Little Angels Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at this welcoming nursery ready to learn. Most children settle quickly and enjoy the stimulating activities available to them. Children are happy.

They are developing close and trusting relationships with caring staff. Younger children demonstrate that they feel safe as they snuggle close to staff for reassurance before they play. Children are sociable and are confident to engage with staff and their friends.

They are inquisitive and approach visitors confidently, talking about their favourite activities at nursery. Staff provide children with opportunities to make marks and develop their early writing ...skills. Older children use felt tips to colour in large wooden letters from the alphabet.

Younger children use transport toys to make tracks in sand.The manager is aware of the impact that COVID-19 had on children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff found that some children struggled to regulate their behaviour.

The manager works with parents to ensure they apply behaviour strategies consistently, to help children understand expectations. Children listen to staff who remind them to be kind to their friends and to share. If sharing becomes difficult, staff use a sand timer effectively to help children to wait patiently for their turn.

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

The manager knows the children well and understands their needs. She makes effective use of additional funding to offer children play opportunities that are tailored to their developmental needs. The manager monitors children's progress and takes prompt action to ensure that no child falls behind in their learning.

Staff use children's interests to plan a varied curriculum, both indoors and outdoors, to enhance children's learning. However, sometimes staff do not always deploy themselves effectively to ensure that all children are consistently supported well. At times, they focus too much on routines and tasks and overlook children who are not engaged in purposeful play and learning.

Overall, staff give children's communication and language development a high priority and model language well. The manager works with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to put in place targeted support to help close gaps in children's development. However, on occasions, staff do not support children's thinking and communication skills as well as possible.

For example, they do not always give children time to think and respond to questions before asking another. At times, staff ask too many questions that only require a 'yes' or 'no' answer.Older children enjoy playing outdoors and they develop their physical skills by running, kicking a ball and balancing on wooden beams safely.

Younger children use their small-muscle skills to manipulate play dough. They roll and squeeze the dough, and push out shapes. Children practise their pincer grip as they handle pipettes and jugs to transport water into large containers.

Children learn about the importance of oral hygiene. For instance, they brush their teeth after snacks, and use role-play toothbrushes and sets of pretend teeth, to learn how to brush teeth effectively. Children enjoy a wide range of freshly prepared healthy snacks.

They choose water or milk to support their good oral hygiene.Staff ensure they form good relationships with parents. They discuss information about children's progress and learning.

Staff find out about children's interests and experiences from home. They provide parents with activity ideas. Parents comment that staff support them to continue children's learning at home and that they appreciate the regular information about their children's development.

The manager monitors staff performance effectively. She observes staff interactions regularly and completes planned and spontaneous observations on their practice. The manager recognises the strengths in her staff team and provides prompt and sensitive feedback to individuals.

New staff have been recruited. There is a sharp focus on building a strong team. Morale is good and training is encouraged to support their own continuous development.

New staff members speak positively about their induction and support.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager is the safeguarding lead for the nursery.

She demonstrates a good knowledge and understanding of how to protect children from harm. Children's welfare is of high priority and staff have a secure knowledge of how to safeguard children, including the wider aspects of child protection. A robust recruitment process ensures children are cared for by staff who are suitable for the role.

Staff carry out regular checks of the indoor and garden areas to ensure that they are free from hazards. The manager ensures that staff complete mandatory training, for example, in paediatric first aid, to ensure they can attend to children's needs in an emergency.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to strengthen their teaching techniques so that they give children the time they need to respond to questions and discussions, to fully support their developing language and thinking skills review staff deployment to ensure all children taking part in learning experiences can benefit from the attention and support they may need to get the most from the activity.