Little Folks Day Nursery & Out Of School Clubs

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children happily settle on arrival and are greeted by friendly staff and the attentive manager. They approach staff for cuddles, and staff respond with warmth and kindness. Staff gather valuable information about the children before they start, such as their likes and interests.

They know all the children extremely well, and this is evident in the close bonds they share.Staff gently encourage children to follow rules, like walking indoors and helping to tidy up. Children listen and kindly tuck in their chairs when they get up from the table.

They eagerly tidy away the resources as they get ready for snack time. As a re...sult, children are learning to respect each other and their environment. Children learn through a good balance of child-initiated play and adult-led activities linked to their interests.

They become deeply engaged in their play and display an enthusiasm to learn. Children thoroughly enjoy feeling the texture of shredded paper and pouring rice in a tray. Staff skilfully adapt and extend activities for those children participating.

Consequently, all children make good progress from when they start at the nursery, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

Leaders develop a rich and varied curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do. There is a strong focus on teaching children about equality and diversity.

Staff passionately explain about different cultures and what makes each child unique. They get to know each child and their family background. They use this information to support children to develop a deep understanding of their heritage and respect for different faiths.

The quality of teaching is good. Staff are fun and engaging. However, sometimes, staff do not make the most of all opportunities to raise the quality of teaching so that children make the very best progress.

For example, when talking or singing, staff speak quite quickly. This sometimes affects how well children can hear new words, and it limits their time to respond to a question.Staff plan precisely to support children's interests and next steps.

For example, when children recently visited the dentist, staff used this as an opportunity to teach them about good oral health. However, staff do not always make best use of the quieter areas available to them, to maximise the learning potential. For example, there are occasions when the loud learning environment inhibits how well children can hear staff talking and therefore what they are teaching.

Staff support children with SEND very well. They work closely with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) and area SENDCo to get the early and ongoing support the children need. The SENDCo is well qualified and uses her expertise to role model techniques for other staff to observe, such as sensory circuit activities.

This means children benefit from all staff being able to implement these effective techniques.Interactions between staff and children are kind and warm. Staff meet the personal needs of children with dignity and respect.

Hand hygiene practice is embedded into the daily routine. For example, children know to wash their hands when they return from outside and before mealtimes. This helps to embed good hygiene habits for their future.

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the nursery. All children are happy and settled. Staff recognise that the newest children might need more support, and they deploy themselves effectively to meet their needs.

Staff work well as a team, and they say they feel well supported by leaders. This helps them to feel valued and improves staff morale.Children eagerly participate in daily outdoor play.

They enjoy balancing on obstacles and wooden blocks. Staff support children to take appropriate risks, such as pedalling a tricycle on wooden planks. This allows children to assess their own capabilities and builds a sense of achievement when completing tricky tasks.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The leaders and staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities with regard to keeping children safe. Staff have a good understanding of procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child's welfare.

Leaders understand the correct procedure to follow if there are allegations made against staff. The environment is risk assessed throughout the day, and the premises are safe and secure. Staff count children in and out of rooms to ensure they remain safely accounted for.

Recruitment processes are thorough and robust. This helps to keep children safe from harm.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance interactions between staff and children so that staff speak clearly and give children enough time to think and respond to questions consider the learning environment so that staff make best use of the available space to help children maximise their learning opportunities.