Little Gems Aldershot

Little Gems Aldershot
Unique reference number (URN): 2851112
Address: 37a Mount Pleasant Road, Aldershot, GU12 4NW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 25/09/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Little Gems Aldershot ltd
Inspection report: 8 September 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.

Strong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children benefit from a harmonious and respectful environment. Kindness is embedded in
everyday routines, and adults consistently model being gentle, helpful and respectful.
Children are settled, confidently choose activities and seek familiar adults when they need
reassurance. Warm, trusting relationships help children feel secure and ready to learn.
Children consistently show positive attitudes towards learning and each other. They learn to
wait, share, cooperate and take turns. Adults notice minor disagreements and respond
calmly before they escalate, helping children return to play. Children increasingly learn to
manage their different emotions and behaviour. For example, timers help them wait for a
turn, while breathing, words and signs help them recognise and express how they feel.
Routines are highly effective. Visual schedules, warnings before changes and familiar
transition cues help children know what happens next. Adults adapt their approach
according to children's age, stage, communication needs and individual circumstances.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support to
understand and follow expectations alongside their peers.
Leaders closely monitor attendance, follow up unexplained absences and identify patterns.
They work with families to understand and overcome individual barriers, including through
flexible attendance arrangements. As a result, children establish positive routines, attend
regularly and benefit consistently from the learning and relationships the setting provides.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of the setting. Children form secure,
trusting relationships with familiar adults. Effective key-person arrangements, family
photographs and close partnerships with parents provide continuity and reassurance. Adults
know children extremely well and respond sensitively when they need comfort or support.
They notice changes in children's behaviour and wellbeing and share important information.
As a result, children feel safe, secure and confident to explore and learn.
Adults help children recognise and manage their different emotions. Children learn ways to
calm themselves and communicate how they feel. Regular outdoor play in all weathers
helps children develop physical confidence and enjoy being active. Children develop healthy
habits and increasing independence through everyday routines. They prepare fruit, pour
drinks, wash their hands and clear away after eating. Toothbrushing and conversations
about dental care help children understand how to look after their teeth. Growing and
harvesting vegetables helps children learn where food comes from and supports
discussions about healthy choices. Adults supervise children closely while they eat and
carefully follow arrangements for allergies and dietary needs.
Babies' care reflects their age, stage and individual routines. Adults follow safer sleep
procedures, maintain safe sleep spaces and supervise babies closely while they eat.

Expected standard
Familiar routines, responsive interactions and secure relationships help babies thrive
physically and emotionally.
Achievement Expected standard
Children make progress from their starting points. Babies make progress in their physical
development, including moving from crawling or pulling themselves up to walking. They
increasingly use sounds, actions and words to communicate. Children who initially find
separating from parents difficult become settled, explore confidently and join others in play.
Children develop their communication and language. They listen to stories, recall events,
predict what might happen next and use words and signs to express their needs. Children
with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) develop their attention,
communication and participation when support is matched to their needs. Children become
increasingly independent. They prepare fruit, pour drinks, wash their hands and clear away
after eating. They learn to share, take turns, solve problems, manage their feelings and ask
for help. These skills help prepare children for school and their next stage of learning.
Disadvantaged children are supported to attend and participate alongside their peers.
Children known to social care benefit from continuity of support. However, leaders cannot
yet show clearly enough the longer-term progress of children with SEND, disadvantaged
children and children who speak English as an additional language. This means that support
may not be changed quickly or precisely enough to help these children make the best
possible progress over time.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders shape the Little Gems curriculum around belonging, communication, contribution,
exploration and wellbeing. They find out about children's starting points and interests from
families and six-week baselines. Leaders reflect on what works. For example, familiar cars
and ramps were kept because returning children immediately re-engaged with them, and
less successful activities are changed.
Adults use children's experiences to make learning meaningful. Children's conversations
about journeys led to road building, where they learned about direction, solved problems,
took turns and worked together. In the garden, children learned how plants grow and later
picked tomatoes and peppers they had grown. Adults used this to develop children's
understanding of healthy food and where it comes from. Stories and songs develop
language too. Children predict what might happen next, recall earlier events and learn words
and signs to ask for help.
Physical, personal, social and emotional development are woven through the day. Children
play outdoors in all weather, practise self-care and learn to wait, cooperate and manage
their feelings. Babies develop movement and early communication through floor play, songs,
rhymes and responsive interaction.

Adults adapt teaching so children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and
other barriers can participate. They use individual next steps to decide what children need to
learn next. Adults also consider the needs of disadvantaged children and children known to
social care when planning experiences and transitions, so that they can take part and
continue their learning.
However, leaders have not yet fully set out how learning builds across all seven areas, and
this is not consistently understood when children move rooms or staff are new. As a result,
adults do not always build precisely enough on what children already know and can do. This
means that some children may not make as much progress as they could across all areas of
learning.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders get to know children and families from the start. They use conversations, six-week
baselines, information from parents and advice from specialists to understand what each
child needs. Clear plans and next steps help staff know how to support children. Training,
induction and regular discussions help staff understand children's individual needs and
make suitable changes to their care and learning.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported throughout their
day. Familiar adults, flexible routines and changes to communication and the environment
help children overcome barriers and take part alongside their friends. Leaders work closely
with families, schools and other professionals. Parents contribute to reviews and share the
progress they see at home. This joined-up approach is helping children communicate more,
grow in confidence and join in for longer. Children who speak English as an additional
language hear clear, repeated words supported by signs and pictures. Adults help children
progress from single words to short phrases and value their home languages through
familiar songs and experiences shared from home.
Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to reduce barriers for disadvantaged
children. This helps children attend and take part in experiences alongside their friends.
Children known to social care are supported through close work with families, social workers
and other professionals, with important information shared when children move rooms or
schools.
Leaders review children's progress with families and professionals and change targets as
children's needs change. However, they have not yet consistently completed and evaluated
the full cycle of support. As a result, leaders cannot clearly demonstrate the impact of the
support provided or identify which approaches help children make the best possible
progress over time.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a secure understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development.
They are managing significant change as the setting moves from mainly term-time care
towards opening all year, alongside changes to staff roles and room arrangements. Leaders
are visible and approachable and have maintained a clear focus on children during these
changes.

Leaders place children's needs at the centre of their decisions. They work closely with
families, schools, the local authority and other professionals. This supports disadvantaged
children, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children known to social
care and those facing other barriers. Leaders have also reviewed recruitment arrangements
and strengthened interview procedures. Staff feel valued and supported. Leaders consider
workload and family commitments when making staffing decisions. Flexible working has
helped retain experienced staff, while external human resources advice and confidential
counselling provide further support for staff wellbeing.
Leaders use induction, supervision, staff meetings, training and peer observations to
develop staff knowledge and practice. They also carry out audits and follow up identified
actions. However, leaders do not yet evaluate clearly enough how this work improves
practice. They have not yet ensured that all staff, including those who are new to the setting,
use key information about children and the curriculum consistently enough. This means that
improvements may not always have a clear impact on children's learning and progress.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are welcomed into a warm, calm setting. Familiar adults, family photographs and
links with home help children settle and feel that they belong. Visual prompts, familiar songs
and clear routines help children understand the day and move confidently between
activities. They practise waiting, sharing, asking for help and calming themselves. Children
learn to treat others gently, helpfully and respectfully. When disagreements begin, they
receive calm support to resolve them. Children become increasingly able to cooperate,
manage their feelings and return to play.
Children are curious and keen to join in. Holiday photographs and shells prompt children to
talk, compare, measure and explore. Stories and songs help them listen, remember, predict
and share ideas. Road building and sensory play give children time to solve problems, work
with friends and keep trying. Outdoor learning is an important part of children's experience.
They learn how plants grow, harvest vegetables and play outside in all weather. Babies
develop movement, sounds and early social skills through floor play, songs, stories and
sensory experiences. Older children use mathematical language, solve problems with
friends and prepare for school.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who face other
barriers participate alongside their friends because communication, routines and the
environment are adapted to meet their needs. Disadvantaged children take part in the life of

Inspector:
Sharon Kamel
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2851112
Address:
37a Mount Pleasant Road
Aldershot
GU12 4NW
the setting through flexible attendance arrangements and practical support. Regular
attendance helps children benefit consistently from the setting's experiences and
relationships. Across the setting, children prepare food, pour drinks, wash their hands and
clear away. Safe sleep arrangements, close meal supervision, allergy controls,
toothbrushing and conversations about visiting the dentist help children develop healthy
habits. Secure relationships help children feel safe, develop confidence and independence,
enjoy learning and become ready for what comes next.
Next steps
Leaders should complete and evaluate the full cycle of monitoring and reviewing support
for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they can
demonstrate its impact on children's progress and make changes when needed.
Leaders should consistently evaluate the quality and impact of professional development
and oversight, so that children benefit from consistently effective teaching and support.
Leaders should ensure that all staff receive and use key information about children and all
seven areas of the curriculum, so that teaching builds on what children know and can do
and helps them make strong progress across all areas of learning.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and children 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: 25/09/2025
Registered person: Little Gems Aldershot ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Hampshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 8 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
44
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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