Little Oaks Playschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this inspirational playschool, demonstrating positive attitudes towards learning and engaging in every opportunity. Babies delight in playing peekaboo with staff using voile scarves, while older children test their physical abilities by climbing up and down a hill. When some children find this challenging, staff provide the encouragement needed for them to try again. Children celebrate their achievements with joy.

Indoors, children use magnetic tiles to explore construction by making structures, such as a fire station. They confidently explain to visitors that two magnets are necessary to join the pieces together. These activities help children develop critical thinking skills. Children are extremely well-behaved and understand what is expected of them. They show high levels of respect for each other and play harmoniously together. The calm atmosphere and curriculum help children develop high self-esteem and highly respectful attitudes.

Children develop warm, trusting relationships with staff. Leaders and staff use home visits and settling-in sessions to gain a deep understanding of each child's interests and current developmental stage. This ensures that staff know each child and their families well. Leaders and staff collaboratively use this information to create a highly ambitious and well-designed curriculum to inspire and motivate children to explore and learn. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make rapid progress and are well-prepared for the next stage in their development.

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

• Children are confident communicators from an early age. They benefit from consistently high-quality interactions with staff. Books and stories are purposely selected to introduce new vocabulary that links to learning intentions. Staff read stories with great animation, which helps children to listen with interest. Books are available in abundance for children to explore and read independently. During play, staff engage children in meaningful conversations. For example, they discuss different species of dinosaurs, observing their similarities and differences.
• There is a strong emphasis on sustainability at the playschool. Staff provide children with various experiences that help them learn to care for and appreciate the natural world. For example, children engage in activities such as taking used paper towels to the compost heap and bringing leftover fruit to the wormery. This focus on sustainability also extends to families, as the playschool facilitates the redistribution of excess food to any families that can use it. These experiences promote children's appreciation of nature and develop lifelong sustainable habits.
• Children with SEND are very well supported. All children benefit from language screening tools to identify early language difficulties. This ensures that staff swiftly identify children who need additional support. Staff work alongside other professionals and parents to ensure children make the best possible progress in their learning.
• Staff understand the importance of supporting children's physical development. They have created an environment encouraging children to take risks and explore their abilities. For example, staff have created indoor movement areas. Children begin to manage risk as they navigate the climbing apparatus. They use the indoor mats to climb, roll and dance, developing their large muscles. Children manipulate play dough to create different homes for their dinosaurs. This helps strengthen their hand muscles in preparation for early writing.
• Staff are attuned to children's emotions. For example, they recognise and respond to their emotional needs when they show fear. Staff purposefully choose books to help young children understand how emotions make them feel. This contributes to equipping children with coping skills when they experience strong emotions.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptionally strong. Parents are kept informed about what their children are learning and appreciate the support provided to help extend that learning at home. Before children begin at the playschool, staff conduct home visits to establish a solid foundation for collaboration with parents. Stay-and-play sessions are organised for the same groups of children, which helps parents build friendships with one another, fostering a sense of community.
• Leaders are committed to delivering the highest quality of care and education for all. Staff training is highly inspirational. Staff have a diverse range of qualifications and skills. Leaders understand that using staff's skills and training enriches the professional development of all staff. Every staff member benefits from being mentored by more experienced and qualified staff. This helps to build on their already excellent teaching skills and continually drives the quality of education to benefit the children further.