Little Learners Heanor

Little Learners Heanor

Unique reference number (URN): 2510527 Address: Wilmot Street, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7EF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 25/04/2019 Registers: EYR Registered person: Kh Nurseries LTD

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that adequately protects children from harm. They have failed to follow safeguarding procedures to refer concerns about staff to the local authority designated officer and to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service. In addition, they did not notify Ofsted of this significant event or a change to the manager at the nursery.

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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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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff are very nurturing, especially with babies, which fosters secure relationships as children settle into the nursery. Staff gather useful information from parents and carers and have a detailed knowledge of every child's routine, including when they need additional support. They work well together to effectively support children's individual care needs. Staff create a very comfortable and calm atmosphere, where babies can feel safe and explore their surroundings.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff place importance on children's welfare and wellbeing and ensure they are well supported to regulate their emotions. They are kind and caring role models, who show sensitivity when children are upset, such as when they are tired.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children have daily opportunities to play outdoors regardless of the weather. Older children know how to keep themselves safe, for example, when using the slide and that they should line up to go inside. Staff generally promote children's independence with their personal skills, such as encouraging handwashing and for children to put away their own coat. Staff provide a range of activities to help children to learn about oral health, healthy eating and the importance of sleep. Children enjoy a healthy menu. Staff consistently follow appropriate hygiene practices during routines.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are committed to promoting a welcoming environment for all children. Staff build strong bonds with babies and this continues as children transition through the nursery. Staff identify and support children's individual and changing needs well. They frequently and carefully monitor children's progress to ensure that children who face barriers to their

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Needs attention

learning are not being left behind. Staff use additional assessment tools, where needed, to enable them to establish exactly where children with emerging needs require support.

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Needs attention

All staff undertake training in identifying special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with more detailed training for those staff who offer support to others. They work well in partnership with parents, carers and other professionals to seek or offer guidance and to make referrals where needed. Staff ensure that they are supporting children with SEND to participate in all activities. For example, they offer one-to-one support to children to enable this. All staff working with children are clear of their support plans and how to implement these, helping children to make progress from their individual starting points.

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Needs attention

Leaders generally use additional funding well to support particular aspects of children's development. For example, they purchase additional resources to help children to regulate their emotions.

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Achievement Needs attention

Some children are not making the progress they are capable of due to inconsistencies in the support they receive. They do not have enough opportunities to practise new skills or extend their knowledge. For example, while children are building with blocks staff ask numerous questions without giving them time to think and respond to develop their communication skills. Children with barriers to their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well from their starting points due to the focused support. They are developing confidence in their interactions with others as they seek out other children and join in with their play.

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Achievement Needs attention

Younger children are keen to participate in story time. They listen with interest and respond to staff questions, describing what the characters in the book are doing. Some babies are beginning to babble as they play with the toys.

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Achievement Needs attention

Children develop their physical skills. Across the nursery, children are able to use cutlery to feed themselves and, as they get older, to serve their own food at mealtimes. Babies crawl and reach for toys as they move around their playroom.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff help children to understand the setting's expectations. Children behave well, playing together in group activities and showing consideration for others. However, staff are less successful in supporting children with regards to their motivation and engagement in learning. Across all age ranges the inconsistent support for learning means that, at times, children struggle to focus and only briefly participate in activities before moving away.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff manage minor disagreements effectively, such as using a timer to reinforce when children have to wait. They talk to children about the importance of waiting and how others might feel if they do not wait their turn. Staff are adept at identifying possible triggers for

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Urgent improvement

frustrations and quickly get children's favourite toys to prevent this escalating. They carefully consider each child's needs, making adaptations on an individual basis, including for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Urgent improvement

Children have respect for each other and enjoy playing in their friendship groups. Leaders ensure that children have time as they transition through the nursery to develop warm and trusting relationships with staff. Staff encourage children to celebrate their achievements, such as when they successfully walk across a balancing activity.

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Urgent improvement

Leaders have appropriate systems in place to encourage consistent attendance for children, working in partnership with parents and carers to support this.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have identified some key skills they want children to achieve before they move on to school. Staff undertake accurate assessment to establish what all children are capable of and what they need to learn next. However, the curriculum is in the process of being developed to identify the key skills, knowledge and understanding children should achieve at certain points during their early years education. Some activities lack purpose and are not thought through well enough with regards to what children will learn and how staff will deliver the activity. For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, staff have a clear understanding of their targets and how to adapt activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff support children's mathematical learning as they count while stacking construction blocks and use positional language to describe how they are placing the blocks. They encourage children's communication skills, for example, as the children use cones as megaphones. During a music and movement activity, staff demonstrate different movements for children to attempt. Staff are unfamiliar with some of the songs, children cannot hear the music and, at times, they wander around without direction. Staff plan regular sensory activities for younger children. However, the inconsistent interactions and poorly considered resources sometimes mean that after a short time children disengage and learning is minimal.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders do not fully understand their responsibilities with regards to safeguarding, particularly when there are concerns about an adult working in the nursery. They have failed to share information with other relevant agencies and professionals, including Ofsted. Leaders lack understanding of when to make a Disclosure and Barring Service referral.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders have identified that the curriculum needs strengthening and have plans in place to address this, but this is at a very early stage of development. They have not ensured staff have sufficient time to devote to this due to their current high workload. Leaders undertake regular supervision sessions and some staff currently have targets to improve the quality of their interactions with children. However, teaching across the nursery is inconsistent and is having an impact on children's progress.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders take appropriate action to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work well with other professionals, parents and carers. Leaders ensure that the progress check at age 2 accurately reflects children's stage of development in order to secure additional support if needed. Parents value the ongoing updates and the quality of the guidance they receive to enable them to continue to support children's learning at home.

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

Leaders do not ensure children's safety when dealing with concerns about staff. They fail to follow the correct procedures to ensure that other agencies and professionals are made aware of any issues arising regarding their suitability. In addition, they do not ensure that Ofsted is notified of a change to the manager.

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

Children do not benefit from a well-planned curriculum. Leaders have not yet clearly defined what knowledge, skills and understanding children should learn as they move through the nursery. Staff are not always clear on what they want children to learn from an activity. The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the nursery and sometimes within the same activity. This hinders children's progress. Children want to learn and are keen to join in. At times, they lose interest because activities lack support and guidance or are mundane, for example during a mark-making activity staff do not guide children on how to use the resources and after a short time they leave the table.

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

Leaders prioritise children's wellbeing. All children demonstrate that they are happy and settled. Babies receive lots of comfort and reassurance, particularly when they are new to the nursery. Children form positive relationships with other children and with staff. They behave well despite the lack of stimulating activities. Everyone is welcomed and the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning is given high importance and is effective. Staff ensure that they maintain an ongoing dialogue with parents and carers to share and gather information about children's development and care needs. This includes encouraging consistent attendance.

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

Children begin to develop their physical skills as they use different resources, such as colouring pens. Younger children listen to familiar songs and attempt to join in with the actions. They experiment making marks in cornflour and water. Children enjoy pushing wheeled toys along the carpet and babble as staff say 'ready, steady, go'.

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Next steps

The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action.

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Next steps

We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

develop knowledge and understanding of when to make a Disclosure and Barring Service referral 22/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

develop an appropriate procedure to manage concerns about staff, including informing external agencies and professionals 22/04/2026

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Action Completion Date

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

devise an ambitious and sequenced curriculum that clearly identifies the knowledge, skills and understanding you want children to know and to be able to do 15/06/2026

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Action Completion Date

support staff to improve their interactions with children to provide consistently high-quality support for learning 15/06/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the manager, deputy manager and staff 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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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information about this.

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Address:

Wilmot Street Heanor Derbyshire DE75 7EF

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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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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