Littlesaints Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely confident and settled in the warm and welcoming pre-school. Children have a very positive approach to learning. The pre-school has effective strategies in place to support children with separating from parents and carers. Staff promote a strong sense of belonging for each child. They greet every child in a personalised way and adapt every interaction to sensitively meet the emotional needs shown by children. Relationships between staff and children are impressive. Children know what is expected of them and eagerly join in with everyday tasks. For example, children thoroughly enjoy tidy-up routines that are in place. Children choose a photo of an area of the room and take responsibility to tidy it. Children beam with pride at their efforts. Children show care for each other and are eager to offer help to younger children. For example, when children are finding putting on their coats a challenge, older children are quick to remind little ones of strategies they have learned.

Children enjoy an extensive range of exciting activities on offer. Staff prioritise supporting children to develop excellent communication and language skills. The setting is language rich. Children giggle as they sing along to favourite songs and rhymes. Staff share story books with the children and the children delight in the animated storytelling they hear. Developing a love for books and storytelling is a priority in this pre-school. The children show such excitement about their weekly trip to the local library and can recall in detail stories shared on past visits.

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

• Children's behaviour is exceptional. Staff are positive role models. They help children to recognise and understand emotions and support them with strategies when they are feeling sad or anxious. For example, they use family photo cards to support children who find separation a challenge.
• The staff have a thorough understanding of what they want children to achieve, and have high expectations for them. Staff use knowledge of each child's interests to motivate children's learning. Children concentrate extremely well and keep trying until they succeed. For example, they find gripping the icing tubes a challenge when decorating gingerbread men, but they all persevere.
• Staff build on what children know and can do, for example, in mathematics and early writing, and challenge children through their questioning to help them reach their potential. All children make excellent progress in learning and development. The pre-school is highly inclusive. Staff work closely with other professionals to secure early help for children with additional needs.
• Staff share a vision and passion for the success of the pre-school and the children it serves. Staff are very reflective and continuously identify improvements that impact positively on the children's learning experiences. New outdoor mathematical equipment has been purchased to support children in developing understanding of early mathematical concepts and the children are eager to use it. For example, children enjoy investigating a large set of scales and enjoy the challenge set by staff of making the scales balance.
• Staff benefit from regular supervision, observations of teaching and professional development. Teaching is consistently outstanding.
• Partnership work with parents and carers is highly effective. Parents value the impressive levels of care and support they receive. They feel fully informed about their child's learning, through daily contact, a contact app and meetings with staff. They enjoy receiving story books to continue children's learning at home.
• The pre-school is very much part of the community, and children often take part in activities at the attached school. Children enjoy rich experiences that support them to understand about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. They enjoyed creating images of themselves and staff used these as tools for talk. They find out about other cultures across the world through activities, such as investigating money from different countries in the play till and sharing books from different cultures.