Little Angels Nursery

Little Angels Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): EY292304 Address: St Michaels Church Hall, Blandford Road, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4HP Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 29/07/2004 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Mitchell, Lynn

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Children make secure progress through the curriculum and build the foundational knowledge they need for later learning. Many children, including those with speech, language and communication needs, have moved from vocalising to using words and short phrases, practising their skills daily. Children explore mathematical ideas confidently when matching quantities, counting towers or recognising numerals within planned ranges.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities sustain attention for longer, engage more consistently in activities and demonstrate increasing social interaction, reflecting steady progress from their starting points. Children who face barriers in their learning are settled and able to learn because routines and expectations are predictable. Across the setting, children are prepared for future learning. They listen for sustained periods, follow simple routines, practise early mark making and talk about number, shape and pattern during play. However, where next steps lack precision, some children do not always make the rapid progress they are capable of, and gaps in their learning are not always closed as quickly as they could be.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children experience a positive environment where expectations for behaviour are clear and consistently reinforced. When routines are disrupted, for example when number blocks are knocked over, children are reminded calmly and asked to put them back, with peers readily helping to restore the activity. Children form warm, trusting relationships with staff, which supports their confidence to join in, take turns and share resources during play, such as at the play dough table or when passing food at snack time.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children collaborate well. They build together, take turns during activities and listen attentively during group times, responding to questions and instructions. Where children find group activities difficult, staff adapt sensitively, for example offering a quieter, meaningful one-to-one experience so children can continue learning without becoming overwhelmed.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Attendance is treated as a safeguarding priority. Leaders monitor patterns and contact families promptly when children are absent, helping to ensure that regular routines are established. Leaders coach staff continually. They recognise when staff give positive feedback and help them make this feedback specific, so that children understand which positive behaviours are being encouraged. Leaders' coaching is helping staff refine how they communicate positive behaviours, strengthening children's understanding of what is expected of them.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Care practices meet children's individual needs well. The environment is warm and welcoming, and children form secure attachments with staff, helping them feel confident and ready to explore. Children understand daily routines and are supported to develop independence, such as helping themselves to water. During feeding routines, children line up and talk about healthy foods. When one child calls out 'apple', staff celebrate this choice. When another calls out 'chocolate', staff use the moment to explain that chocolate is a treat and not an everyday food. These discussions help children begin to understand what helps their bodies stay healthy, although providing unhealthy options alongside fruit gives children mixed messages about healthy eating, making it harder for children to develop life-long positive habits.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children benefit from their teeth cleaning routine. Younger children use mirrors while they brush, watching themselves as staff gently sing and talk to them about why brushing matters. Children know they should clean their teeth twice a day and follow the routine with enthusiasm, showing growing awareness of personal hygiene. Children are supported to recognise and manage their emotions, benefiting from calm, responsive interactions. Staff adapt routines sensitively, for instance, creating quieter spaces for children who become overwhelmed, helping them feel safe and emotionally secure.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The provider understands the curriculum and focuses improvement where it matters. Leaders work directly with children and alongside staff, modelling expectations, prompting staff to notice where children need help and strengthening teaching in the moment. The curriculum meets children's learning and development needs and is accessible to all children. Activities are purposeful. For instance, staff use a role-play 'plane' to build language, encourage conversation and extend children's imaginative thinking. Children love boarding the plane and find it fun when staff offer them drinks of water while 'on board'.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff support communication and language throughout the day, narrating play, asking questions that prompt thinking and modelling vocabulary. Mathematical concepts are woven into activities, such as grouping and matching quantities when building block towers.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's physical, personal, social and emotional development is prioritised. Staff help children manage routines, share resources and take turns, adapting their interactions so children who need additional help can participate. Staff use assessment to check what children know and can do. However, occasionally, next steps are too broad, leading to inconsistencies in teaching. When this happens, it limits how precisely teaching is adapted for some children's individual needs.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have established an inclusive culture in which staff identify children's individual needs promptly. Staff use their daily interactions and observations to recognise when children need additional support, including those with speech, language and communication needs. Leaders take purposeful action by training and modelling to staff how to reduce barriers. They adapt routines, offer focused language sessions and create quieter spaces when children become overwhelmed. Leaders monitor progress through ongoing assessment, although next steps are not always precise and consistent across staff, which slows how rapidly some children's gaps close. Leaders strengthen support through effective partnership working. They engage positively with families by sharing clear information, responding to parents' questions and ensuring they feel listened to. They work closely with external professionals, including local authority

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

support and speech and language services, to shape children's experiences. The provider makes considered use of early years funding. They support children to access additional assessments. Funding has also been used to purchase resources linked to children's specific interests, helping them engage more deeply in learning. Leaders maintain appropriate oversight of children known to social care, ensuring that information is shared effectively so support remains responsive and safeguarding needs are met.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The provider has made positive improvements since its last inspection. It has recruited a largely new staff team, and leaders lead from the floor to model expectations and guide staff practice. The provider has strengthened staff deployment so that children are consistently supervised and supported, ensuring their needs are met throughout the day. Improvements to the curriculum mean activities are purposeful, engaging and linked to children's developmental needs, enabling staff to focus on meeting children's needs.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The provider makes sure parents feel informed by greeting them personally, sharing clear daily updates and using a provider app to communicate children's experiences and progress. Parents feel listened to and confident to raise questions. Staff respond promptly and ensure that information is accessible. Leaders evaluate risk, act swiftly on concerns and work appropriately with the local authority and external professionals to secure the right support for children. Staff wellbeing is promoted through coaching, supervision and constructive feedback, helping the new team develop confidence. Leaders' self-evaluation identifies the broad strengths of the setting but does not yet precisely identify where practice could be strengthened across the team. This means some areas have not yet been prioritised for improvement.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

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

p.4

Register

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

p.4

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

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

p.5

Register

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

p.5

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

Children achieve well. The curriculum gives them purposeful, engaging experiences across their day. They enjoy learning, whether concentrating at the play dough table to build finger strength or counting block towers with adults, which builds early mathematical understanding. Children develop confidence as they explore activities that match their interests and needs, including sensory play that supports shared attention and early number recognition. Most children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress from their varied starting points. Staff adapt interactions and routines to help reduce barriers.

p.5

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

Children are happy, settle quickly and form warm relationships with staff, which helps them feel they belong. They play alongside peers, share tools and take turns during daily routines. The provider welcomes families warmly and makes sure that communication is accessible. Staff greet parents personally each day and share clear updates through conversations and the provider app. These approaches help families, including those who speak English as an additional language, feel informed, included and part of the setting's community.

p.5

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

Children thrive as leaders' oversight helps them feel safe, included and supported. Staff supervise well and help children manage emotions and behaviour, such as when guiding them to resolve disagreements or re-engage with play. Staff adapt activities so all children can take part, for example creating quieter, focused spaces when group sessions become overwhelming. These thoughtful adjustments enable children to feel safe, included and able to participate throughout the day.

p.5

Address:

St Michaels Church Hall Blandford Road, Hamworthy Poole Dorset BH15 4HP

p.6

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 15:00

p.6

Address:

Local authority: Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

p.6

Next steps

Leaders should strengthen the precision of assessments so that children's next steps are applied consistently and used to target gaps in learning more effectively. Leaders should ensure that healthy eating messages are reinforced consistently through daily routines so that children build secure, long-term habits and confidently make healthy choices.

p.6

About this inspection

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

p.6

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.

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.7

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8