Little Explorers Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff are friendly and kind towards children. When children are unsettled, staff are attentive and provide them with reassurance and cuddles. This supports children to form secure attachments with staff.

Additionally, staff build on children's confidence by celebrating their successes, such as when children learn to use the potty by themselves. This helps children to feel a sense of pride in their achievements. Although there is not a clear, sequenced curriculum in place, children have fun and enjoy the activities that are organised by staff.

For instance, children spend time playing with the play dough. They focus their ...attention on manipulating it in different ways, which helps them to develop their muscle strength to support their early writing skills. However, children's learning and behaviour are sometimes impacted by weaknesses in the daily routines.

Staff support children's communication and language skills. For example, they encourage children to share their thoughts during group activities. This provides children with opportunities to make links between what they know and what they have learned.

Staff also repeat what children are trying to say, which enables children to hear the correct pronunciation of words and develop their speaking skills.

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

There has been a change of ownership since the last inspection. The new leaders of the nursery have identified weaknesses and responded promptly to these.

They have improved safety arrangements, including the security of the premises. However, there are further weaknesses that have not been fully addressed yet. Arrangements to share information about children are not sufficiently effective.

As a result, leaders are not always made aware of relevant information about individual children at the earliest opportunity. This does not enable them to have a good oversight of all children, or to consider whether additional support is needed.Leaders do not implement an ambitious curriculum.

On the whole, children are happy and enjoy exploring their surroundings. Staff plan activities, but these are not consistently based on what children need to learn next. Overall, these experiences are enjoyable and some learning takes place.

However, children take part in activities that are not specifically targeted to support their ongoing, individual development. This does not fully ensure that children make the progress they are capable of.Generally, staff arrange the learning environment to support children to engage in play with their friends.

However, children do not consistently benefit from meaningful teaching as staff are often preoccupied with completing domestic tasks. This results in children not being purposefully engaged, which sometimes leads to children showing unwanted behaviour.Where teaching is implemented well, children respond positively and actively engage in their learning.

For instance, during a story time session, staff effectively support children to consider what makes them unique. Staff show children a book about different families and encourage them to talk about their own families. This helps children to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others.

Generally, staff support children to develop their independence skills. For instance, children learn to serve their own meals and pour their own drinks. Additionally, staff encourage children to think about what they need to wear when they go outside to play.

This helps children to meet their own needs.Leaders implement effective procedures to assure themselves of the suitability of staff. This includes completing relevant checks and inducting new staff to help them understand their roles and responsibilities.

Leaders continue to monitor the ongoing suitability of staff through regular meetings, mentoring and on-the-job support. For instance, they encourage less-experienced staff to talk to children during activities to promote their communication and language skills. This helps staff to develop their practice.

Staff have developed good partnerships with parents, which help to promote a regular two-way flow of information between them. Parents are well informed about their child's development. Parents report that their children enjoy attending nursery and they have formed strong bonds with staff.

Leaders are responsive to feedback from parents and they act promptly to resolve any queries or concerns that they may have. For instance, leaders have improved communication with parents so that they are aware of any changes within the nursery.

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 and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date devise and implement an ambitious curriculum that reflects the interests and learning needs of all children 02/09/2024 implement effective procedures to ensure that staff understand their responsibilities to share appropriate information so that leaders have effective oversight of the children who attend the nursery.02/09/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review and improve the organisation of daily routines to promote children's learning more effectively.