Little Oaks Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time spent in this warm and welcoming environment. New children settle quickly and follow the routines with ease. Staff greet children as they enter and remain close by to offer a supporting hand as children locate their peg and store their belongings. Children develop strong bonds with their peers. Staff encourage children to play cooperatively with each other. They purposefully plan paired and small-group activities to introduce new children. During group times, staff remind children what it is like to be new and suggest ways in which they could help their new friends settle in. As a result, children show consideration to each other and learn the language of feelings. They enjoy taking responsibility for tasks and demonstrate high levels of self-assurance and self-esteem.

All children benefit from a well-planned and ambitious curriculum. They enjoy plenty of opportunities to play and explore outdoors in the fresh air. Following registration, children have free access to both outdoor and indoor play. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Children are excited to explore the wide range of stimulating opportunities that staff plan. For example, children experiment outside as they snip flower petals and squeeze sliced fruits into water. They create 'potions' and comment on the scents they create. Indoors, children explore fruits and vegetables. They learn to cut and slice them independently. Staff encourage children to taste these new foods and introduce them to new vocabulary, such as 'sour', 'sweet' and 'juicy'.

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

• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, staff identified that children were struggling with their communication and language skills. Accordingly, leaders have prioritised staff training in this area to promote children's communication and language development. They have introduced many ways to support children's growing communication skills. For example, staff have introduced signing, which children quickly replicate. They make effective use of group times to promote children's listening and attention. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence as they speak in larger groups and share ideas.
• Staff know the children well. They use effective methods of assessment to identify children's current stages of learning and to plan opportunities to build on what they know. However, during some activities, staff do not always recognise when children require additional input and challenge. Therefore, some children lose interest in activities quickly.
• Staff encourage children to manage their own self-care needs. For example, they collect their own plates and cups for mealtimes and serve their own food. Children use cutlery competently and tidy away their dishes after eating. They dress themselves for outdoor play and learn to apply sunscreen. This means that children become increasingly independent and are ready for their next stage of their learning.
• Staff skilfully create excitement in their storytelling. Children listen intently. They recall events from favourite stories and anticipate what will happen next. Staff ask questions, set tasks and leave gaps in their reading for children to call out. This helps children to maintain engagement. In addition, leaders have developed a library to ensure all children have access to stories at home. This helps children to develop a love of books.
• Staff strive to build strong relationships with parents. They invite parents to attend the setting regularly to join in with their children's learning. For instance, they host craft sessions and nature walks to a nearby common. Staff regularly share information with parents about their children's learning and development and provide advice to support their learning at home. Parents say their children love attending the setting. They appreciate the wide range of activities and outdoor learning opportunities their children receive.
• Leadership is strong. Staff receive regular supervisions and annual appraisals. In addition to mandatory training, staff have opportunities for ongoing professional development. Any training completed is cascaded to the team during staff meetings to ensure everyone keeps their knowledge and skills up to date. Leaders and staff work well together. There is a strong focus on staff well-being, and staff confirm they feel fully supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to offer consistent challenge in activities so that all children remain engaged and have time to solve problems independently.