CJ's Little Pickles

CJ's Little Pickles

Unique reference number (URN): 2832457 Address: The School House, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Corringham, Essex, SS17 7TG Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 02/04/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: CJ's Little Pickles 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

Leaders and staff are excellent role models for all the children, consistently demonstrating calm, respectful and positive interactions. Staff support children effectively during transitions by using familiar songs, counting and consistent routines to signal changes in activities. Children respond positively, moving calmly and purposefully to the next part of the routine.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children behave very well and show consistently positive attitudes to learning. They demonstrate the highest respect for adults and peers and follow expectations with confidence. Children share, take turns and cooperate with ease. Staff provide consistent support to help children manage their behaviour, including those with additional needs. Children demonstrate growing independence. They pour their own drinks and carefully carry them back to their seating area. Older children help the younger children to turn on taps and manage handwashing routines.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff use praise effectively to reinforce kindness, perseverance and effort. Children respond positively and show pride in their achievements. They show curiosity and motivation to learn. Staff support children to listen, follow instructions and stay focused. Children understand and manage their emotions well and resolve minor disagreements calmly. Leaders and staff monitor attendance closely and work with families to promote regular attendance. As a result, children attend consistently and benefit fully from their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children thrive in their emotional wellbeing because they benefit from trusting relationships with kind, nurturing and empathetic adults. Staff are attentive to each child's individual needs, including children with special educational needs and/or barriers to learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop positive hygiene practices and follow daily routines confidently. They independently wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet, showing a secure understanding of good hygiene. Leaders and staff place significant emphasis on promoting children's health and wellbeing. They implement effective risk assessments and robust procedures for eating and supervision, ensuring children's safety and wellbeing remain a priority throughout the day. For example, children are taught the importance of keeping well hydrated on a hot day. Staff engage children in meaningful conversations about healthy food choices at mealtimes and work closely with families to encourage healthy packed lunches.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children are encouraged to take part in appropriately managed risk-taking experiences. They are supported when exploring their environment and taking part in risky play. This ensures children develop confidence, resilience and an awareness of their own safety in a familiar and controlled environment. Resources in all rooms are suitable, well organised and age appropriate, supporting children's development across all areas of learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff are committed to ensuring that children are supported to make progress from their starting points. They have high aspirations for every child and work tirelessly to create an environment and curriculum that supports children's learning and wellbeing. This means children's needs are identified promptly and appropriate action is taken to meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders regularly review and assess children's progress to identify where additional support may be required. They work collaboratively with external professionals and are receptive to advice and support, using this to improve outcomes for children.

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Inclusion Strong standard

There is a real sense of community within the nursery. Leaders build trusting and respectful relationships with children's families and maintain regular communication with parents, including those who speak English as an additional language. Staff make every effort to ensure that families feel listened to and valued. Parents are encouraged to share information about their children's interests and development, enabling staff to build a comprehensive understanding of each child. This strong partnership supports continuity between home and nursery and ensures that children receive consistent messages, care and support. Families are confident to approach staff and know that their views are valued and acted upon.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. They demonstrate a clear understanding of priorities for ongoing improvement and seek guidance from external agencies where appropriate. Leaders use reflection, feedback and professional discussion to identify where improvements are needed and are committed to ensuring that actions taken have a positive impact on children's experiences and development.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and set high expectations for their team. They provide ongoing support, ensuring that staff receive clear guidance about their responsibilities and have regular opportunities to extend their knowledge and develop their skills. Leaders actively encourage staff to gain further qualifications and act as positive role models. Staff report feeling well supported in their roles and valued as part of the wider team. There is a positive culture of professional development, with staff encouraged to learn from one another and share their knowledge and experience. This contributes to a motivated and committed staff team.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnerships with parents are strong. Open communication and shared goals help to create a positive culture and ensure continuity of care and education for children. Parents speak positively about the support they receive and feel well informed about their children's progress and experiences in the nursery. Leaders and staff are approachable and make themselves available to discuss children's individual needs, interests and achievements. The setting responds positively to parental feedback and uses this to inform and enhance provision, helping families to feel listened to, respected and valued.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are confident communicators and interact positively with staff, visitors and their peers. They build secure friendships and enjoy playing cooperatively with one another. Children who speak English as an additional language enjoy listening to stories with staff and benefit from practitioners using signs alongside spoken words. As a result, children develop their communication and language skills, which has a positive impact on their confidence to express themselves and communicate their needs.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children of all ages develop increasing independence as they manage their personal care and take responsibility for everyday routines. For example, the youngest children confidently gather their own bedtime bags and place their drinking bottles safely in the designated space. Older children collect their own lunch boxes and pour their own drinks. These routines support children's self-confidence, coordination and sense of responsibility while helping them develop practical skills that prepare them for the next stage of their development.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is based on children's interests and provides a wide range of meaningful learning experiences that build on what children already know and can do. Staff use children's interests to plan engaging activities that help them develop the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to be well prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders need to ensure that all staff have the correct knowledge and understanding of what leaders expect children to know and learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide a wide variety of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. For example, children use large climbing apparatus, bikes, trikes and scooters to strengthen their gross motor skills. Indoors, children develop their fine motor and small-muscle skills through activities such as play dough, cutting with scissors and junk modelling. These experiences support children's coordination, strength and control.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language development. Structured circle times take place within each age group, incorporating singing, signing and storytelling. This encourages children to learn new words. Staff create frequent opportunities for children to listen, respond and communicate, helping them to develop confidence in expressing themselves and share their ideas. Children are also introduced to mathematical vocabulary through everyday experiences. For example, a range of mathematical language, including 'bigger', 'smallest' and 'tiny', was used naturally in the outdoor environment.

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

Children love attending this nursery. They are excited to join in the enticing activities that have been thoughtfully organised by leaders. For example, children excitedly look through information books about insects, then try to find the insects in the outdoor environment. Children benefit from visitors to the nursery, such as a PE teacher, who supported the children with gross motor skills such as running, jumping, throwing and catching. Children confidently engage in exploratory play. For example, the youngest children play in the water tray, filling, emptying and pouring. Older children explore ice using recently introduced vocabulary such as 'frozen', 'hard' and 'melt'.

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

Children communicate confidently and cooperate well during play and learning experiences, demonstrating kindness, respect and consideration for one another. Children clearly enjoy each other's company and engage enthusiastically in collaborative play, sharing ideas, resources and experiences. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging within the nursery and feel confident to express themselves. Staff model and reinforce positive relationships, supporting children to develop the social and emotional skills they need to form meaningful friendships. Staff create a warm, welcoming and stimulating environment where children feel safe, secure and valued.

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

Staff's knowledge of children means they know what children can do and what they need to learn next. This supports children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those who face other barriers to their learning, to make their own individual, steady and sustained progress from their starting points. Children's attendance is recognised as key to developing consistency in attachments. Partnerships with parents are highly valued, with staff and parents working closely together to share information, understand children's needs and ensure the very best outcomes for each child. Staff use their knowledge of children's individual interests, strengths and needs to provide experiences that are meaningful, appropriately challenging and tailored to support their development.

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Next steps

Leaders should build on their recent work to strengthen the curriculum and teaching so that this is consistently of a high quality across the setting.

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About this inspection

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

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Address:

The School House Queen Elizabeth Drive Corringham Essex SS17 7TG

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: CJ's Little Pickles Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday : 07:30 - 17:00,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 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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Age range of children at the time of 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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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

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

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