Little Learners Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in the welcoming environment created by staff. They have close bonds with all staff and other children from when they start at the setting. Children happily share resources with each other and offer their friends help when they need it. They hold hands when exploring the environment and show staff the 'secret' hand shake they have created. Children know the routines of the day and how staff expect them to behave. Staff encourage children to hand out pictures of their friends at lunchtime. Children know this means it is their time for lunch and to come inside. They wash their hands, pour themselves a drink and serve themselves the healthy, hot meal without support. Children show excellent manners, saying the words 'please' and 'thank you' when responding to each other.

Children enjoy a variety of learning experiences, including using a range of water sources and equipment in a purpose-built 'wet room'. Children develop their understanding of cause and effect and show they are keen to try things for themselves. They turn apparatus to get water, talking with staff about where the water is flowing to, and fill and empty different buckets and funnels. Children develop their curiosity as staff talk to them about which tub might hold more water and teach them new words to describe capacity. The children giggle as they use paintbrushes and paint in the room. They decorate the walls and their hands and feet, learning about colours and different ways to make marks.

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

• Staff adapt how they interact with children to support all children's language and communication, including those who speak English as an additional language. While children play with play dough, staff repeat key words and phrases that children imitate. Staff give children instructions to follow, ranging from simple to more difficult. As children pretend to make fruits, staff explain the words 'sweet' and 'sour' to them.
• Staff praise children as they cut different vegetables ready to make soup on the outdoor fire pit. This praise motivates children to keep trying when some vegetables are difficult to cut. Staff teach the children how to keep safe around the hot food. Children willingly follow staff's instructions and remind their friends about how to behave.
• Staff are aware of the local community. They provide learning opportunities that children may not get elsewhere. For example, children are supported to learn about a range of cultures and beliefs as well as understanding what makes them unique.
• Staff know their key children well. They use what they know about children to meet their care needs. This includes those children with complex medical needs and special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff identify what their key children know and can do and what interests them. They focus on supporting what children need to learn next. However, this information is not always shared across the staffing team, meaning that, at times during play, staff are not confident in how best to help some children with their learning. Sometimes, children struggle to focus on their chosen play and do not make the progress they are capable of.
• Staff plan learning opportunities to spark children's imagination. They support children in developing many skills, including how to hold brushes and pencils while creating pictures. Staff encourage children to explain what they have drawn. When children want to create further paintings, staff provide pieces of paper on the floor and encourage children to use large movements, developing their arm muscles. However, occasionally, staff do not enable children to follow their own ideas and extend their learning. This means some activities are not challenging enough for some children and they start to lose interest.
• Leaders work closely with staff. They spend time observing and giving feedback to the staff team to provide consistency in high-quality interactions and experiences for children. Leaders source training for all staff that positively impacts the children. Staff explain how training on communication and language has rapidly developed their understanding of how to help children with their speech.
• Parents and carers are very complimentary about the staff and setting. They say staff communicate very well about all aspects of children's learning and development, including how best to help them prepare for school. Parents have confidence that their children are safe in the setting, including staff catering for severe allergies and other dietary requirements children have.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the sharing of information between a child's key person and other staff so that children's learning and development is consistently supported during play
• provide further challenge for children during activities, supporting children to extend their learning and make the most progress they are capable of.