Little Oak Pre-School (Witney) Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly on arrival. They make their own choices from interesting activities. For example, children thoroughly enjoyed making junk models and tipping and pouring water into different-sized containers. They concentrated well during their play and exploration. There is a strong focus on building children's communication and language skills. Staff engage children in discussions during their play and model language well to children. Children enjoy singing songs and exploring books daily with their friends and staff.

Staff have a secure understanding of children's individual learning needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are clear processes to identify children who may need extra support in their learning. Staff implement individual learning plans that focus on supporting children's progress. All children's learning is regularly reviewed by staff to help plan for their ongoing progress.

Overall, staff's practice and support for children's learning are effective. They promote children's independence and self-care well. For example, staff have displayed a picture sequence in the bathroom to help children manage their personal care needs. Children learn to do things for themselves, including putting on their coats and pouring their drinks. Staff praise children and guide their behaviour with care and consideration. This helps children to follow expectations and learn how to manage their own behaviour.

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

• Staff have a secure understanding of children's and families' backgrounds and needs. This helps staff to work closely with families and to focus the curriculum on the skills and knowledge children need to gain. Staff plan activities that reflect the different backgrounds of children, such as cultural and religious celebrations. They also offer activities matched to children's needs, including offering different story sessions. These help children to build on their concentration and engagement over time.
• Staff provide effective activities to help children who may need extra support in their learning and development. For example, they offer small-group activities to promote children's understanding of words, listening skills and confidence to speak to others. Staff work closely with other professionals when needed and use their guidance and advice to help support and meet the needs of children with SEND. They use additional funding effectively. This includes developing the garden area to offer equipment to promote children's social skills and providing outings, such as exploring the woods.
• Staff plan good-quality activities and learning experiences. Overall, these help children to practise skills and become ready for their future learning, including starting school. For example, children develop their hand strength to support their future writing skills, such as through exploring dough and using spray bottles to water the flowers. At times, staff are not fully aware of children who need support to help extend their skills further. For example, staff sometimes do not guide children who struggle to use tools effectively, such as scissors. In addition, staff do not always fully consider ways to organise popular activities to offer more effective interactions to promote children's learning.
• Staff encourage children to understand their emotions. They explore these with children, including through books, pictures and mirrors. This helps children to identify, understand and express how they feel. Staff promote children's respectful behaviours and awareness of being fair, such as taking turns, sharing and using good manners. Children show understanding of these. For instance, they use a sand timer to take turns and learn to say 'please' and 'thank you' at appropriate times.
• Leaders, including those with governance for the pre-school, have a good oversight of the quality of the provision. They work closely together to identify and make improvements. Following a recent incident, leaders and staff reviewed and strengthened procedures to promote children's safety. Staff feel supported in their well-being. They undertake training and professional development and use new skills in their work. For example, staff have been learning Makaton and are teaching the children to use this.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff work closely with parents about their children's needs from the start. This helps to meet children's care and learning needs consistently. Parents speak positively about the pre-school and compliment the staff's communication and the support for their children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's awareness of children who need extra support to help them to build on their skills, knowledge and understanding further
• take steps to organise activities that are particularly popular with children to enable staff to support children's learning as effectively as possible.