Little Learners

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

There are breaches of requirements, and this does not ensure children's safety and welfare. The provider has not ensured that the recruitment procedures are robust. However, children arrive eager and ready to start their day at nursery.

They separate from their parents and carers with ease and settle to their chosen play. Children thoroughly enjoy expressing themselves creatively while enhancing their physical skills, such as through the activities staff offer. They jump to 'splat' the paint from the tools onto the paper pinned upright to the fence.

Children receive worthwhile praise for their efforts and achieve...ments. Staff encourage them to keep trying with things, such as taking off their outdoor clothing. This contributes to children being able to persevere and succeed in their chosen tasks, improving levels of independence.

Children relish their outdoor experiences and staff set out this area with a good variety of exciting and enticing activities. They base these on children's current interests, weaving in what they know children need to learn next. This enables children to engage fully in their learning, gathering new skills and practising those that they already have as they play.

Staff make worthwhile and targeted improvements to the setting. The provider understands how to plan an effective curriculum, where there are clear intentions for teaching and learning. This contributes to successful learning outcomes for children.

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

The provider has not ensured that she has followed effective safer recruitment procedures. She did not identify that an enhanced criminal records check was not in place for a member of staff. Once she became aware of this during the inspection, she took immediate action to ensure that they were not left unsupervised with children.

However, her recruitment process had not enabled her to identify this breach of a requirement. This does not ensure children's safety and welfare consistently.The provider has a secure and working knowledge of how to assess the impact of staff's interactions with children.

She understands the importance of using these moments to enhance staff's teaching skills. This aids the continual development of staff's interactions with children. Staff understand how to observe and assess children's levels of development and plan for what each child needs to learn next.

Children understand the daily routines of the nursery, following these with ease. This helps to them feel a strong sense of belonging and understand what is happening next. Staff use additional resources, such as now and next boards.

This aids children who need more support, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.Staff fully recognise children's developmental needs and when it is appropriate for children to begin the move to the next age-group room. Staff support children in spending times with the older age group, such as playing outdoors.

This helps children to be able to follow their interest and build new relationships with different children and staff.The provider offers a highly inclusive setting, where children learn to embrace different cultures and diversity. Children have opportunities to share songs from home, celebrating children's heritages.

This enhances children's awareness of similarities and differences.Partnerships with parents and carers are good. Parents report that they receive daily updates about the routines of their child's day.

The provider reviews systems to contribute to enhancing the sharing of developmental information. Parents comment that the provider uses additional funding successfully to meet children's individual needs.The provider has clear processes for supporting staff's well-being and development.

Staff have a full induction to help ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities. There are procedures for the completion of individual meetings with staff, where the provider and staff review ongoing training and development opportunities. Staff comment about the effective support they receive from the provider for their well-being.

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, the provider must: Due date ensure that any person who has regular contact with children is suitable and that robust recruitment processes are followed 28/03/2025 ensure that every member of staff working with children has an enhanced criminal records check.

28/04/2025