Little Melton Preschool Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement There are weaknesses in leadership and management which result in some registration requirements not being met.

However, these do not significantly affect children's safety and welfare.Children behave well towards each other. Staff are good role models and help children learn how to be friendly towards others during their play.

Children listen carefully and attentively to the skilled staff, who tune into their needs and individual personalities well. Children enjoy their conversations with staff, who engage in their play and make it meaningful. Staff skilfully help children to develop new skills.

For example, the...y challenge children to hang dressing-up clothes back on hangers when they have finished with them. Children persevere in the completion of these challenges and those that they set for themselves. Staff read children stories in a way that captivates their interest and encourage them to contribute at fun group times.

These are particularly well suited to the needs of older children. Staff create a purposeful snack time that helps children to develop their social skills. They provide unusual fruits, helping children develop their understanding of healthy eating and their wider knowledge.

Staff speak to children about their health to help them learn how to make healthy choices. For example, staff talk to children about reminding themselves to take sips of water to stay hydrated.

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

Not all statutory requirements are met.

Those with oversight have not ensured that Ofsted is aware of all committee members. They do not ensure that Ofsted is quickly provided with relevant information to allow suitability checks to be completed. However, those whose suitability is not established do not have any unsupervised contact with children or access to private information about them.

Therefore, there is not a significant impact on children's safety.There is a clear and appropriate medicines administration policy in place with regards to seeking the correct written information from parents and keeping appropriate records about the administration of medication. However, on occasion, staff do not closely follow the policy to ensure that medication is always administered in accordance with the policy.

Staff create a language-rich environment where children are exposed to lots of new language and challenging vocabulary. Staff ensure that they speak to children clearly and provide lots of opportunities for children to practise their speaking skills. However, staff place less focus on consistently helping children who may wish to communicate by other means, such as through body language, gesture or by using other prompts, to do so.

This affects how quickly some children become confident to communicate within the setting.Staff work collaboratively with parents to get to know children when they first begin. They offer new children extra support and comfort to help them begin to feel safe and secure.

A child's key person works to build a settled relationship with them and gets to know parents, to enable a two-way flow of information to support children's well-being and learning. Staff also work with other settings that children attend to help achieve consistency in their care and education.Older children in particular remain focused on their learning and explore the environment confidently.

They choose what they would like to do from a broad and interesting range of play-based activities. However, the large open-plan environment of the hall, where most activities take place, is a little daunting for new children to begin to explore. As a result, they sometimes take longer to settle than needed and tend be over-reliant on the close and sensitive support they receive from adults to feel comfortable and at ease in the space.

The staff and manager regularly meet to reflect on practice. The manager supervises staff effectively, focusing on all areas of their practice. This helps to achieve a quality of education that is continually improving.

Children use mathematical language as they play with dedicated resources that staff provide. This helps them to use and develop their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding.

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 ensure that relevant details are provided to Ofsted to allow suitability checks for committee members to be completed 12/05/2024 ensure that the medication policy is always correctly followed for all prescribed medications.12/05/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider ways to enhance staff practice to further support children's emerging communication and language skills to develop reflect on how the indoor environment is organised to support two-year-old children and new children to be able to settle more quickly and begin to explore more confidently.