care and education their baby receives, that enables them to go to work with confidence that their baby is happy. n Staff state that they thoroughly enjoy working at the baby unit. They say that they are a 'work family' and that they are extremely well supported to gain professional qualifications and training that help them to fulfil their roles. Staff say that they feel valued by the provider. They display high levels of professionalism and pride in their work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY498401 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10305614 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 20 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Little Acorn Day Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01733 750866 Date of previous inspection 27 February 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Little Acorns Baby Unit and Day Nursery registered in 2016 and is privately owned. The unit operates each weekday, all year round, except for public holidays and one week at Christmas. Session times are 8am to 5.30pm. The provider offers a breakfast club between 7am and 8am and late hours between 5.30pm and 6pm on request. Five staff work directly with the children. Of these, four staff hold relevant childcare qualifications at level 2 and above, including the manager who holds a relevant early years qualification at level 5.

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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 joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. 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 of group activities with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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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

14 February 2024 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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