Little Wellingtons Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy to see staff, who offer a warm welcome to children on arrival. Staff know the children well and help them to feel safe and secure. This helps children to quickly build their confidence and engage in learning. Staff help children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to develop good language skills. For example, as children in the home corner learn about people who help us, staff expand children's vocabulary. As children play doctors and nurses, they hear and repeat words such as 'prescription' and 'stethoscope'.

Children learn to manage their emotions and feelings. Staff are positive role models who swiftly manage unwanted behaviour through discussion and props to support children's understanding. For example, children learn how to share and take turns. Where necessary, a sand timer is used so children can visually see how long they need to wait. This helps to support children's emotional well-being and positive attitudes to learning.

Leaders support a varied curriculum that is ambitious for every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On arrival, staff get to know each child and their families. This helps to gain a broad understanding of children's individual needs and tailor their next steps in learning.

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

• Leaders have worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. There is an effective key-person system in place that supports children's individual needs. Leaders have accessed further training for staff with support from the local authority early years team. This has helped to upskill staff in supporting effective behaviour management.
• Leaders support staff in providing good-quality learning experiences. Leaders oversee teaching and model expectations. This helps to provide a consistent approach to teaching and learning. Staff receive regular supervision, which helps to identify staff's strengths and areas that may need training support. Staff's well-being is prioritised by leaders.
• Staff support children to become effective communicators. Staff talk to children throughout the day. They give children time to respond to questions and information. For children with SEND, visual cards are used to support their understanding. This helps to promote an inclusive practice. Children sing songs when preparing to wash their hands before meals and regularly listen to stories that are familiar to them. Staff provide children with headphones so that they can listen to music from the CD player independently. Some children are beginning to use technology with confidence.
• Staff support children in developing their physical skills. They provide children with daily opportunities to run, use tricycles and balance on boards. Children develop their fine motor skills with opportunities to use paint brushes to swirl water on walls and use play dough to manipulate shapes with moulds. This supports children in developing their small finger muscles in preparation for early writing.
• Staff support children in their learning. For example, for children who are new to holding tools, staff use hand-over-hand techniques to handle scissors for the first time. Staff help children to understand how to handle scissors with care and precision to build their confidence. However, occasionally, staff miss opportunities to provide further challenge for children who are more able.
• Staff are supporting children who are transitioning to school. Staff share stories about starting school and provide children with information to support their understanding in this next stage in learning. Children are beginning to express their excitement for their next transition.
• Parents talk about the kindness of the leaders and staff. They appreciate the regular communication. However, not all parents know their child's current next steps that could be supported at home.
• Children learn about the world around them through the celebration of festivals and learning about the community around them. For example, staff teach children about important roles in 'people who help us'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop teaching skill's further to ensure staff make the most of all opportunities to extend children's learning to the highest possible level, particularly for the most able children
• strengthen parent partnership so that parents are clear of what children are currently learning, so that learning can be extended at home.