Little Tinkers Preschool @ Holne Chase

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment. Children arrive happy and confidently separate from their parents and carers. Staff greet children and their families warmly. Children show that they feel safe and secure. They make choices for themselves. Children move confidently around the available spaces and free flow from indoors to the garden.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and development. They provide learning opportunities to children that cover all areas of learning. Children enjoy exploring activities based around the current theme. For example, children paint pictures of space and planets and talk to staff about which planets they have painted. They take part in activities where they are supported by staff to make up stories about going to space using a range of props. Children excitedly count backwards from five as they prepare for the rocket launch.

Staff manage children's behaviour well. They recognise children's individual needs and adjust their approach to best benefit the child. Staff successfully use a variety of methods, such as visual aids, to help children to understand what is expected of them. Staff have created specific areas to help children regulate and manage their behaviour. For example, staff have a dedicated sensory area for children to use if feeling overwhelmed or wanting to have some quiet time.

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

• The management team has worked hard since the previous inspection to make changes and improve the quality of the provision. Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the setting and strive for continuous improvement. Managers have worked with other agencies and staff attend training that meets their needs and interests. This has improved staff's knowledge of how to plan and implement the curriculum. This has had a positive impact on the quality of learning that children receive.
• Staff support children's speech and language well. They use different methods, such as simple signing, picture cards and visual timetables, to meet children's individual needs. This supports all children to communicate, including those with English as an additional language. Children enjoy group time where they take part in singing and listen to stories.
• In general, children's personal, social and emotional development is supported well. Children are encouraged to be independent and sociable, for example, when putting on their coats and wiping noses. Children are supported by staff to play alongside and with each other. However, this is not consistent and at times staff are too quick to do tasks for children and fail to encourage independent play.
• Children's mathematical development is supported particularly well. Staff incorporate maths into everyday activities and introduce mathematical language into children's play. For example, at snack time children choose the number bowl that corresponds with the fruit they would like. They then count as they scoop the required pieces of fruit.
• Parent partnership is good. Staff share information with parents about their child's day and provide ideas that can support home learning. Parents spoken to are happy with the care that their children receive and the advice and support for families.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff use observations and assessments to support recognition of when children may need early help and to make referrals when needed. This ensures children and families receive support in the quickest time possible.
• Staff support children's physical development well. Children explore the well planned outdoor area with excitement. For example, children happily race around on the bicycles and scooters. They stop when the 'light' is red and then go when it is green. Children explore the vegetable patch and have a large digging area to help build their motor skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of how to consistently support children to develop their social skills and independence.