Little Seedlings Nursery

Little Seedlings Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2751279 Address: Hampton Vale Primary Academy, West Lake Avenue, Hampton Vale, Peterborough, PE7 8LS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/09/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: Hampton Vale Primary Academy

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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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment and foster trusting relationships with children. As a result, they feel safe and secure. Children settle well and freely access the resources. Staff are excellent role models. They reinforce routines through daily practice, including snack time, group activities and outdoor play. Children listen carefully and follow instructions. For example, they are encouraged to help tidy up and wash their hands before they eat.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The key-person system is well embedded and supports children in meeting developmental milestones effectively. Staff are experienced at helping children to manage their feelings and behaviour. For example, children behave typically for their age, and when any unwanted behaviour unfolds, staff swiftly intervene and talk to them about the consequence of their actions and the importance of using 'kind hands'. Staff skilfully use distraction techniques to prevent any escalation of behaviour. Consequently, children play alongside each other well and are developing the social skills necessary to interact positively with others. Leaders have a system in place to monitor attendance closely. They successfully help families to remove barriers to children's learning, ensuring that attendance is consistent.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders prioritise helping children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. They closely support children who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those known to children's social care. For example, leaders occasionally provide children with a free place when they identify families would benefit from additional support. Furthermore, children from disadvantaged households receive Christmas presents to prevent any inequalities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The high level of support for children with SEND is what makes this setting unique. Children's individual needs are treated with the utmost importance. Leaders and staff are committed to the early identification of children's needs. They work in partnership with the local authority and outside agencies to get the support children need at the earliest opportunity. Leaders hold weekly meetings to review targets and closely track their progress. Furthermore, leaders share their practice with other providers to help raise improvements across the sector.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff use baby sign alongside speech to support understanding. This helps to ensure that all children can express their needs and benefits those children who may have speech difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make secure progress from their starting points. For example, they listen, concentrate and take part in a wide range of activities with their friends. Children are confident and curious. They develop increasing independence, such as feeding themselves and removing their socks and shoes.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children learn to understand words and develop expressive language. This helps them to be capable communicators, equipping children with the skills they need to play cooperatively. However, at times, children do not develop their skills as much as possible during adult-led activities. Children have limited opportunities to build on prior learning and make further progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive tailored intervention and regular monitoring, and, as a result, gaps in their development are closing. Overall, children are prepared for the next stage in their learning and transition seamlessly into the next room.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff form secure attachments with children. When children become unsettled, they confidently seek their key person for comfort and reassurance. Staff know children and their families well and form positive relationships with them. Leaders provide baby and toddler workshops for parents, including on healthy and safer eating, safe sleep and dental hygiene. These sessions equip parents with key information to help keep their children healthy and safe. Furthermore, they source food hampers and clothing for families who require additional support. This contributes positively to children's welfare and wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff are respectful, compassionate and kind. They sing softly to babies as they rock them to sleep. When it is time to change a nappy, staff will show children a nappy as a reference to ease the transition. This helps to build trust and emotional security.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Overall, staff model good hygiene practices and support children to develop independence. As children grow, they are encouraged to take increasing responsibility for simple self-care tasks, such as putting on their coats and managing their own toileting needs. This helps to build children's confidence and develop a secure sense of physical and emotional wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders know what they want children to learn. However, in practice, at times, adult-led activities are not always delivered with consistent purpose or planning, so opportunities to extend and deepen children's learning are sometimes missed. Nevertheless, children who face barriers to learning, such as children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have specific individual plans in place. Staff work in collaboration with outside agencies to help close gaps in children's learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff interactions are very warm, nurturing and, overall, engaging. They commentate on children's play and expose them to new vocabulary. Furthermore, staff support children's early mathematical knowledge. For example, they regularly sing number rhymes and songs. Staff sing enthusiastically and pause at certain points throughout for children to fill in the missing words. This musical repetition helps children to anticipate patterns and build their working memory.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff ensure that children get plenty of fresh air and exercise every day. They make good use of the on-site 'forest school' area, where children thoroughly enjoy splashing in muddy puddles and exploring the natural world. Staff continuously support children's play. For instance, they sit and read books together, while others engage in water play or bug hunting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The leadership team is highly knowledgeable and passionate about supporting children and their families holistically. It introduces new initiatives and workshops to support parents who have children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It also reaches out to disadvantaged families, providing guidance, resources and external support. Partnerships with parents are a real strength of the setting. Parents talk proudly about the progress their children are making and are kept regularly informed about their children's learning through an online system. Furthermore, leaders know the setting's strengths and have plans for further development, such as introducing a health visitor hub to help support the wider community.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders hold supervision meetings with staff and check their wellbeing. Staff say they feel supported in their position. They receive regular 'shout outs' in recognition of their efforts, which keeps the team feeling motivated and appreciated. Although staff receive some training to support them in their role, additional training, coaching and closer monitoring of practice would further strengthen staff's knowledge and teaching when delivering the curriculum.

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

Children happily attend nursery and develop a positive sense of belonging. Staff greet children with genuine affection and care. They provide a safe and stimulating environment for children to grow and thrive. Staff ensure that parents are equipped with resources and practical strategies to help continue children's next steps in learning at home. Staff talk and sing to children throughout the day, helping to extend their language and introduce new words. They use puppets to capture children's interest and sustain their engagement. Consequently, children listen attentively and concentrate for increasing periods of time.

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Inspector:

Marie Walker Furthermore, children develop early mathematical awareness through hands-on exploration. Staff count the scoops of water alongside children as they fill and pour water down the wooden channels into a bucket. This helps to support their emerging understanding of number.

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Inspector:

Staff ensure that children spend ample time exploring the outdoor environment. They use magnifying glasses and investigate under logs to discover insects and other small creatures. Children show genuine curiosity and excitement when they find some 'wiggly worms'. As a result, children display an early interest in the natural world. Staff foster children's early social skills, as they encourage them to play alongside each other through shared activities. Children enjoy close, nurturing interactions with staff during story time. For example, they snuggle in as they turn the pages of the book and lift the flaps to see what is hiding underneath.

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Inspector:

Leaders demonstrate a strong and unwavering commitment to supporting children who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have implemented highly effective systems to monitor and precisely track children with SEND. Support plans are regularly reviewed by leaders, alongside multi-agency professionals, to ensure that children consistently make the best possible progress in their development.

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Next steps

Leaders should help staff to fully understand the learning intent behind planned activities so that children can engage in more purposeful learning. Leaders should strengthen the training, coaching and monitoring of staff to improve the curriculum and quality of the teaching further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator, children 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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Address:

Hampton Vale Primary Academy West Lake Avenue, Hampton Vale Peterborough PE7 8LS

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Hampton Vale Primary Academy

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 16:30

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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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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