Little Acorns Pre-School Folkestone CIO

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders are passionate about supporting all children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those facing disadvantage and barriers to learning. Children's needs are swiftly identified, and staff act quickly to ensure families are provided with individualised support. Excellent community links mean all families are provided with extensive help and information. Leaders use funding very effectively to support parents with free and flexible sessions ensuring children attend regularly and develop positive habits for starting school. Leaders monitor the effectiveness of any adaptions or adjustments made to ensure they continue to meet children's individual needs successfully. They purchase specialised equipment and resources to help children manage their own needs and to ensure all children feel included.

Leaders ensure staff make a demonstratable difference to children. Staff are well trained in supporting children with SEND, and those who face barriers to learning. They have high aspirations and expectations for children. Staff ensure they robustly monitor progress children make towards their next steps, using assessment information skillfully to identify gaps in learning and provide bespoke tailored support to ensure all children are ready for their next stage. All children make significant progress from their starting points, thrive and flourish.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders ensure the curriculum and teaching is of very high-quality. Staff prioritise children's personal, social and physical development effectively. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with bespoke support to close gaps in learning, ensuring they can access the curriculum and make significant progress. Staff use assessment highly effectively to tailor teaching, meaning all children make significant progress. Children who were non-verbal when they started are now confident communicators.

Staff swiftly identify barriers to learning, adapting the environment to support. For example, staff identify where children do not have daily access to the outdoors and have created an outdoor classroom to support children's understanding of the natural world and learning about the positive benefits of fresh air on their wellbeing.

Staff prioritise children's language and mathematical skills. Staff display books for children to access when playing to support their interest and engagement. Children sustain high levels of concentration when looking at magazines to help them when building their own models. These activities support children's attention, coordination and movement skills. Children delight in exploring a large sand tray outside, talking about making mud soup and how much a portion is. Staff support children's number and counting skills by encouraging them to learn about different amounts and money. All children thoroughly enjoy learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children benefit from a very well-planned curriculum designed to meet their individual needs across all areas of learning. Children display very positive attitudes to learning. They actively join in with rhymes and songs, demonstrating that these are an embedded part of their daily routine. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who face disadvantage and barriers to learning are provided with opportunities and experiences to ensure they make significant progress from their starting points. For example, children use specially adapted resources to help them join in at mealtimes and to make choices about what they want to do.

Children are very well prepared for their next learning stage. They talk avidly with staff about their regular trips to the local library and how their personalised 'phonic' books help them to get ready for learning at school. All children develop the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to support them in their next stage.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders create a very inclusive and respectful culture. Children demonstrate kindness and care to their friends, responding immediately when asked for help. All children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing disadvantage and barriers to learning know the routines very well. When it is tidy up time children immediately stop to help. Children are encouraged to choose resources themselves and learn to open their own foods at lunchtime. These skills support children's independence successfully. Staff encourage all children to join in with activities, supported by very kind and patient staff. As such, children develop firm friendships and collaborate well, displaying consistently positive attitudes to learning.

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the challenges families face. For example, leaders provide families with free sessions to support their children's regular attendance and punctuality. Staff provide families with regular events to support them to meet other families, helping them as parents. Leaders swiftly adapt what they offer to suit changes and challenges for families and to provide consistency of care. Leaders have excellent relationships with external agencies, the local authority and health professionals to ensure families are provided with bespoke support to ensure children make significant progress and are ready for their next learning stage.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders ensure that they provide consistent support for children's welfare. They rigorously review policies and procedures to ensure they tailor support to promote children's individual emotional health and wellbeing. Staff put in place highly effective adaptions to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children benefit from individual resources to support them to settle in, and staff provide them with safe and relaxing spaces to retreat to when needed. This ensures children feel safe and secure.

Children develop very positive hygiene routines. For example, children enjoy pretending to feed babies, changing their nappies and reminding their friends to wash their hands. Children are consistently supported to make healthy choices. They excitedly talk with staff about fruits and vegetables they are growing in the allotment outside and healthier food swaps. These activities encourage children to learn to keep themselves healthy and safe.

Staff prioritise supporting children to learn to advocate for themselves. They provide individualised support to help children manage their own feelings and emotions. Staff regularly praise and encourage children, celebrating their achievements with them. Children display high levels of self-esteem and confidence. Children are supported to talk about how they feel and to manage their own behaviour very well. All children thrive.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have worked hard to create a culture of support, high expectations and continuous reflection and improvement. Leaders have very effective oversight of the setting and quality of practice and provision. They are committed to providing the very best care and education and making a difference to children and their families. Leaders have excellent relationships with the committee and church. They are part of a local collaboration, sharing expertise, knowledge and skills with a clear focus on supporting the needs of the local community.

Leaders are reflective, proactive and passionate about what they offer. They are incredibly supportive to staff, prioritising their welfare and wellbeing. Leaders are supportive of staff workloads and ensure staff have a range of opportunities to develop their skills. They ensure what they offer families is regularly reviewed and adapted so that they continue to have a focus on excellence for all children. Relationships with families are excellent. Communication is highly effective and leaders are very proud of these partnerships. Parents refer to the setting as family. They are highly appreciative of the support they receive as parents and the support they are offered to help their children at home. They talk highly of all staff and say that the setting provides their children with the very best start in life.