Little Dragon’s Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

The quality of teaching and learning that children receive at this nursery remains weak.

Children do not make the progress they are capable of because staff do not have the knowledge and skills to provide an ambitious curriculum. Although staff provide children with some play activities to support their learning, they do not ensure that they are developmentally appropriate and meet their individual needs. Staff do not consider the type of resources they provide or the length of time they expect children to engage in adult-led activities.

For example, staff provide the youngest children with resources that do not ...support the learning intention of filling and emptying containers of rice. Babies and young children attempt to use spoons which are too small and to fill cardboard containers which have no bottom. Older children lose interest in adult-led activities because staff introduce too many ideas.

They ask children to talk about feelings and to identify colours, numbers and shapes as they play with toy sea creatures in the water tray. Staff do not give children time to explore their play and lead their own learning. Nevertheless, children behave well and are generally happy and settled.

They move freely around the environment, inside and outside, to engage in their chosen play. Children develop some positive relationships with the staff, who offer warm interactions and a cuddle if they become tired or upset. However, staff do not consistently support children's emotional well-being.

This is because children do not have the opportunity to build strong and lasting relationships with the staff who care for them.

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

The provider ensures that staff access a programme of professional development. She observes staff practice and meets with them to discuss their performance.

However, these arrangements are not effective in improving the quality of the nursery. They have failed to raise the quality of teaching to a good level.Children explore textures such as foam and paint with their hands and fingers.

Staff use sticks to write the letters of their name and encourage children to copy what they have written. However, staff do not consider children's age and stage of development. They introduce resources such as plastic letters to support young children's literacy skills.

However, young children are yet to develop the skills to form recognisable letters and do not know how to spell words with plastic letters. This means that their individual learning needs are not met.Although the nursery has a key-person system in place, it is not effective.

Key persons regularly change, which means that children and parents are not able to form secure relationships with them. Recently, several key staff have left or are leaving the nursery and replacement staff are yet to complete their induction.This means that some children do not have a member of staff who knows them well and who can support their educational and emotional needs.

Staff position themselves around the environment to supervise children. They carry out daily safety checks on all areas in the nursery to make sure that children play in a secure space. However, staff have a poor understanding of what constitutes as a risk to children's good health.

For example, they allow young children to put water contaminated with soil, sand and paint into their mouth. This impacts on the good health of children.During outdoor play, young children have fun splashing in water and digging in soil, which makes their clothes wet and dirty.

They spend long periods in their soiled clothes because staff do not act swiftly to change them and ensure that they are comfortable, clean and dry. Staff do not meet children's individual care needs.Staff share some information with parents about children's time at the nursery.

They talk to them at drop-off and collection times and add notes about care needs to children's daily diaries. However, staff do not support parents to continue or extend children's learning at home because they do not share any information with parents about children's achievements. They do not keep parents updated on what children know and can do or what they need to learn next.

Staff provide children with some daily routines. For example, children engage in outdoor play in the morning before the sun gets too hot. They eat meals and snacks at designated times throughout the day.

Although staff are fully aware of these routines, they do not ensure that they are prepared. At times, children who are hungry or tired are left waiting for long periods while staff prepare tables or cut food. Staff do not ensure that these everyday routines are valuable learning opportunities.

When children become restless, they entertain children rather than support their learning. For example, staff sing random songs or read a story which has no meaning to children.The provider follows robust vetting, recruitment and induction procedures to ensure that staff are checked for their suitability to work with children.

Children sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings. Staff have completed safer sleeping training and put these principles into practice. They regularly check on children to ensure that they are safe and well while they are sleeping.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is 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, the provider must: Due date ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills they need to provide children with developmentally appropriate, high-quality learning experiences to enable them to make good progress in their learning and development 29/11/2024 ensure that an effective key-person system is in place to help tailor children's care and learning to meet their individual needs 04/10/2024 ensure that staff make effective use of risk assessments to identify and reduce hazards to children's good health 04/10/2024 ensure that staff act swiftly to meet children's individual care needs 04/10/2024 improve partnerships with parents and share more information so that they are able to continue to support children's learning at home 04/10/2024 improve the organisation of daily routines to support children's learning.

04/10/2024