Little Angels Uppingham LTD

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Managers do not ensure that risk assessments of the environment are thorough enough.

Staff failed to identify potential risks and hazards to children and only took swift action when these were identified by the inspector who brought this to their attentionNevertheless, children enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff develop warm and caring relationships with children. For example, older babies freely approach staff for cuddles and snuggle up on their knee to share a book.

Staff name the animals in the pictures, which prompts babies to make the animal sounds. Older babies readily give staff high fives and proudly ...clap their achievements. Toddlers excitedly show staff cardboard boxes they are colouring in.

Staff show interest and talk to them about what they are making and the colours they are using. This motivates toddlers to keep working on their creation.Staff provide an exciting range of activities for children to engage with.

To this end, children focus for long periods of time with their chosen activities. For example, staff support older babies to play with blocks. Babies concentrate as they carefully place one block on top of another to make a tower.

Staff encourage other babies to join in, helping them work together to share resources and take turns. Pre-school children are full of wonder as they make potions. Children use their small muscles as they mix additional ingredients into their water.

For example, they spoon in flour, squirt in liquid using washing up bottles and tear up shredded paper. This helps children strengthen the muscles they need for early writing. Staff pose questions, prompting children to notice changes in their potions.

Children become excited when they identify the changing colours and smells of the water. This supports children's developing curiosity.

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

Risk assessments are not always effective, meaning that staff do not recognise risks or take prompt enough action to maintain a safe environment at all times.

For example, children could have been harmed as staff did not identify and remove several pieces of broken glass from where children were playing in the outdoor play area. Furthermore, staff failed to take action to secure chemicals that were in reach of young children.Staff encourage children to do things for themselves.

For example, toddlers help staff tidy away resources, and older babies are supported to scrape their leftover lunch in the bin and wipe their own faces clean. Pre-school children help set the table for mealtimes, they serve themselves lunch and pour their own water from teapots. When spillages occur, children readily help staff wipe away the water.

This helps children develop their growing independence skills.Staff provide multiple opportunities for children to develop their muscle strength and coordination skills. For example, staff supervise younger babies as they confidently crawl around and pull themselves up using furniture.

Older babies copy staff and try to throw balls into a bowl. When they miss, older babies are encouraged to get the balls back and keep trying. Toddlers use their feet to push themselves along on ride on cars and staff show pre-school children how to use ropes to pull themselves up on small slopes.

Children behave well. Staff are good role models and help children learn to share and use their manners. For example, older babies receive praise when they politely ask for more dinner and pre-school children create games with their friends.

When children squabble over the rules of their game, staff swiftly intervene and encourage children to explain the disagreement. Staff suggest ideas to help children continue to play together. This enables children to quickly return to their play.

Staff recognise the importance of children's good health. They provide children with healthy snacks, meals and fresh drinking water. They ensure all children get daily access to the outdoors.

For example, babies and toddlers are taken for walks in the community and to the local park. Children are reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet, after messy play and before eating. This helps children learn good hygiene practices.

The daily routines are generally well planned. However, some transitions, such as after babies' mealtimes, are not well organised. On these occasions, some babies are left sitting at the table for longer than necessary and others wander around not sure what they should be doing.

Learning is less effective at these times than at other times.Parents are positive about the care their children receive. They state communication from staff is excellent and they know what their children are doing while at nursery.

Parents say their children enjoy the variety of activities on offer. They feel that, since being at the nursery, their children have increased their vocabulary, are gaining an understanding of their emotions and have developed their social skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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 ensure that robust risk assessments are implemented, and that the risk assessment process is effective in identifying and removing all potential hazards.09/04/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove how transitions are arranged between activities, with particular reference to after mealtimes in the baby room, to ensure learning needs are met at all times.