Little Learners (NE)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show they feel happy, safe, and secure, while playing and learning at the pre-school. They form strong attachments with staff, who are kind and caring. Children flourish because of the praise and encouragement they receive from staff. Children's emotional well-being is well supported and their behaviour is good. Staff model high expectations and children engage well with others, effectively developing early social skills. When there are minor disagreements, staff are quick to help children work out their differences. Children develop respect and consideration for all.

Children enjoy listening to stories, songs and rhymes. They develop a love of books through daily story sessions. Children recall parts of their favourite stories enthusiastically. For example, children have been learning about the 'Hungry Caterpillar'. They talk about the foods the caterpillar eats and how he forms a chrysalis and then becomes a butterfly. Children are confident and make independent choices about their play. They are interested and curious and explore the broad range of resources available. For example, children delight in exploring oral health by brushing a crocodile's teeth and checking for cavities using dentist mirrors. Children understand the importance of looking after their teeth.

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

• Overall, leaders and staff have a clear vision of what they want children to know and be able to do. The exciting curriculum is carefully planned around children's interests. However, sometimes, staff are not always very clear about what they want children to learn from activities. This does not consistently help children to make rapid progress.
• Generally, the manager has developed clear plans for staff development. Her self-evaluations identify key priorities, and she effectively implements plans for continuous improvement. However, the impact of training sessions is not always consistently evaluated to ensure staff further develop their skills and knowledge.
• The key-person system is well established. Staff use accurate assessments and observations to develop a good understanding of children's current abilities. They identify some appropriate next steps for children and plan activities to support them. Overall, all children make good progress from their starting points.
• The manager and staff develop strong relationships with parents. Staff communicate information about what children are learning and encourage parents to share information from home. Parents believe that children are well cared for and safe. The manager works closely with parents, offering them support and advice and signposting them to other services.
• The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• (SEND) is effective. Staff are skilled in using a range of strategies to enable all children to be fully included. The setting works closely with the health visitor, speech and language team and other outside agencies to meet children's individual needs.
• Staff promote children's language skills effectively. They model language and introduce new words at every opportunity. For example, when observing the caterpillars staff talk about the chrysalis and how the caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly. Staff use strategies, including sign language and visual clues, to support children with SEND. This helps children to develop strong communication skills.
• Staff skilfully weave mathematical skills into everyday activities. For example, in a water activity, children concentrate well as they develop an understanding of the concepts of 'full' and 'empty'. Children were also encouraged to learn about two dimensional shapes when drawing on whiteboards or in shaving foam. Children develop a good understanding of early mathematics.
• Staff promote children's health. They provide nutritious snacks, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Children learn about planting and growing in the vegetable patch. They enthusiastically water and look after the plants. This helps children to learn about the importance of healthy eating.
• Children are supported well when they move on to nursery or school. Staff work closely with teachers to ensure that children are well prepared for their next step in education. Staff and children complete regular visits to ensure that children feel confident and relaxed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reflect more closely on the impact of training to help evaluate how this impacts on the development of staff skills and knowledge
• develop further staff's understanding of the learning intentions for activities, so they are clear about what skills and knowledge children will gain from their experiences.