Little Owls Pre-School and Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children quickly engage in an exciting range of activities that staff prepare for them. Children work together to build train tracks, read books and investigate fascinating real-life artefacts in their role-play area. Children sustain their concentration as staff talk to them about what they are doing and encourage conversational responses from them. Children are confident to talk about what they like doing and have lots of ideas of their own. For example, children pour sand into trays in the mud kitchen as they prepare delicious imaginary 'cheese and tomato pizzas' for others to eat.

Staff promote lots of healthy activities for children to enjoy. Children benefit from lots of fresh air and physical exercise. They regularly participate in forest school sessions, and staff encourage them to notice and describe their senses while observing the changing seasons. Children feel safe and secure. They play well with one another and particularly love helping staff with jobs during the day. Staff give children special responsibilities, such as helping to cut fruit for snack time or preparing activities for later in the day. Children are proud of their contributions to helping others.

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

• The setting's new manager has a clear vision and passion to develop children's confidence in themselves, develop a love for reading and learn to be respectful of each other and the world in which we live. With support from the committee, leaders evaluate the quality of care and education that they provide accurately. They have successfully introduced new experiences for their community of children and have plans in place to enhance these further.
• Staff delight in celebrating with children what makes them special and unique. Children share their favourite items they have collected for their 'marvellous me' box. They use photos to proudly explain who their family is, and they show their best-loved storybook and their first pair of shoes. Through conversations, children reflect on how much they have grown and changed.
• Children love listening to stories. Staff promote 'our favourite five', a carefully selected range of books that they repeatedly read and share with children. Children become deeply engaged with stories and enthusiastically join in with staff as they read to them. Children independently choose books to read. They perch on the squidgy soft logs around their pretend fireplace and willingly talk about what is in their book.
• Children behave well. Staff clearly communicate expectations. Children respond quickly and work alongside others to tidy up and get ready for the next exciting part of their day. Sometimes, routines between activities take longer than needed, and consequently some children find it difficult to maintain their concentration.
• Staff provide children with activities that engage them and help them learn. Staff teach children how to use tools to manipulate play dough with precision. Young children develop fine motor control, roll out flat shapes with a rolling pin and shape small spheres between their palms as they decorate their 'Christmas cakes'. Staff model letter writing as older children dictate letters they would like to send to Santa. Staff encourage children to sign their letters using appropriate pencil grip. Occasionally, during group activities, some staff are unsure how to enhance children's learning further, and a few children begin to lose interest.
• Staff build strong attachments with children through their key-person system. They are knowledgeable about the needs of all children, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need to make good progress.
• Staff have developed meaningful partnerships with parents. Parents explain how gentle, kind and supportive staff are to children. They share how children's confidence, use of language and imagination have grown since starting in this setting. Staff work alongside parents to establish ways of working that benefit children. This helps children settle into the provision quickly and begin feeling at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that routines help all children to manage their behaviour even better
• develop staff confidence and knowledge of how to enhance learning even further so that children make even more rapid progress.