Little Wonders Day Nursery

Little Wonders Day Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2779028 Address: 16 Coldwell Street, Wirksworth, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 4FB Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 08/04/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: MYLITTLEWONDERS 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.

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Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders do not consistently follow their procedures when there is an allegation about staff. This does not promote the safe protection of children and potentially leaves them at risk of harm.

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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

Children typically are well prepared for their future and next stage in learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and emerging needs, make progress in their development. Children demonstrate independence and eagerly show staff how they can put on their coats, shoes and high-visibility jackets for outdoor play.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know to use their eyes and ears to look and listen for cars before safely crossing the road. All children make their needs known effectively. Younger children make choices through staff providing visual objects to choose from. For example, they point to the drink they would like when being provided with a choice of milk or water. Older children confidently communicate with their friends and staff. They develop a love of books and relish the re-telling of their favourite stories with staff.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff provide children with warm and nurturing interactions. During nappy changing, staff engage with young children through quality interactions. For example, staff communicate clearly what they are doing, helping children to feel safe and secure. Together, staff and young children enjoy singing songs and nursery rhymes. This helps children to build positive relationships and close bonds with staff. Leaders work with parents to promote children's attendance and appropriately follow up any absences.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Generally, children know the expectations of staff and routines well. Children listen carefully to instructions from staff. They eagerly help staff to put the toys away at tidy-up time, they know to line up before getting ready for outdoor play. On occasion, routines for handwashing could be further strengthened by staff. At times, younger children do not benefit from consistent teaching to help them understand expectations and effectively manage their personal hygiene.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children frequently use their manners and are eager to have a go at tasks. For example, they politely ask staff if they can pour their own drinks and serve their own food. Staff encourage children to share, take turns and be nice to each other. Children show high levels of concentration, when staff show them how to safely cut their fruit with a knife. Staff use specific praise and encouragement to support children's positive behaviours. For example, staff tell children that they are proud of them for their good listening.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff provide children with a variety of healthy snacks and meals. They help children to understand the importance and impact of food and drink on their bodies. For example, they explain to children that milk is good for their bones and teeth. Staff deployment is effective and children are successfully supported and supervised during play and while they are eating.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are supported by staff to understand and identify feelings and emotions. On arrival, staff encourage children to select their name and an emotion to represent how they are feeling. Staff encourage children to care and respect others, including animals and insects. For example, during an outing, children look in awe at insects on the ground, staff encourage them to be careful where they stand so they do not hurt them.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff ensure that children have sun cream on before going outside and explain the importance of protecting their skin. Children are encouraged by staff to have regular drinks in the warm weather, helping them to stay hydrated.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Generally, staff support children to manage their personal needs effectively. For example, staff encourage all children to wash their hands before eating. Staff provide some explicit teaching and role modelling to support children's understanding, but this is not always targeted at younger children. This means some children miss vital steps, such as using soap, to effectively clean their hands.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide children with an abundance of activities and experiences. These are based on children's interests, current experiences and what they want children to learn next, across the areas of learning and development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff promote mathematical development with all ages of children effectively. For instance, with younger children they help children's counting skills with number rhymes and songs. Staff support older children to understand the concept of heavy and light as they pour their drinks during mealtimes.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Children's communications skills are promoted successfully by staff. Staff provide a language-rich environment. For example, they share stories, sing songs and maximise opportunities to interact with children. Staff accurately model words so that children

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Urgent improvement

understand the correct pronunciation. For instance, when children say 'Nana' staff reply 'Yes, it's a banana'.

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Urgent improvement

Staff support children's physical development very well. They help children to correctly hold scissors to confidently cut their paper. Children's large physical skills are encouraged effectively by staff. For instance, outdoors they support children to balance, take big steps and climb on wooden play structures.

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Urgent improvement

Generally, children receive high-quality teaching from staff. However, at times there are inconsistencies in staff's knowledge of some children's next steps. This means that on occasion, teaching may not always be focused to where children would benefit from it most.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Typically, staff understand children's individual needs well. They successfully use observation and assessments to identify where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may need additional support. This helps to reduce barriers to children's learning. Staff and leaders monitor children's progress to help identify where further interventions or the support of specialists may be required. However, at times there are some inconsistencies in staff's understanding and implementation of children's next steps, when their key person is absent.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to identify and source additional funding. Funding is used by leaders to support small-group work and targeted interventions, helping children to make the best possible progress. Where children are eligible for early years pupil premium, leaders use this to help provide rich and varied experiences. For example, staff plan visits into the community, such as residential homes for the elderly, visits to the fire station and using public transport. This helps to widen children's understanding of the world around them.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leader's regularly access SEND training and updates through the local authority. This information is shared with staff to help support the needs of all children.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders do not always recognise or take appropriate action, when there is an allegation about staff. Their decision-making is, at times, influenced by other factors rather than following the relevant safeguarding procedures. Leaders have not notified Ofsted of significant matters that may affect the suitability of an individual or where there could be an impact on the safety of children. This is a breach of the statutory requirements.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Staff communicate effectively with parents verbally and through an online application. They regularly share information about children's experiences and consult with parent about their child's progress and next steps in development. Parents speak fondly about staff; they say, 'Staff are caring and know children very well.' Parents report that staff feel like family and that children enjoy attending.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders successfully forge close links with the local community. They thoughtfully consider how to provide children with enriching experiences to further promote children's educational outcomes. For example, they work closely with different emergency services, helping children to build knowledge and respect for people who help us.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders support staff, through observations and appraisals. These help to identify strengths and areas for development. However, it does not yet fully capture where staff are less confident in implementing children's next steps in the absence of their key person. The established staff team report that they feel supported by leaders and that they enjoy their role. This promotes staff's wellbeing and provides a positive environment for children.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has not 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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What it's like to be a child at this setting

There are weaknesses in leaders' implementation of safeguarding procedures. Leaders do not consistently follow the required safeguarding procedure, in relation to allegations about staff. On occasion, leaders have not taken the correct steps to promote the protection of children.

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

Children enjoy attending at the nursery. They engage very well with the activities that staff have provided for them. Children concentrate for long periods of time as they fill and empty containers with sand and water. They confidently access resources to support their creative play. For example, children independently obtain paper, crayons and scissors.

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

Children proudly tell staff about their family, they explain how the jobs of parents help to keep people safe. Staff are tuned into children and use their interactions to show children that they are heard and valued.

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

Children's opportunities to understand the world around them are plentiful. Staff make the most of opportunities in the local area and beyond to build upon children's experiences. During a walk through a train station, children recall memories of previous trips on the train. Younger children excitedly say 'Choo choo', as they see a train pull into the station.

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

Children are supported by staff to understand how to keep themselves safe on outings. Staff remind children to keep together, stay close to staff and hold hands with their friends, when walking near the road. Children are reassured by the clear and consistent boundaries implemented by staff. As a result, children behave very well.

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

Leaders have appropriate procedures in place to follow up and monitor children's absences. Staff work closely with parents to find out and meet all children's individual learning and care needs, this includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, emerging needs and those known or previously known to children's social care. Staff effectively adapt the curriculum to meet the differing ages and needs of children. As such, all children make progress from their starting points in development.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure that allegations and concerns about staff suitability are swiftly identified and responded to appropriately in line with the local safeguarding partnership 08/05/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff 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:

16 Coldwell Street Wirksworth Matlock Derbyshire DE4 4FB

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

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

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 .

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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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