Little Lambs Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from staff following the same care routines that they receive at home, such as sleep patterns. This contributes to children feeling secure in staff's care. Children follow rules and routines that are embedded by staff. For example, when staff shake bells, children stop what they are doing, put their hands on their heads and wait for staff's instructions. This includes staff asking children to help tidy away toys. During nappy-changing times, children are supported by staff to develop their speaking skills and to form positive relationships with staff. For example, staff sing songs with children and talk to them about what they are doing.

Children enjoy looking at books with staff. In the under-twos room, they help to lift flaps on the pages and copy sounds that staff make. For example, children enthusiastically copy the sound of a bird, showing excitement to be involved in the story telling. Outdoors, children in the preschool room show their imagination. They mix soil and water together, pretending to make hot chocolate with cream. Staff enhance their play, and children smile with delight when staff give them real cream to use. This contributes to children developing the strength in their fingers when they press the button to get cream out of a canister. Children learn how they can keep themselves safe. For example, the manager and staff arrange for police officers to talk to children about how they are there to help them.

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

• Staff plan a curriculum that helps children to develop knowledge and skills in preparation for future learning. This includes helping to close gaps in some children's communication and language skills that arose following the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. For example, staff ask children a range of questions, encouraging their thinking skills. They introduce new words that help children to extend their vocabulary, such as 'aubergine'.
• The manager uses additional funding that some children receive to increase the staff-to-child ratios. This enables staff to provide more targeted, one-to-one support with children's learning. Staff identify how to support their key children with their development. However, this information is not always shared fully across the staff team in the preschool room. At times, during small planned activities, some staff do not recognise how best to help some children with their learning. Therefore, sometimes, children do not make the most progress of which they are capable.
• The manager and staff reflect on the experiences they offer children and make changes to improve outcomes for them. For example, staff reduce the height of some chairs that the children in the under-twos room use at mealtimes. This is to ensure that mealtimes are a sociable occasion where all children can sit together to eat.
• Staff promote positive behaviour. For example, they play games with children to encourage them to share. Staff remind children to take it in turns to speak, encouraging them to listen to the views of others. However, occasionally, during small-group times in the preschool room, staff do not adapt their interactions with children to ensure that they are all encouraged to take part. This is needed to help ensure that they get the most from the learning offered.
• The manager and provider support staff well. This includes staff extending their professional development. For example, they attend training courses to learn about how to support children under the age of two years. This includes extending staff's knowledge of how to promote bottle-feeding and self-care skills when children begin to eat food.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. For example, staff identify specific targets to help children progress in their learning. They work with other professionals to identify strategies to support children's individual needs.
• Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to be physically active in their play. For example, in the under-twos room, children are supported by staff to hold onto push-along toys to help extend their balance and coordination when they begin to walk. Outside, children in the preschool room are challenged by staff to manage risks when they ride on scooters and ask to go over ramps.
• Parents provide positive comments about the preschool. They say that staff are patient, kind and caring and understand how to settle children. Parents appreciate the support they receive from staff to help support their children's speaking skills at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to develop their interactions with children during small-group times in the preschool room to ensure that all children are encouraged to take part
• strengthen the sharing of information between children's key person and other staff in the preschool room, so that children's learning and development are further supported.