Little Owls Nursery Osmondthorpe

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education is variable for children.

For instance, when key staff are absent or deployed in another area of the nursery, some children are not supported by other staff. Children with special educational needs and/disabilities (SEND) have clear plans in place to support their development. However, some staff do not implement these, and, on occasion, this leads to emotional distress.

Although curriculum plans are clear, they do not match children's individual learning needs. This means that staff do not consistently build on children's prior learning and some activities are not purposeful.In contrast, staff wh...o work with their key children know them very well.

Children benefit from meaningful activities that help them to make good progress. For instance, young children enjoy choosing animals from the basket. Staff model words clearly and praise children for sharing.

Older children sing nursery rhymes as they play in the water. Staff challenge them to count the ducks that are left and help them to do this accurately. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, new staff and children have joined the nursery from a partner setting.

The manager and leadership team have worked hard to make some adjustments and there is a clear action plan in progress. Staff have access to a wide range of professional development opportunities. However, this is not focused on helping staff to meet the needs of the children who currently attend.

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

The curriculum is not coherent or suitably matched to children's current stage of development and learning needs. For example, some staff focus on teaching children letter sounds rather than focusing on building their communication and language skills. At times, older children's learning is incidental and they wander between activities.

This does not help children to make consistently good progress or become enthusiastic learners.However, other staff have a clear focus for their key children. They make accurate assessments of their progress and use this information to plan their next steps.

For instance, they support young children's learning through their play, such as modelling new words when they wash dolls in the outdoor area. Other staff are aware of the need to adjust their levels of support and challenge for each child. They encourage some children to count the legs of the horse and praise them as they whisper the correct number.

Children benefit from plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. This aspect of the curriculum is strong. For example, young children explore the natural surroundings outdoors.

They splash in the water tray and enjoy experimenting with chalks. Older children learn how to climb the trees safely.They develop good levels of independence and take an active part in their own self-care.

Staff show kindness towards children and are positive role models. The majority of staff have a good understanding of how to meet children's individual care needs and promote inclusion. For example, children who have a range of dietary requirements still have the option to self-serve at the dinner table, while staff keep them safe.

Overall, children's behaviour is positive. Staff teach them how to share and take turns. This helps them to develop good social skills for the future.

The manager does not consistently focus staff's training to help them meet children's specific needs. For example, some staff who work closely with children with SEND do not fully understand their role to support these children's learning and emotional needs. This does not consistently promote children's emotional well-being, and prevents learning from taking place.

However, staff have recently attended visual communication training which has helped them to support children's communication skills through pictures and signs.The leadership team are passionate and focused on making necessary improvements to the nursery. They use their links with the local authority effectively and work in close partnership with the children's centre.

They spend extra funding on a variety of activities to broaden children's experiences and close gaps in their learning. Children thoroughly enjoyed taking care of the chicks and learned about life cycles as they watched them grow.The manager has high expectations for staff and for the families who attend.

Partnership working is effective. Parents have opportunities to visit the nursery to discuss children's progress with their key person. They say their children are well-cared for.

Other parents are particularly happy with their children's progress, especially their communication and language skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children's safety is a priority in the nursery.

Staff are highly vigilant and provide effective levels of supervision. Staff complete robust and regular risk assessments to ensure that outdoor areas are safe for children to explore. The manager and leadership team provide staff with clear procedures to follow if they have concerns about children or a colleague.

Staff confidently discuss signs of potential abuse and know how to record their concerns. Managers follow safer recruitment processes to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. For instance, they gather references and obtain disclosure and barring service checks for all staff.

Children learn about sun safety, and staff explain why they need to keep their hats on and drink plenty of water.

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 staff's understanding of the curriculum and how to implement this to help children develop secure foundations and so their learning is sequenced and purposeful 15/08/2023 ensure that staff undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure that they offer quality learning and development experiences, specifically those who work with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.15/07/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: reflect on the program for staff's professional development to ensure that it is relevant and has an impact on how well staff meet children's learning needs.