Little Oaks Pre School Frimley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently enter the pre-school where friendly staff greet them. They are quick to settle and engage in play. Staff implement an effective key-person system and know children well. Children have a point of contact and a familiar face to approach. They feel safe and secure and go to staff easily. Children behave well. Staff provide clear and consistent guidance that helps children listen and respond positively to instructions. Children play well alongside their peers and make friends. Staff are good role models, and children learn to show respect for staff and their peers alike. This helps to support children's personal, social and emotional development well.

Staff place as much emphasis as possible on outside play. For example, children enter the garden space and engage with an array of resources to support their physical development. Staff extend the learning available inside to the outside space. Children interact well together in group role play activities. For instance, they pretend to be doctors and nurses and check each other's heartbeat and blood pressure. Children learn new words through their play and communicate with their peers. All children make good progress, including children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

• Children learn new words during everyday routines. For example, at snack time, staff introduce new language as they talk to children about why a yogurt is healthy and that it helps teeth and bones to grow. Staff accurately identify delays in speech, language and social skills, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on occasion, they do not use a consistent approach to extending children's social and communication skills further. For instance, they do not always consider how best to organise activities and routines to allow for effective conversations and interactions.
• Staff plan the environment around children's interests and clearly identify next steps. For example, they offer activities that support the topic of 'superheroes'. They extend this throughout the pre-school by introducing 'real-life superheroes', such as a hospital emergency desk with real telephones and laptops and a den made into a fire station. Children learn about people who help, and they learn to understand the world around them.
• Staff encourage children to be independent and take care of themselves. For example, after snack time, children clear the table themselves and throw away their rubbish. Staff place an emphasis on getting children toilet trained. They work well with parents to achieve this goal, both at pre-school and at home. Children self-register upon entering the pre-school. For example, they recognise their name and photo and use this to identify their seat at snack time. Staff have high expectations for behaviour, and children listen and act upon instruction. They are confident and learn skills to prepare them for starting school.
• The manager supports staff well and ensures their well-being is a priority. Staff say they can approach the manager at any time, and she will always listen and try and accommodate their needs. They have access to regular training and can suggest further training if they identify a need. For example, staff recognise learning sign language will help them support children with SEND. Staff attend regular meetings as a team and individually with the manager. They use this time to discuss topics throughout the pre-school, such as planning and children's next steps, to support children's learning outcomes.
• Parents and carers compliment the staff at the pre-school. They say how children are happy to attend and that staff implement a very effective settling-in process. Parents state that staff are kind, friendly and approachable if they need to discuss their children. They explain that staff give regular feedback at drop off and pick up times on what their children have done that day. Parents receive photos and updates about children's progress. Staff clearly have an effective partnership with parents, benefitting children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to offer more consistent interactions during daily activities and routines to further extend children's language and social skills.