Little Hoots Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have embedded a secure curriculum that leads to children being well prepared for school. The planning for children focuses on building independence and confidence in all areas of development, including toileting and dressing themselves. Staff carry out assessments and set realistic targets to ensure children are meeting their milestones. They provide activities through structured routines to ensure children grasp what is expected of them when they start school, including sitting on the carpet to listen and engage in stories and music.

Children are developing their physical skills well. They are using their large-muscle skills through outside play experiences and moving to music in various ways. They imitate large actions, such as marching and acting out the movements of animals, by using their whole body. Children are developing their small-hand muscles in preparation for handwriting. For example, children participate in 'funky fingers' activities, where they explore several stations, including cutting with scissors, construction, play dough and mark making.

The children explore the outside world by learning in the forest area. It is a superb space, where children access plentiful learning opportunities. For example, the children watch over the hedgehog house and remind others to be quiet, as the hedgehogs are sleeping. Children learn about the weather and the changing seasons, as they use the area all year round. Children enjoy engaging in story time on the story throne, sitting on logs under the trees.

Children manage their feelings and emotions appropriately. Staff follow good behaviour management practices, modelling skills to ensure children treat their peers with kindness and respect. Children share the resources and work collaboratively. For example, children work together in a darkened room to shine their torches onto the teacher's pages in a book, so they can successfully see the pictures, developing their problem-solving and computer skills.

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

• Children are learning how to be healthy and independent during mealtimes. Children bring in their own lunchboxes and discuss with staff the food they have. Staff support this by discussing healthy and unhealthy food options that create a balanced diet. Children independently unwrap their own sandwiches, open packages, with adult support, and successfully feed themselves. Children with food allergies are appropriately supervised to ensure they do not come into contact with hazardous foods. Children have good table manners and talk among their friends with respect around the table. When children finish lunch, they tuck their chairs in and help staff to clean the tables.
• Staff teach children about the environment. For example, they discuss how to take care of it and introduce knowledge about plastic waste and the damage it is doing to the oceans. Children play interactive games to support their learning and to develop empathy for the planet. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to embed clear messages to children about caring for their environment, to fully extend their understanding, resulting in children's learning experiences sometimes being limited.
• Staff and children celebrate diversity. They explore various cultural festivities and experience dressing in ethnic clothing. They develop a deep understanding from parents, who are welcomed into the setting to discuss their heritage and share books and resources with the children. The children are gaining knowledge and respect for the world around them, including global celebrations, such as the king's coronation, and they bake a pretend cake for the king in the mud kitchen.
• Managers have detailed knowledge of how to support staff in their continued professional development. They mentor staff appropriately to ensure they are gaining in-depth knowledge of early years development. The manager provides detailed inductions when staff are recruited to ensure they understand the running of the setting through the policies in place.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. The setting has an on-site special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), who works with the children daily. She carries out fun and engaging activities to support the development of all children, with her primary focus being on supporting children with SEND. For example, she develops children's mouth muscles with simple sound and movement exercises to focus on children with speech delay. She provides visual aids to support children with limited speech to communicate. The SENCo has good communication with outside agencies, including speech and language therapists, to develop individual targets to support each child's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed teaching about caring for the environment, to support children to develop and retain their knowledge further.