Little Dragonfly Nursery

Inspection of Little Dragonfly Nursery Woolton Conservative Club, Belle Vale Road, Liverpool L25 2PY

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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 Inadequate

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The provision requires improvement

The provider has made some improvements since the previous inspection. They have ensured that leaders and staff have attended training about what knowledge they want children to learn while at the nursery. However, although a new curriculum is in place, some staff do not have a secure understanding of how to deliver the curriculum consistently well. They lack understanding of how children learn. This means that staff do not organise activities sufficiently well to build on children's previous learning. As a result, teaching does not have the desired impact on children's progress and attitudes to learning.

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The provision requires improvement

Children behave well. This is because staff help children to be kind and courteous towards each other. Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They enjoy playing in the nursery's large, well-equipped outdoor area. Children develop good coordination, strong muscles and confidence in their physical ability. Staff spend time getting to know the children well and are caring towards them. Babies benefit from the gentle rocking in staff's arms, which helps soothe them to sleep. This helps babies to feel safe and reassured.

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need to do better?

n The provider is receiving support from the local authority to evaluate the quality of education and curriculum planning. With the help of early years experts, the provider has devised a curriculum that focuses on the key knowledge they intend children to learn. However, leaders do not rigorously monitor staff to ensure that they have a thorough understanding of how to deliver the curriculum. This limits the progress made by children. n The provider and leaders are keen to continue to improve the quality of education for children. They have begun a cycle of supervision for staff that supports their well-being. However, this is not yet robust enough to identify staff's individual training and skills to help them understand how children learn. This affects staff's personal effectiveness in their roles. n Children are generally curious and enjoy playing and learning. However, some activities are too crowded. This excludes less confident children to join in. On

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need to do better?

other occasions, some staff provide activities that contain too much information. This overwhelms children and makes it difficult for them to focus. As a result, they disengage and lose interest. n Mostly, staff support children's language development well. For example, they use the nursery's visual routine cards to help children with communication delay to learn the language of what comes next. However, at times, some staff do not enrich children's language or provide them with new words or explanations as they play alongside them. This does not support children's growing vocabulary. n The provider ensures that parents receive regular communications, such as

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need to do better?

10 June 2025 through the nursery's newsletters. Parents appreciate the support they receive for their children. They benefit from the two-way flow of information that staff provide for them, including valuable suggestions to support home learning. n Leaders make effective use of additional funding. For instance, they have purchased resources to support children's sensory needs, physical development and emotional regulation. This helps children to cope with challenges. n Staff support children to understand about being healthy. For instance, they encourage children to create shopping lists of all the fruits they enjoy and some that they would like to try. Children develop a positive attitude to food. n Further improvements have been made to the arrangements for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, since the previous inspection, additional support for children has been secured. Staff work

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need to do better?

closely with external experts to ensure that children's needs are identified early. They work with parents to decide how best to support their children.

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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

rigorously check and monitor how staff deliver the newly devised curriculum to help ensure a consistently good impact on children's learning 12/08/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff training and professional development are focused on developing a secure knowledge of how children learn. 12/08/2025

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should:

n improve understanding of how children learn language to support their growing vocabulary.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2764221 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 10381288 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 27 Name of registered person Woolford House Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01514284646 Date of previous inspection 11 December 2024

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Information about this early years setting

Little Dragonfly Nursery registered in 2023. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector viewed the nursery and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The deputy manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children spoke with the inspector during the inspection about what they enjoy doing while at the nursery. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individual about the leadership and management of the setting. 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 a mathematics activity with the deputy manager. n Staff spoke with the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working at the nursery. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with the inspector.

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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

10 June 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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