Little Hulton Children’s Centre Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Managers and practitioners work together effectively to provide a welcoming nursery.

Children behave well and demonstrate that they feel secure. They arrive at nursery eager to get started and quickly engage with activities that promote their good progress. For example, babies confidently climb up the steps of a small climbing frame.

This helps to promote their strength and mobility. Pre-school children get busy inventing monsters out of modelling dough. Shaping and squeezing the dough helps to strengthen children's hands and fingers.

The nursery accommodates a number of children with special educational needs... and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged children. The experienced managers establish close partnerships with specialist professionals in other agencies. This helps everyone to work together to support children and families well.

Managers use additional funding effectively. For example, they train practitioners to identify and support children who may be at risk of language delay. Parents and carers say that there is always someone around who is ready to listen to them.

They particularly praise the individual attention and strategies that help new children to settle in. Managers place a high priority on encouraging parents to continue children's learning at home. For instance, practitioners encourage parents to wean children off the use of dummies.

This helps everyone to promote children's early speech development effectively.

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

There has been a lengthy period of uncertainty for the nursery. This is because of a strategic review in 2018 that proposed its closure.

One impact of this has been an unusually high turnover of staff. The decision has been reconsidered and the nursery will stay open. Everyone involved has worked hard to maintain consistent provision for children.

Managers are implementing a sensible development plan effectively. For example, they are recruiting practitioners and supporting team leaders to ensure that policies and procedures continue to be implemented to a high standard.Newly recruited practitioners undergo a period of induction that helps them to carry out their role effectively.

Managers appoint experienced practitioners as mentors who support and coach them. For example, the mentors train new practitioners to make accurate observations of children's learning and development. This helps to make assessment practice across the team consistent.

Managers observe practitioners teaching. They offer insightful feedback that helps everyone to improve their professional skills.Children move freely between a range of activities.

They encounter practitioners who know them well and who skilfully engage them. This helps to promote children's well-being and progress effectively. However, sometimes, practitioners do not identify precisely enough what children already know and need to learn next.

Children's early literacy is promoted well. This is demonstrated when children become visibly excited about a fictional monster. Practitioners ably create a sense of anticipation and 'mock fear'.

They wonder if children are brave enough to look at the scary monster in the book. Children, therefore, discover the fun of reading. Practitioners teach children to repeat and remember alliterative words and phrases.

Children begin to notice that words are sequences of sounds.Practitioners give their undivided attention to caring for and interacting with children. They teach children to understand and use new words.

This is demonstrated when children concoct and stir their own monstrous mixtures. They learn that everything that they add to their bowl is another 'ingredient'. Practitioners ask children questions.

However, on occasion, their questions are not phrased expertly enough to engage and challenge children's thinking really effectively.Managers work with practitioners to structure a curriculum that includes important social skills. This prepares children for school and adulthood.

For example, in the room for two- and three-year-olds, children learn to use a spoon and fork to eat lunch. This, in addition, helps to promote children's two-handed coordination and physical development. Children eat healthy food and learn why a balanced diet is important.

Information about children with allergies to particular foods is shared effectively. This helps everyone to make sure that children eat food that is safe for them.Practitioners model caring and considerate behaviour.

For example, they handle baby dolls carefully and gently. Children copy them and this helps to promote children's positive behaviour and respect for other people. There is an unmistakeably inclusive ethos throughout the provision.

Children learn to understand and value what makes everyone equally unique and important.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers train practitioners to understand and follow the nursery's safeguarding procedures.

Practitioners demonstrate vigilance and an intention to seek advice if they have concerns about children's welfare. Care procedures are kept under constant review. For example, managers have recently introduced online recording of children's accidents.

This has strengthened their monitoring of the frequency and type of injuries that children sustain. Managers use this information effectively to identify and minimise hazards to children in the nursery. Practitioners who are key persons participate, alongside parents, in multi-agency teams.

They help to plan, carry out and review joint planning. This helps to promote children's well-being effectively.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus teaching even more precisely on what children need to learn next strengthen questioning techniques so that practitioners ask questions that engage children's full attention and challenge them to think.

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