Little Stars Nursery

Little Stars Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): EY278820 Address: The Park Child and Family Centre, Norfolk Grove, Church, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 4RY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 29/06/2004 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Adventure Hyndburn Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn. Staff complete regular assessments of what children know and can do. They use this information to identify gaps in all children's learning. Staff plan interesting activities that support children's development across all areas of learning. For example, staff provide opportunities for children to develop the muscles they will need for later writing. They encourage children to squeeze, roll and cut dough. Children show great accuracy as they safely cut the dough into small pieces with scissors. Generally, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, achieve well from their starting points.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff have high expectations for what children can achieve. They support children to be independent, and this helps to raise children's self-esteem. Children of all ages have a go at feeding themselves and putting on their own coats. Older children competently cut up their own food and use cutlery well. All children gain skills that will prepare them for their move on to school. Parents have seen particular progress with their children's personal, social and emotional development and speech and language since they have started attending the nursery.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff create a calm atmosphere throughout the nursery. They have established consistent routines that children understand and follow. For example, children eagerly line up to wash their hands before mealtimes and count how many children are in the line.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff demonstrate an understanding of how to help children to feel emotionally secure. They provide frequent cuddles and reassurance to the children throughout the day and are gentle and positive in their interactions. Children model the positive behaviours they have seen as they show respect for the resources and gently return them and as they play cooperatively. Children praise their friends for their achievements, as they make a bigger rocket than them. Staff provide families with ideas of how to support their children's behaviours at home. Parents have seen a significant impact on their children's emotional needs through this consistent approach. The environments that staff create are well organised to support children's engagement. Staff support children to have a go at tricky tasks. For example, as children's tall towers topple over, they encourage them to try again. Children giggle as they eagerly work together

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

to rebuild the tower. Children show resilience in tasks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have introduced new systems to promote punctuality and attendance. This has had a positive impact in ensuring children receive their full educational entitlement. Staff are flexible to support parents and utilise multi-agency working to help children to establish good habits for the future.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place children's wellbeing at the heart of everything they do. Parents value the care that the staff provide to their children. Staff show the children respect as they seek permission throughout the day to complete tasks, such as wiping their faces and putting on bibs. Staff support children to recognise and express their emotions. This helps children to feel safe and secure in staff's care.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children learn how to keep themselves healthy as staff talk to them at mealtimes about the impact of healthy food on their bodies. Children eagerly brush their teeth at the nursery each day. They recall how this gets rid of any germs and keeps their teeth healthy.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from many opportunities to be active. They have access to lots of fresh air and physical exercise. Staff who work with babies provide interesting activities that encourage children to pull themselves up and to move around the environment. Children find the instruments and play them as staff sing along. In addition, staff provide opportunities for children to relax and be close to nature. Children explore natural materials in the forest area and take time to stop and notice the shape, size and colour of the leaves. These experiences support children's emotional and physical wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Since the last inspection, leaders have designed an aspirational curriculum throughout the nursery and, overall, this is implemented well. Children are provided with a range of exciting experiences that capture their interests and extend their learning across all areas of learning. Staff are skilled in how to adapt and use their teaching to engage children for extended periods. For example, as children build towers, staff pose questions about the shape and size of the structure. As the tower topples over, they all laugh together and staff encourage children to try and build the tower again. There is a sense of fun across the nursery, and children demonstrate motivation to learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff know children well and have a clear focus and intent within planned activities that build on children's skills over time. However, within children's free-play choices, some staff do not consistently interact to support children to build on their individual skills and gaps in their knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff support children's mathematical skills well. For example, they use size and number language as they play alongside the children. Children then use their knowledge in their play. They count items as they see them on the pages of the books and use their shape, size and colour knowledge to describe the leaves they find in the nursery forest area.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff who work with babies have created environments that support children's physical skills. Staff use babies' interests to encourage them to explore the environment and pull themselves up to standing. Babies show increasing strength as the pull themselves up to explore the activities on offer. They show great pride as they complete inset puzzles and clap for themselves. Staff provide a well-planned environment and use their interactions well to support babies' early development, with a focus on their personal, social and emotional needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear commitment to inclusive practice. They work closely with families and other agencies to reduce barriers that children may face in their learning. These well-established working relationships ensure that appropriate referrals are made and that specialist advice can be used to adapt the curriculum. Leaders ensure that additional funding is used effectively to support individual children's needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have specific teaching plans in place. Leaders ensure that all staff are aware of the agreed strategies to support them to adapt the activities that they provide to enable all children to benefit from these experiences. These positive links help all children, including children with SEND and those who receive additional funding, make good progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have developed close links with parents. They are proactive in recognising difficulties families and children can face and demonstrate a clear commitment to helping to reduce barriers to learning. Leaders make good use of the services that are on site to ensure that all families receive the support they need. Parents comment positively about the nursery's commitment to multi-agency working. This means that families and children receive swift access to support to benefit the wellbeing of the whole family.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Since the last inspection, the provider has ensured the weaknesses identified have been addressed. New systems to strategically monitor the quality of the provision have been implemented to ensure standards are maintained. Leaders use regular observations of staff's practice and feedback from parents, staff and children to evaluate the provision effectively. Leaders have a secure understanding of what the nursery does well and accurately identifies areas for improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have good oversight of the setting and their knowledge of the local community and engagement with other agencies is a strength in helping the children and families who attend to thrive. They regularly reflect on the impact that the setting has on children's development and wellbeing, including the use of any additional funding.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise staff's wellbeing, and staff feel supported in their roles. They provide a range of training and support, and this helps staff to provide high-quality care and education to the children. However, training is not precisely focused on addressing the minor inconsistencies in staff teaching. Some staff are not as confident in how to use their interactions within children's free play. As such, they are not always able to build on children's individual skills and gaps in their knowledge.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The team has established strong relationships with parents and carers. Parents describe the nursery as a 'happy place' and state that their children enjoy the time they spend with the caring staff. Parents who have children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) share that staff support them through the SEND processes, seeking guidance on their behalf with other professionals and holding regular meetings. Leaders work closely with many of the schools children will attend. This supports the transitions for children in preparation for school.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Since the last inspection, leaders have strengthened the curriculum to ensure that it is aspirational for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. Children are provided with a range of exciting experiences that capture their interests and help them to achieve in all areas of learning. Leaders emphasise the importance of supporting children's communication and language development. Staff model language well and skilfully use children's love of books to extend their vocabulary. Staff read in an exciting way that sustains children's attention. They pause and allow children to join in with the words they know. Staff encourage children to predict what will happen next. Staff value what children have to say, and this helps children to become confident communicators. These experiences help all children to make good progress from their starting points.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Leaders and staff recognise the importance of building strong relationships with the children and families who attend. Parents value the flexible transition arrangements that help staff to get to know the children and to tailor the care and learning they provide from the outset. This also allows any barriers to attendance to be overcome. Relationships between staff and children are strong. As babies wake from a sleep, staff are attentive and children reach out and receive cuddles. Older children invite the staff into their play. Staff and children enjoy the time they spend together. Lots of giggling can be heard as they build towers and make 'soup' together in the role-play kitchen. These caring relationships help children to feel settled and to have a sense of belonging.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Staff are positive role models. They model kind behaviours and manners as they interact with the children. Children demonstrate their kindness in play as they care for the dolls, gently rocking them and placing them to sleep. Children can be heard asking each other, 'Can I use this one please?' Children eagerly praise their friends for their achievements. For example, as they play football, they delight in how quickly the other children can run.

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Next steps

Target training and support for staff more precisely to address minor inconsistencies in teaching.

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Address:

The Park Child and Family Centre Norfolk Grove, Church Accrington Lancashire BB5 4RY

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Adventure Hyndburn Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, special educational needs coordinator and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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