Little Bear’s 3 Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

Staff care about the children at this nursery. However, some staff do not meet children's individual needs well enough.

For example, staff in the pre-school room do not support children to blow their noses when necessary. In addition, on occasion, staff do not comfort pre-school children quickly enough when they get upset. This means that not all children are happy at this setting.

Nevertheless, staff in the baby and toddler rooms form strong bonds with their named key children, and children are comfortable and happy in these environments.Some staff do not have high enough expectations for what they would like ch...ildren to achieve. Where practice is stronger, staff get down to the children's level and use engaging and enthusiastic tones to support children to access an interesting range of learning opportunities.

For example, younger children enthusiastically retell the story of 'The Three Little Pigs' or enjoy mixing potions with staff. However, other staff do not yet have the necessary skills to support children to make progress. For example, some staff do not use a wide range of vocabulary when interacting with older children, in order to support them to develop in their communication and language skills.

Some children do not make enough progress in their learning and development and are not prepared well enough for school.Leaders do not ensure that children are kept safe at all times. They have not consistently followed child protection processes when a concern of a safeguarding nature has been raised.

This does not demonstrate that children's safety is assured.

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

Leaders support staff to understand child protection processes and procedures through regular training and by displaying key information for staff. However, these processes have not been consistently followed by the previous designated safeguarding lead.

This impacts on children's safety.Leaders do not ensure that the key-person system is effective at meeting all children's learning and care needs. Key persons for younger children have a good understanding of the progress their key children are making and the next steps in their individual learning journeys.

Staff in the pre-school room know what activities their key children enjoy doing. However, they do not clearly understand the progress that the children have made in their individual learning journeys and what they need to learn next. Key persons do not always know important information about older children, such as additional languages that they speak at home.

Therefore, they cannot use this information to support children's learning. This impacts on the progress that these children make in their learning.Parents do not receive enough information about the progress their children are making or what they are learning during their time at nursery.

This impacts on parent partnerships, and it means that parents do not always have enough information to support children's learning at home.Leaders have not provided effective targeted support to address gaps in some staff's teaching skills and to improve their overall practice. This impacts on the quality of learning and care for children.

Staff in the pre-school room do not ensure effectively enough that their interactions with children are of a high quality. Too often, quieter children in the room receive limited interactions from adults, and this does not support them to develop their communication and language skills.Leaders do not ensure that staff carry out the progress check at age two for all children and share their findings with parents as required.

This is a breach of requirements.Children have access to the outdoor play space. They climb, run and develop their large-muscle skills.

Babies enjoy being out in the fresh air, and staff help them to access the activities provided outside.Staff encourage children to be independent. At mealtimes, children serve themselves and help staff to clear away their plates and cutlery.

Children go to the toilet and wash their hands without prompting from staff. The development of self-care skills such as these helps children to grow in confidence.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

They identify when children need extra support to catch up with their peers, and they put specific targets in place to help children with SEND to achieve their targets. Staff work with external professionals to make referrals, where necessary, and use strategies suggested by these external professionals to support individual children.A new interim manager has recently taken over the nursery.

They and other leaders have an accurate understanding of the areas of improvement that are needed. They have begun to put arrangements in place to address these weaknesses. These agreements have not yet had an impact on staff practice, although leaders have a good understanding of how to bring about improvements in the setting.

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 and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date put processes in place to ensure that the safeguarding policy is understood and followed consistently at all times by the designated safeguarding leads 15/02/2024 implement an effective key-person system that meets the learning and care needs of all children 27/02/2024 ensure that there is an effective two-way flow of information between parents and the setting to help ensure continuity and consistency for children's care and learning 15/02/2024 ensure that training and supervision arrangements support staff to lead high-quality interactions with children consistently 27/02/2024 ensure that the progress check at age two is completed effectively and communicated with parents in a timely manner.

27/02/2024

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