Little Badgers Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

On arrival, children happily enter the setting's garden and excitedly start to play with the toys and explore the environment. They immediately express their curiosity about minibeasts, their current fascination, by digging in the soil. Children receive a warm welcome from the friendly practitioners. They have strong bonds with the practitioners, which helps them to feel happy and safe at the setting.

The curriculum is ambitious for all children. It builds on what children know and can do. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. Practitioners celebrate children's cultures and religions in the setting. Parents visit the setting to talk about their home countries and traditions. This helps children to develop their understanding of different people and communities beyond their own.

Practitioners have high expectations of all children's behaviour. They model polite manners at snack time and remind children of 'good sitting' when listening to stories. They teach children about their feelings. Practitioners are respectful, they listen to children and give them time to speak. Children respond positively, displaying very good behaviour. These experiences support children to develop their social skills and start to understand emotions.

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

• Leaders seek feedback from staff and parents to identify the setting's improvement priorities. They also monitor practitioners working with children to raise the quality of teaching and learning. However, information gained from monitoring is not always precise enough to identify what practitioners need to do to improve further.
• Practitioners plan activities based on children's interests. This helps them to become involved and excited in their play. Children follow the daily routines well and stop regularly to come together as a group. However, the frequent stopping throughout the day interrupts children's play and learning.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to exercise. For example, they climb large equipment outside, and they dance to music inside. Children build hand strength as they squeeze play dough and complete jigsaw puzzles. This helps children develop their muscles and balance as they learn how to stay healthy.
• The development of children's speaking and listening skills is a high priority in the setting. Practitioners assess children's speaking skills and identify their next steps. They then teach new vocabulary through books, activities and as they play with children. This helps all children, including those learning to speak English as an additional language, develop their speaking skills very well.
• Practitioners read a wide range of books to the children, such as information books to support their interests. Children listen to stories and join in singing rhymes and songs. These activities help children to develop early literacy skills and an enjoyment of reading.
• Children explore mathematics as they measure how full containers are and how far the cars travel down the ramps. Practitioners help children to count and recognise numbers as they play. This helps children to develop their mathematical knowledge and skills.
• The setting provides healthy snacks, and leaders encourage parents to send in healthy packed lunches. Children learn about food as they plant vegetable seeds and watch them grow. They harvest and taste vegetables after making them into soup. This helps children to make healthy choices and learn about where food comes from.
• Practitioners maintain high levels of cleanliness. They ensure that tables are hygienically cleaned, and children wash their hands before eating. Practitioners encourage children to pour their own snacks and fasten their coats. This helps children develop their independence.
• Leaders work effectively with others to support children's learning, such as portage workers and parents. This ensures they gain the information necessary to meet the needs of all children. Additional funding is spent effectively to promote children's learning, which helps the children to make good progress.
• Parents speak positively about the setting. They say the setting celebrates how special their children are. Parents comment positively on the progress their children have made since starting the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve monitoring to identify precise developments practitioners need in order to raise the already good teaching and learning
• review the routines of the day to provide more flexibility and choice to enable children to continue their play and learning for longer periods.