Little Pippins Preschool

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff demonstrate a highly effective and consistent approach to identifying, assessing and meeting children's individual needs. They use robust systems to observe, track and review children's progress. This ensures leaders identify any emerging concerns promptly. Staff are flexible and responsive, adapting routines and learning opportunities to meet children's needs. They work collaboratively with parents and carers, external professionals and other agencies to plan targeted support. This reduces barriers to children's learning and promotes an extremely inclusive culture across the pre-school.

Staff deliver highly effective provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They design individual support plans carefully and review them regularly, celebrating each child's strengths and next steps for learning. Staff apply a secure understanding of a range of additional needs. They adapt teaching, routines and the environment so all children access high-quality experiences. Staff use intensive interactions effectively to support children's individual communication needs and promote the development of early language skills. Early intervention is a key feature, enabling children to make progress from their starting points.

Leaders actively support children who face additional barriers to learning or wellbeing, including those known or previously known to social care. Staff provide sensitive and nurturing support. They maintain very effective multi-agency partnerships. Children feel safe, valued and included. Staff help them to develop the confidence and resilience to engage, achieve and thrive.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders generally establish and sustain a clear and ambitious curriculum that identifies what children need to know and be able to do as they progress. They ensure the curriculum builds on children's starting points and is implemented in practice. Staff understand the intent and use it to plan meaningful and engaging experiences that promote children's development over time.

The curriculum offers purposeful opportunities for children to explore, investigate and deepen their learning through play. Staff play alongside babies in water. They support them to use their senses as they splash and explore, developing early wonder and awareness. Older children demonstrate curiosity as they confidently hunt for bugs in the garden. They use magnifying glasses to observe closely and extend their understanding of the natural world. Staff sequence learning so children revisit and build on prior knowledge. This supports children's growing confidence and independence.

Staff typically provide quality interactions. They model language, encourage thinking and engage alongside children to extend ideas. Ongoing assessment informs practice. However, when children engage with group and routine activities, staff do not always recognise when some children would benefit from learning opportunities being extended.

The curriculum and practice are inclusive. This ensures all children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care, can access and benefit from this. Staff adapt strategies, resources and interactions to ensure children are included and can participate fully in learning experiences.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically achieve well across all areas of learning and demonstrate what they know and can do with increasing confidence. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and children known or previously known to social care, engage fully in learning that is tailored to meet their needs. All children make progress from their starting points.

Children generally develop the essential knowledge and skills for their age and stage of development. Babies climb steps and move down slopes on small climbing frames. They show developing strength, coordination and early walking confidence. Older children show resilience as they persist and have a go in group tasks. They cooperate with others, solve problems and manage trickier tasks. Children communicate confidently, express their ideas clearly and form positive relationships.

Children show curiosity, independence and motivation. They apply their skills across different experiences and sustain their engagement in learning. Children are typically well prepared for the next stage of learning and future success.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders typically promote clear expectations for behaviour, attitudes and routines and ensure consistency across the setting. Staff implement these expectations and create secure and predictable environments. Children understand what is expected and feel safe. Staff establish clear routines that help children to settle quickly, manage transitions and develop a sense of belonging. Leaders support children's attendance by adapting session times to meet families' needs.

Staff build warm and trusting relationships by getting to know children through settling-in sessions. They support children to move through the pre-school with familiar groups of friends, promoting confidence and security. Staff model positive interactions and support children to share, take turns and express their feelings appropriately. For example, all children take part in small-group activities matched to their age and stage. Younger children join in song times, while older children learn rhyming words in groups. This supports children's communication and confidence. Staff promote positive attitudes to learning by encouraging curiosity, engagement and perseverance.

Staff use inclusive approaches to behaviour and routines. They support all children, including those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care, to understand expectations. Staff adapt strategies, interactions and routines to meet children's individual needs. This enables all children to participate, behave positively and develop independence. For example, staff give children 5-minute warnings before transitions, allowing them time to process changes and prepare.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff typically provide effective care practices that meet children's individual needs. For example, they tailor their interactions to meet the developmental level of each child, helping children to feel valued and understood. Staff respond well to all children, including those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to children's social care. They adapt approaches to reduce barriers and promote children's wellbeing and engagement.

Staff build secure and responsive relationships through the key-person system. Babies seek cuddles from staff when they need reassurance, showing deep attachments. Older children cuddle up with adults to share stories and confidently invite staff into their play. These interactions help children to feel safe, valued and ready to explore.

Staff support children's understanding of physical development, personal safety, health and wellbeing through consistent daily routines. They promote hygiene, healthy choices and adhere to safer sleep and eating guidance. All babies have their own sleep space, and staff carry out regular checks to ensure their safety. Children eat meals together, developing social skills such as sharing, turn-taking and conversation. They begin to use cutlery with increasing independence.

Staff help children to recognise and manage their emotions. They model language for feelings, offer reassurance and use stories to support children to understand and talk about emotions.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders typically maintain a clear vision for quality provision and ensure continuity in children's care and learning. They define roles and responsibilities clearly so that the day-to-day running of the pre-school remains stable and effective. Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of the pre-school's strengths through ongoing self-evaluation and monitoring. They act promptly to address identified areas for improvement, including recognising the need to better support staff to extend some children's learning.

Leaders place children's best interests at the centre of their decision-making, with particular attention to those who are disadvantaged and/or have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including children known or previously known to social care. They use available funding effectively to support these children, targeting resources to close gaps in learning and promote inclusion. For example, the pre-school has achieved an accreditation for its commitment to inclusive practice, and staff have completed specific behaviour management training to support key children. Leaders build excellent relationships with parents and carers. Parents praise the pre-school for its tailored support. Leaders also work closely with external agencies to ensure fair access to learning opportunities.

Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing by managing their workloads, offering regular supervision sessions and maintaining open communication. Staff report they are very well supported and benefit from 'wellbeing days'. Leaders align professional development with key priorities. This improves practice and outcomes for children.