Little Kids Kingdom

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children enjoy the time they spend at the nursery. Staff are caring and provide children with positive interactions.

Children gain some knowledge and skills that prepare them for school and the next stage of their learning. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and the education that the children receive, which hinders the progress that they can make. The teaching for children's communication and language development is not good enough, especially for two-year-old children and those who speak English as an additional language.

This said, children benefit from an effective physical development ...curriculum. Two-year-old children build their strength, as they climb up and over a low-level climbing wall. Older children strengthen their hand muscles as they squeeze and shape play dough to music.

Children behave well and understand the rules and boundaries. Staff help children to understand the reason for the rules, such as how sliding on the carpet might give them a carpet burn. Older children enjoy playing cooperatively with their friends.

They pretend to be hairdressers and put on wigs during role play. Children learn that their ideas and opinions matter. They vote to decide which book staff will read to them.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

The manger monitors the quality of teaching and children's learning and provides staff with supervision and training. She has been supporting staff to provide children with a consistent approach to managing their feelings and to share and take turns. However, the manager has not identified all the weaker areas of staff practice and in the children's education programmes.

The support that the manager provides to staff has not been targeted well enough to ensure that all staff receive the guidance they need to improve their planning and teaching skills. This hinders the progress that children can make, particularly in their communication and language development.The manager and staff place a strong focus on sharing stories with children.

Children access books independently and find a quiet space to enjoy these. However, staff do not plan or deliver communication and language learning experiences well enough. Staff do not recognise when they need to adjust their use of language expectations and teaching to support younger children and those children who speak English as an additional language.

They do not give enough consideration to how they can extend the language skills for children who are more confident communicators. This means that children do not achieve their full potential in their communication development.Staff work with parents of new children to find out about children's interests and achievements when they first start.

However, this information is not shared successfully when children have a new key person. Some staff do not know what children's home languages are. This means that staff do not provide opportunities for all children to develop and use their home language in play and learning.

Although children generally enjoy the activities and are well motivated, some teaching is not matched well enough to children's learning needs which hinders the progress they make. During adult-led group times, staff provide opportunities for children to recall their knowledge and skills, such as to practise counting and to talk about their feelings. However, staff do not make the best use of this time and what they know about children's achievements to help them to build on what they already know and can do.

Some parts of the daily routine are overly repetitive and staff do not introduce children to new knowledge.The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) liaises with the local authority and other outside agencies to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive additional support.During child-led learning times, children concentrate well on their chosen play.

They choose where they will play and are keen to practise their skills. Older children focus well as they sort beads according to their colour and thread these onto string. They build train tracks and create a cave for their trains to travel through.

Children show curiosity and ask questions.Staff promote children's health well. Children learn about making healthy food choices.

They know that food, such as ice-cream and marshmallows contain a lot of sugar and are not a healthy option. Staff teach children about self-care routines and about dental care.Parents speak positively about the care their children receive.

They have regular updates from staff about their child's progress. Staff work with parents to provide continuity for children's learning, such as to help them to manage their feelings and behaviour at home and at nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager ensures that all the required measures are in place to keep children safe. Staff complete regular checks to identify and minimise hazards to children. They are vigilant about supervising children and accounting for each child, such as when they return from outdoors.

The manager and staff understand signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and neglect. They know how to report any concerns to the local safeguarding children's partnership. The manager and staff know how to report concerns about a colleague.

The manager follows safe recruitment processes to check that staff are suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date improve the monitoring of staff practice and provide staff with effective coaching, training and support to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good level 04/09/2023 improve the key person system to ensure that staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of their key children, with particular regard to children's home languages 04/09/2023 support staff to implement a progressive curriculum for children's communication and language development to help them to gain a strong foundation in their communication skills.04/09/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse assessments of children's progress to plan purposeful learning experiences that match their stage of development, and help children to build on their existing knowledge and skills.