Little Smarties Academy Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff greet children and their families warmly as they arrive at this welcoming and friendly nursery.

Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure as they seek out their friends and confidently explore the array of stimulating activities that are on offer. Staff help babies to feel safe and secure. They follow babies' individual sleep and feeding routines from home.

Staff provide babies with plenty of cuddles throughout the day. Because of this, babies are settled and content. Staff show children that their opinions are valued.

For example, children decide on whether they will go into the nursery garden or f...or a walk to the park.Staff support children to do things for themselves. Children in the pre-school manage their own personal care.

They serve their own lunch using different utensils, such as tongs, and pour their own drinks. Toddlers learn to put on their own coats, and babies are encouraged to feed themselves. Children enjoy healthy snacks and home-cooked nutritious meals that are provided by the nursery, which include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Children learn about the importance of good oral hygiene.Children develop a positive attitude towards their learning and make good progress from their starting points.

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

The manager provides good leadership.

She has worked closely with staff to devise a well-sequenced curriculum that covers all areas of learning and, overall, is implemented effectively. Staff provide activities that link to children's interests and current themes.The manager monitors children's progress and takes swift action to close any gaps in children's learning.

She has systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should the need arise.The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision and peer reviews. She provides useful feedback and discusses any training needs.

Staff have good access to training to help them to further enhance the quality of their teaching.Staff teach children to be kind and respectful to each other. For example, children listen to each other and take turns to speak.

Where necessary, staff are quick to reinforce the rules and boundaries within the nursery. Consequently, children acquire good social skills and develop firm friendships.Staff encourage children's interest in the natural world.

They introduce life cycles, using child-friendly, factual books and butterfly life cycle models. This helps to extend children's vocabulary and further develop their understanding of the topic. Children proudly recall what they have learned.

They confidently explain the change from a 'caterpillar' to a 'chrysalis' then into a 'butterfly'.Children engage as they use a variety of craft materials, including matchsticks, sequins, tinsel and dough. Babies are encouraged to investigate sensory trays.

However, at times, staff overly direct these activities and reduce the opportunities for children to develop their creativity and build on their own ideas and ways of doing things.Staff use their good teaching skills to motivate and engage children. They prepare children well for their next stage of learning, including their move on to school.

They provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their small-muscle skills, in readiness for future writing.Staff help children to learn to identify letters and write words. They support children to develop a good understanding of mathematics.

Staff help children learn to count and to recognise numbers and shapes as they play.Overall, staff support children's language skills. They engage children in conversation, introduce new words and help children to build sentences.

However, on occasions, some staff do not fully support children's thinking and communication skills as well as possible. For example, staff do not give children time to think and respond to questions before asking another question in quick succession or answering themselves.Parents and carers are highly complimentary about the nursery.

They talk about how they receive daily information about their child's day and regular updates on their children's learning and development. Parents comment on the good progress their children make, which they attribute to the 'wonderful' staff. Parents appreciate the ideas that staff provide on how to carry on their children's learning at home.

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 further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help staff to identify when to step back during adult-led and child-initiated activities to enable children to develop their creativity and build on their own ideas and ways of doing things support staff to strengthen their teaching techniques so that they give children the time they need to respond to questions and discussions to fully support their developing language and thinking skills.