Little Rays Daycare Ltd

Little Rays Daycare Ltd

Unique reference number (URN): 2770415 Address: Loseley estate Nature reserve, near Watts Gallery, Down Lane, Compton, Guildford, GU3 1DQ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 05/02/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Little Rays Daycare 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children's behaviour is continually strengthened over time. Staff consistently model and reinforce positive behaviour, praising children for sharing, listening and helping one another. Older children attentively observe quality interactions between staff and those who face barriers to their learning, and they begin to understand how they can be supportive towards their younger peers themselves. For example, they enthusiastically celebrate younger children's efforts to independently put on their wellington boots. All children when at forest school are deeply engaged, highly motivated and show a great willingness to try new experiences.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Relationships between staff and children are extremely warm, nurturing and respectful. The key-person approach is highly effective. For example, as children arrive at forest school, they eagerly seek out their key person to join them in their self-chosen play. Staff listen attentively and respond with genuine care, showing that children's ideas and contributions are valued. Children show a secure understanding of the well-established routines, which helps them feel safe and confident. For instance, they independently wash their hands before eating around the campfire. In this way, children foster a true sense of belonging.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders work collaboratively with parents to promote regular attendance and punctuality. They are mindful of children's individual family circumstances and, where appropriate, allocate additional sessions for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those who face other barriers to their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

There are robust procedures in place to ensure children's safety and welfare at all times. Staff also encourage children to take an active role in managing their own safety. For example, before exploring during forest school, children confidently recall the agreed rules.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Comprehensive information is gathered when children first start and is reviewed regularly with parents and staff. This ensures children's dietary requirements, alongside their sleeping and toileting routines, are carefully followed and adapted to suit their changing needs. Throughout the day, children choose to be physically active, rest or self-regulate. For instance, they use the quiet area to relax on cushions and look at books. These experiences help children develop lasting habits that support their physical and emotional wellbeing.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Warm and secure attachments are formed between staff and children. Staff consistently respond well to children's feelings, such as when they acknowledge if a child is a little upset, and provide choices to make them feel happier. Care practices are consistently respectful and personalised. For example, when children are initially reluctant to wipe their runny noses, their key person responds sensitively, helping them to understand why it is important. Staff consistently provide gentle reminders and encouragement as younger children learn to manage their clothing and wash their hands thoroughly. Older children and those who face barriers to their learning demonstrate impressive independence as they confidently manage their own self-care.

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Expected standard

Opportunities to teach children about healthy eating are embedded throughout the curriculum and daily routines. For instance, during mealtimes, children contribute to discussions about their favourite foods. Parents highly value the nutritious, home-cooked lunches prepared on the campfire and comment on how much their children now enjoy exploring new flavours and tastes.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff know every child and their families very well. They foster a deep, embedded culture of inclusion, ensuring children who face barriers to their learning receive individualised support tailored to their learning. Leaders and staff work closely with parents to understand children's individual needs and plan enriching learning experiences so that they can take part and make sustained progress. Leaders ensure that staff are appropriately trained to identify emerging gaps in learning and to deliver targeted interventions that help reduce potential barriers, such as language programmes for children with speech delay. They also work effectively with external professionals to ensure that assessments, strategies and interventions are consistently implemented, embedded in practice and regularly reviewed.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff use a range of inclusive approaches to support children effectively. For example, communication boards and individual support plans help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as well as disadvantaged children to settle, thrive and develop confidence and independence. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported by staff who share their home language. For instance, staff narrate children's play in Portuguese and then repeat the language in English, helping children to understand the meaning and gradually build their English vocabulary.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Additional funding is used thoughtfully to support children who receive it. For example, additional sessions are offered, and children attend on specific days when certain staff are present who are experienced and qualified in their delivery of targeted interventions. Leaders work diligently to ensure that children with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds make positive progress from their starting points, particularly in communication and language and emotional development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities develop confidence in their social, emotional, language and physical skills and generally achieve well across the curriculum. Those children who may not have previously experienced exploring in forest school experiences do well. For example, they confidently climb up and down steep hills without needing to rely on ropes for support. This helps to build their stamina, core strength and coordination. Typically, children make steady progress in their communication and language development. For example, they know that owls are 'nocturnal' and humans are 'diurnal'. Inconsistencies in staff's support mean that some older children do not consistently achieve to the best of their ability. For instance, while children enthusiastically collect firewood for the fire pit and proudly show staff their discoveries, some staff accept the older, most capable children

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Achievement Expected standard

describing twigs as 'big' regardless of the differences. These children are capable of using richer and more precise vocabulary, such as 'enormous' or 'wide'.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, children demonstrate increasing levels of resilience, confidence and independence. They learn to recognise their own capabilities and persevere with tasks. For example, most children practise and gradually master balancing on parallel ropes, and with adult support, they begin moving along them with determination and growing control.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, leaders design a clear curriculum that reflects their aims for children's learning and development. At forest school, children experience a wide range of learning opportunities across all areas of the curriculum. Typically, leaders prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development, alongside their physical development and mathematical understanding. Leaders have also identified the need to strengthen children's self- regulation, particularly for those who face barriers to their learning. Staff have received training and, in most cases, respond to moments of upset or conflict using a similar approach, particularly for those who face barriers to their learning. They help children to recognise and name their emotions and provide simple explanations that are appropriate to each child's level of understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching across the setting is variable. Overall, many staff plan adult-led activities thoughtfully, taking into account children's existing knowledge and skills. They deliver the curriculum with increasing precision to support steady progress in learning. Most staff observe and assess children's learning during play and consider what each child needs to learn next. For instance, during a well-planned mathematical activity, staff recognise children's interest in repeating patterns. They model this process using natural materials within the forest school environment and extend children's learning, adding further challenge as children master each stage. That said, leaders have not yet ensured that all staff plan with sufficient precision to consistently build on children's existing knowledge and extend their thinking. For example, some staff plan more broadly and introduce several concepts at once, including those that children already know and understand. This means some

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

children, particularly the older and most capable, do not always have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills as deeply as they could.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. For example, they are using grant funding to introduce an outdoor yurt, providing the youngest children with opportunities to further explore and experiment as they begin to prepare for forest school experiences. Leaders are passionate and dedicated to supporting children and families within the local community. They actively engage in charitable initiatives, such as running a local scheme that provides children's clothing to benefit families in need.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place an emphasis on staff's welfare and wellbeing and ensure their workload is manageable. Many of the staff are longstanding members of the team and work cohesively, reporting that leaders support them well. Typically, staff benefit from a range of training and professional development opportunities, including programmes to implement language interventions for children with speech delay. This helps leaders to tailor staff development to the evolving needs of children. Generally, leaders take steps to monitor the quality of staff's practice and the provision to help develop and improve children's experiences. Professional development linked to supporting children who face barriers to their learning is increasingly focused and more effective. Leaders have not yet ensured that the monitoring of staff's practice is sufficiently precise to identify and address inconsistencies in planning and teaching. This means that professional development, while increasingly focused, is not yet

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

personalised and targeted sharply enough to ensure all staff consistently build on children's existing knowledge and extend their thinking as deeply as they could.

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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

Children clearly love attending this unique, stimulating and inclusive outdoor setting, where they flourish. The forest school curriculum is delivered by passionate and committed staff, and their enthusiasm is mirrored by children as they eagerly explore the activities on offer. Children learn to understand their body's capabilities and use this knowledge to attempt challenging physical tasks. For example, they hold onto a rope while balancing along a lower rope. Children beam with pride as they realise their hard work and perseverance lead to success. Thoughtful adaptations and adjustments ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with other barriers to their learning benefit from a wide range of opportunities. Children learn to cooperate with one another and engage in purposeful conversations about their play.

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

Children's wellbeing and positive behaviour are given a high priority. This is underpinned by incredibly caring and responsive staff who know each child well, including their unique personalities. The atmosphere is often filled with humour, laughter and smiles, as staff and children share playful moments together. Children quickly form secure attachments with their key person and other staff. They confidently seek support when needed, demonstrating that they feel safe and settled. Children's positive behaviour is consistently and calmly addressed by staff. When minor issues arise, staff respond quickly and sensitively to help children resolve them. Recent training ensures that staff use consistent strategies to recognise and acknowledge children's emotions. These techniques have proved successful in supporting children to recognise when they may need to use the calm areas to regulate their emotions. Children understand what is expected of them and anticipate what will

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

happen next. Visual prompts support this further, particularly for children with SEND. Children show their growing confidence, determination and resilience in abundance. Important qualities such as these help prepare them well for their eventual move to school.

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Address:

Loseley estate Nature reserve near Watts Gallery Down Lane Compton, Guildford GU3 1DQ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Little Rays Daycare Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:30 - 14:30

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that monitoring of staff's practice is precise enough to identify where support and training is needed, so that all children benefit from consistently high- quality teaching.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, nursery manager, special educational needs coordinator, practitioners, parents and children 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. 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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