Little Years Nursery Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children show they feel happy and settled in the nursery. They have good relationships with staff and know whom to ask for help if they need it.

Staff encourage children to be kind to each other and praise them for positive behaviour. They are good role models for children and teach them to be well-mannered and polite. Although staff have high expectations for children, they are working towards embedding a new curriculum and the quality of teaching and interactions are inconsistent, particularly in how staff support children's communication and language development.

The leadership team is strong. It has an accurate overvi...ew of the nursery's strengths and is following a detailed action plan to make improvements swiftly to benefit children. There have been significant changes to the staff team recently, including a new manager.

The provider has several senior leaders based in the nursery to support new staff to develop their teaching skills and settle into their role. Despite this, some staff do not follow the correct procedures to keep children safe when they sleep, and children wait for extended lengths of time to move between the indoor and outdoor areas. Since the pandemic, some parents have chosen to continue to use the doorstep drop-off for children.

Staff ensure they communicate effectively with parents to promote continuity. The setting regularly holds events where families are invited into the nursery to maintain positive partnership working.

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

Overall, staff demonstrate an understanding of how to keep areas safe and secure for children.

For example, they complete thorough checks of the garden and resources before children use them. They support children at the table to ensure they put smaller pieces of food in their mouths. However, sleeping babies are not checked regularly, in accordance with the nursery policy, and young children have access to the pram.

The curriculum for children's personal, social and emotional development is effective. Staff provide clear boundaries and expectations for children. Children show awareness of their own routines and are keen to come and join in with group activities.

They develop good social skills, and staff support them to share and take turns with the bubbles outdoors.In contrast to this, staff do not consistently promote children's communication and language development. On several occasions, indoors and outdoors, staff supervise children and respond to them during activities.

However, they do not fully engage with them, model new words or ask open questions to encourage language and extend their learning.Staff have a clear understanding of children's stages of development and know what they need to learn next to prepare them for the next stages in their learning, including starting school. They discuss their termly outcomes and identify if children need more support in particular areas of their learning.

However, they have recently made changes to the curriculum and to how they plan for children, and this is not fully embedded yet.Children's good health is promoted by staff. Children benefit from fresh air each day and have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills.

Staff provide children with healthy, freshly cooked meals that they appear to enjoy. Children show good levels of independence and take an active part in their self-care.Staff regularly take children on trips out of the setting to help them develop an awareness of their own community and the world around them.

Children know to hold hands in pairs as they take the short walk to the nursery garden. Leaders and managers are reflecting on ways to reduce the length of time it takes to prepare children for the outing to minimise disruption to their learning.The provider and senior leadership team show commitment and dedication to making the changes needed to improve the quality of the provision for children.

New staff say they are happy here and feel very welcomed. Parents feel the leadership team has managed the staff changes very well and leave positive feedback for the nursery.Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings and have a detailed, lengthy induction process.

Leaders and managers provide staff with daily support and access to professional development. The nursery has staff experienced in special educational needs to support it to make swift referrals and access further professional help for children if appropriate.

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 develop new staff's understanding of the safe sleeping arrangements in the nursery and ensure these are implemented to keep sleeping children safe 11/10/2024 improve staff's understanding of how to promote children's communication and language development, and ensure their teaching and interactions with children are consistently good.24/11/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nembed the new curriculum so staff can consistently support all children to make good progress consider ways to help children move across different areas in the setting, to reduce the length of time this takes and to minimise disruption to children's learning.

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