Little Explorers Community Nursery Blackerhill

Inspection of Little Explorers Community Nursery Blackerhill Blacker Hill Lifelong Learning Centre, Wentworth Road, Blacker Hill, Barnsley S74 0RL

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is outstanding

Children flourish in this inspirational and nurturing nursery. Leaders and staff support all children to make excellent progress in their learning and development. The passionate and enthusiastic staff know each individual child very well. All children arrive excited at this welcoming nursery and settle with ease. Staff plan a wide range of engaging activities that children are thrilled to join in with and explore. All children benefit from superb support from staff, who understand each child's unique interests and ways of learning. Consequently, this helps to support the emotional well-being of children and their families, which staff consider to be fundamental to making excellent progress. Parents are welcomed into the setting and have positive and highly effective relationships with staff. Children are enthusiastic learners.

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The provision is outstanding

Leaders construct an exceptionally ambitious curriculum that is accessible and inclusive to all. This enables all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, to thrive. Children demonstrate exceptional independence skills and manage their self-care superbly. They are thoroughly well prepared for the next phase in their learning journey. Staff are exemplary role models and have exceptionally high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff teach children to learn to cooperate with each other and take turns extremely well. For example, when engaging in an outdoor game, all children take a turn to choose a 'silly', 'runner' or a 'jumping' bean to indicate an action, enhancing their physical and social development

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need to do better?

n Staff plan rich opportunities to teach children about the world around them and their community. For example, children frequently engage in charity work and giving back to the community. Children raise funds supporting charities and food banks. n Children with SEND receive superb support. The passionate and knowledgeable leaders and staff build excellent relationships with parents and external professionals to support children to achieve positive outcomes. They have individualised plans for children with SEND that staff frequently review and discuss with parents. n The ambitious curriculum for all children is interesting and exciting. Staff provide excellent learning opportunities for children to develop their listening and attention skills. This enables children to broaden their experiences and build secure foundations for their future learning. n There is a structured and responsive approach to communication and language

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need to do better?

skills development. For example, staff teach children signs for 'pig', 'duck' and

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need to do better?

28 November 2024 'more'. They repeat animal sounds for babies to copy when playing with farm animals. Staff repeat single words clearly for young children to help them pronounce the sounds. They enrich the language of older children during their play. For instance, they name unfamiliar animals while children play with a tray of ice with models of creatures that live in a cold climate. n Staff expertly support children's communication and language skills development. They plan activities around the core stories they want children to learn. Children use puppets and resources to retell the story and engage in imaginative play. Children look at books independently and share books with their peers. Staff model language, introduce children to a wide array of vocabulary and teach children to use past and present tense in their speech. n Leaders have embedded a rigorous system to support and monitor the development of staff and take pride in their team. Staff receive coaching and

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need to do better?

mentoring to help them confidently perform to their full potential. Leaders observe staff teaching and strive for excellence for children. They make excellent use of self-evaluation. They clearly identify areas to improve and value input from parents and other professionals. This helps them to maintain the quality of the provision. n Children delight in being outdoors and use this area well. For example, children are provided with excellent opportunities to help develop their physical and exploratory skills. n Parents speak highly of the nursery. Partnerships with parents are highly effective. Parents are closely involved in the care that their children receive. A collaborative and cohesive approach is used very successfully to build fully on children's learning. Parents describe the nursery as 'amazing' and leaders and staff as 'exceptional'. They add that staff 'go above and beyond' to support their

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need to do better?

children with their learning. n Children receive excellent teaching and are encouraged to develop their mathematical skills through highly engaging activities. For example, staff incorporate mathematical challenges into planned activities, such as cutting their mud gingerbread men and cakes into sections such as 'quarter' and 'half'. This sparks children's excitement and fosters their early mathematical problem- solving skills.

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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 2790772 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 10343561 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 60 Number of children on roll 119 Name of registered person Little Explorers Community Nursery LTD

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reference number

Telephone number 01226 740878 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Explores Community Nursery registered in 2018. The building is on one level. It is situated in Barnsley. The nursery is open for 50 weeks of the year, from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. There are 28 members of childcare staff employed to work directly with the children, of whom 18 hold a relevant childcare qualification. The nursery provides government-funded places for childcare.

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Inspection activities

n The managers took the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The children spoke to and communicated with the inspector during the inspection. 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 has on the children's learning. n The inspector and the manager carried out joint observations of activities. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the 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

28 November 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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