Little Peoples Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are welcomed into a homely environment.

Babies form warm attachments to their key person, as they smile and snuggle into them for comfort. Children relish their time outdoors in all weathers as they explore and strengthen their physical skills. Children take age-appropriate risks as they balance across planks and negotiate stepping stones.

They plant vegetables and tend and nurture these, so learning to care for living things. Staff make good use of the space available to stimulate children's learning, for example in the very exciting sensory room where babies and young toddlers delight as they watch bubbles f...loat in a tube and experience a variety of lights and textures.Children benefit from practitioners' high expectations for their learning.

They develop their mathematical skills while weighing and measuring a range of natural resources, ensuring they have equal amounts in each bucket. Younger children show persistence and focus as they problem solve with shape sorters. Older children are overheard telling staff that 'three and four equals seven'.

All children make good progress. Children are respectful of each other. They behave extremely well as they take turns and naturally use manners such as 'please' and 'thank you', through imaginative play.

For example, as they serve each other 'pasta' during role play in the home corner.

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

The management team and staff have a clear and collective approach to supporting children to learn and develop. They have high expectations of all children, follow their interests and help children to make independent choices in their learning.

Staff carefully monitor learning and development. They accurately identify appropriate next steps for children to ensure individual learning needs are supported. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.

Children learn to become independent and confident in their personal care routines. For example, staff encourage them to put on their own wellington boots and waterproof clothing to go outside. However, the organisation of some routines could be strengthened to minimise the time older children spend waiting their turn to get ready.

Children are offered a variety of fresh fruits at snack time. During mealtimes, practitioners support children's understanding of healthy eating by discussing the 'yummy' vegetables they have with their lunch.Children listen and concentrate well.

Staff incorporate children's interests when planning activities. This ignites their curiosity and they are keen to learn. Older children particularly enjoy messy activities and staff provide plenty of opportunities for them to be freely creative.

For example, children explore mixing a variety of ingredients such as shaving foam, cornflour, porridge oats and paint. They stay at the activity for most of the morning and revisit it throughout the day.Children show a great love for books and literacy is supported well, through initiatives such as 'World Book Week'.

Staff bring stories to life. For example, young children and babies enjoy using props as they listen to favourite stories. Older toddlers recall the events of the same book as they act out the story in the garden.

Staff read traditional stories to older children with enthusiasm and engage with them to participate and predict what will happen next. Children's vocabulary is influenced positively by their enjoyment of reading books.Communication between parents and staff is generally good.

Parents say their children have made good progress since attending the nursery and parents are proactive in their support, for example when fundraising. However, the manager has identified there is still scope to offer support and encouragement to help parents maximise children's learning at home.Older children learn how to form recognisable letters as they start to write their name.

They begin to become familiar with the meaning of words, including their last names. They see these written down when they find their name card. Supported by their key person, they place their card in their special groups, building relationships with their peers and promoting a sense of belonging.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Practitioners have a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse. They are aware of how to respond to potential safeguarding concerns promptly, to ensure that children are protected from harm.

Managers and practitioners complete training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. This ensures they understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Practitioners complete daily risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor environments, to ensure children's well-being and safety.

Managers ensure the setting is securely maintained and are vigilant in ensuring no unauthorised person can enter. Managers follow secure procedures for the safe recruitment and induction of new practitioners.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on the existing good examples to further increase parents' involvement in children's learning at home review the organisation of some routines, including when getting ready for outside play, to maximise engagement and minimise unnecessary waiting and disruption to learning.