Little Jems

Little Jems
Unique reference number (URN): 2889684
Address: Victoria Street, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton Le Spring, DH5 9DG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 28/04/2026
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Morton, Suzanne Marie
Inspection report: 14 July 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
All children make typical progress in relation to their starting points. Children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to their learning, benefit
from spending time in the sensory room, to emotionally prepare them to begin their session.
Babies are enthusiastic, independent and curious learners. They skilfully find coloured balls
in the garden and pop them into correspondingly coloured holes in a box.
Older children are prepared to start school. They develop their listening skills, work well
together in small groups and know how to share and take turns. Children develop their
understanding of numbers, shapes and letters, as they take part in focused group activities.
Young children make positive progress in their communication and language development.
For instance, some children who started with limited vocabulary, now use clear words and
sentences. However, toddlers and pre-school children who prefer to learn outdoors make
less progress than they could, as experiences are less purposeful.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff provide an inclusive environment and welcome all children and families.
They have recently moved premises and have generally maintained an understanding of the
community and the needs of the families who attend. Although leaders promote children's
attendance, this is less regular for some. They plan to adjust session times for the next term
to encourage families to bring children and ensure they access their full funding entitlement.
Overall, children benefit from established routines and staff promote their emotional
wellbeing. Children develop positive personal, social and emotional skills, and staff role
model expectations well. They speak to children with kindness and respect and children
mirror these behaviours.
Leaders help staff support children's emotional wellbeing, particularly those who face
barriers to their learning. They make adjustments to routines and provide children with one-
to-one support to help them manage transitions during the day, such as lunchtime. Staff who
work with toddlers, have worked tirelessly to help them develop their self-care skills,
communication and independence. For example, toddlers know they need to wash their
hands and practise how to line up. Staff offer praise as children sit down at the table for their
snack. They focus on helping children to leave dummies in their bags when they arrive each
day, which also supports their language development.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children benefit from close bonds with their key staff. Leaders promote continuity by
ensuring they implement a buddy system for key staff. This means that all children always
have a member of staff who knows how to meet their needs if a key person is absent. Staff
promote children's wellbeing and teach them how to manage their emotions. For example,
children who struggle to regulate their emotions know to take deep breaths when they
become frustrated, and staff gently remind them to use these techniques.

Overall, staff promote children's health and physical development. All children show
enjoyment as they explore the new gardens. Babies benefit from a separate garden space
with shaded areas. Older children develop their physical skills as they run around in the
large woodland garden. Staff help children to learn how to pedal bicycles and offer praise as
they go up and down the pathway. Staff plan occasional activities to teach children about
being healthy and they provide fruit at snack time. However, during general play and daily
routines, staff do not consistently promote clear messages about healthy eating or oral
hygiene. This does not support children to build healthy habits for the future.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders and staff have developed a sequenced curriculum which meets the needs of the
children who attend. Overall, staff know their key children well. They know what they need to
learn next and typically plan purposeful experiences which they know children will enjoy.
However, children who prefer to learn outdoors, and those who face barriers to their
learning, are not always consistently engaged or fully supported. For instance, some staff
maintain a supervisory position outdoors and do not always deeply engage with children. In
addition, experiences outdoors are focused on children's physical development and do not
fully promote all areas of children's learning.
Babies are extremely well supported by staff. They make positive progress in their
communication and physical development. For example, they use soft cars to make marks
in foam and paint. Staff encourage them to explore sensory experiences and model clear
words to them. Babies copy new words and start to say the names of numbers in order.
Toddlers develop independence and communication skills as staff extend the skills they
have previously learned. For example, they play alongside staff during imaginative play and
show delight as they stomp like an elephant, linking this to their favourite story.
Older children demonstrate understanding of number and shape. They draw shapes in flour
and talk about them in detail. Children count effectively and can use blocks to create a
group of 10. Staff extend their learning and challenge them to begin to write the numerals.
Children know they need a number one and a zero to make 10.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff know how to swiftly identify children's individual needs and make referrals
to access support from other professionals. They establish and maintain close partnerships
with families and advocate effectively for children. This helps them to access extra funding
for children who need specific support. Leaders and staff carefully consider and consult with
parents and carers on how best to use any funding. For example, leaders develop areas for
children to regulate their emotions and purchase specialist equipment, such as spinning
chairs.
Staff use assessments and observations to help them broaden children's experiences. They
recognise where there are potential gaps in children's learning, and support them to develop
new skills. For instance, staff teach children to use the pedals on bicycles, outdoors. They
demonstrate how to push the pedals and encourage children to cycle along the garden path.

Staff receive training to help them support children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND). Overall, children with SEND benefit from high-quality interactions which
help them to make progress, particularly in their emotional development and
communication. However, on occasion, staff do not recognise when to maximise all areas of
children's learning, particularly when they are outdoors.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders typically have a clear overview of the strengths and areas to develop in the new
nursery. They have worked hard with the staff team to manage the smooth transition to the
new premises, and staff report this has had a positive impact for children. For instance,
children are in separate rooms which has enabled babies to have a quiet, safe-sleeping
space. Leaders have a clear plan for future development and work closely with staff to make
continual improvement. They plan to develop the outdoor area to ensure children can
access the full curriculum there. Prior to the inspection, leaders notified Ofsted of a breach
to the requirements of the early years foundation stage. Since then, they have worked in
partnership with early years advisors to strengthen procedures for the collection of children.
For instance, new families provide identification photos to ensure staff know who can collect
children. Ofsted are satisfied that requirements are now met and children are kept safe.
Staff are encouraged to access training and professional development opportunities to
enhance their skills and knowledge. For example, staff use an online platform to access
courses, and attend face-to-face training through their local authority. Newer staff benefit
from continued support and modelling from experienced, senior staff, to help raise the
quality of teaching to a consistent level.
All staff feel supported in their roles and are proud of their achievements. Leaders promote
staff's wellbeing and value their contributions. For example, staff attend team building and
training days. They spend time outside of their key room to enable them to focus on
additional roles, such as supporting children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
All children and families benefit from a warm, welcoming and friendly environment. Children
show they feel happy and secure with staff and have settled into the new premises. They
benefit from the implementation of the new curriculum which leaders and staff have created
to meet children's individual needs. For example, staff know what children can already do
and generally plan activities which help them to practise existing skills and extend their
learning. Overall, children are prepared for the next stages of their learning, such as moving
from room to room and, eventually, on to school.
Children are supported to develop social skills, and staff focus on promoting their emotional
wellbeing. Babies show they feel safe and secure with their key staff. They enthusiastically
explore their environments and show positive levels of self-confidence. Children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with barriers to their learning, benefit from
one-to-one support from staff. Targeted strategies are used effectively to help children
regulate their emotions and help them to be ready to start their session. Leaders promote
attendance and regularly talk to families about how this can help children to prepare for
starting school.
Children show enjoyment in the wide range of planned activities staff offer, particularly
indoors. For example, children are keen to split into groups in the pre-school room and use
number blocks and chalks to practise and extend their mathematical skills. Other children
show excitement as they pull items from a 'sound bag'. They practise making letter sounds
and use brushes in flour to develop their early mark-making skills. Toddlers show an interest
in small-world and imaginative play. They delight as staff wear a builder's hat and help them

Inspector:
Michelle Lorains
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2889684
Address:
Victoria Street
Hetton-le-Hole
Houghton Le Spring
DH5 9DG
to create large towers of foam bricks. Staff teach children to work together to make a tower,
which helps them to build relationships with each other.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to maintain consistently high-quality teaching and
interactions, particularly outdoors, to support those children who prefer to learn in different
environments and ensure they can access the full curriculum to reach their full potential.
Leaders should consider ways to enhance the curriculum to consistently promote clear
messages about healthy lifestyles, such as healthy eating, to help all children build
positive habits for the future.
Leaders should continue to support staff to deeply engage with children and maximise
their learning, particularly staff who are new to the setting and those in new roles.
About this inspection
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinators,
designated safeguarding leads, children, parents and carers during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 28/04/2026
Registered person: Morton, Suzanne Marie
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 17:30
Local authority: Sunderland
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 14 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
53
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.

Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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