Little Bears Children Day Nursery

Inspection of Little Bears Children Day Nursery Limited 40 South View, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE5 2BP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Staff are kind and caring, which helps children to develop a sense of belonging. Most children are happy and show that they feel secure. Those who are less settled benefit from plenty of reassurance from familiar staff. Overall, children enjoy their time in nursery. They like to spend time in the garden, where staff encourage movement activities, such as star jumps and stretching. This helps to promote children's good physical health.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff provide activities that, overall, children enjoy. For example, babies giggle when they press buttons to make animals pop up on a toy. Toddlers explore textures while they paint stones. Pre-school children sing along to familiar songs. Leaders plan to review the curriculum. However, this is in the very early stages. Learning plans are general and not ambitious. Staff focus on children feeling settled and content, and do not give enough consideration to the skills and knowledge that children need to learn. This means that aspects of children's progress cannot be attributed to their experiences in nursery. That said, children are developing some skills that prepare them for managing their own needs when they move on to school. For example, staff encourage them to put on their own coats and to lay the table and serve one another at mealtimes.

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need to do better?

n The aims for children's learning are broad. Staff focus on helping children to be independent and to feel happy and safe in nursery. Beyond this, they are not clear about what they want children to learn. Some staff make the most of spontaneous opportunities to extend learning, for example, by encouraging children to count bricks while they build. However, the quality of education is variable. Children spend much of their time in familiar, manageable play and activities that do not build on their existing knowledge and skills. n Staff have an awareness of typical child development and they check on children's progress. However, their expectations of what children can achieve are not high enough. Although they have identified that a number of children need further support with their language development, plans for learning do not focus well enough on this area of learning. Children are not supported effectively

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need to do better?

enough to help them to make better progress in this area of learning. n Children, at times, lose interest in the activities available. Older children become restless or ask to leave when they sit too long on the carpet during story time. Younger children do not have enough space to play, or appealing activities to choose from, when the room is rearranged to organise sleep times. Children wait too long when routines are not well organised, such as when staff stop activities too soon before lunch. Poor staff deployment means that some children are not supported well enough during some parts of the day.

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need to do better?

21 February 2025 n Partnerships with others involved in children's learning are beneficial. For example, staff work with other professionals to devise play plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps them to achieve more. Parents welcome feedback about their children's day in nursery. Staff provide support, such as signposting to other services, that has an impact on children's experiences outside of nursery. n Leaders provide good support for staff and prioritise their well-being. For example, they provide them with access to support for their mental health, both in and outside of the organisation. Staff feel valued and morale is high. They appreciate gestures such as 'employee of the month' and other rewards for their efforts. There is a level of supervision and monitoring in place. However, this has not been effective in identifying and addressing weaker aspects of practice.

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need to do better?

n Staff help children to manage their emotions and to feel secure in nursery. For example, they plan activities, such as stories and games, linking children's feelings to colours. Children learn how to describe how they feel and consider others. Staff teach children good manners. For example, children call out a 'thank you' to the chef for their lunch. Staff reward children's efforts with a sticker to encourage positive behaviours and attitudes.

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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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Due date

develop and implement a curriculum that is balanced and ambitious for all children 14/03/2025

p.3

Due date

ensure that all staff understand the aims of the curriculum and support them to provide children with meaningful learning experiences that build on their existing skills and knowledge 14/03/2025

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Due date

provide appealing activities and organise routines effectively to encourage children's participation and enthusiasm for learning. 14/03/2025

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should:

n strengthen the support for children's communication and language development n review and improve the deployment of staff to ensure that children's learning needs are met more consistently across all rooms in the nursery n implement more effective arrangements to identify weaker aspects of practice, and provide staff with coaching and support to help them to build on their knowledge and skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY543330 Local authority Newcastle upon Tyne Inspection number 10372597 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 87 Name of registered person Little Bears Children's Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01912644414 Date of previous inspection 26 April 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Little Bears Children's Day Nursery Limited registered in 2017 and is located in Newcastle upon Tyne. There are 19 members of staff who work directly with children. Of these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two staff who hold qualifications at level 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.45am until 5.45pm. The nursery offers government funded places for childcare and receives additional funding for disadvantaged children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager showed the inspector around the nursery. She discussed how the provision is organised and talked about how staff plan learning experiences for children. 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 manager worked alongside the inspector to evaluate a group activity in the pre-school room. The inspector also observed an activity to support children with SEND at the request of the manager. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The manager and the area manager met with the inspector at a number of points during the inspection to discuss leadership and management matters. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with the inspector. n The inspector sampled relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability checks carried out on 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

21 February 2025 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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