Ladybirds Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff have created a safe, warm and welcoming environment for all children. Children are confident and happy throughout the day.

Staff support children's emotions when needed. They talk to children about how they feel and support them to calm down when they are upset. For example, staff take the time to sit with children and give them a cuddle until they are ready to engage in learning experiences.

Staff have established clear behavioural expectations and use praise to reinforce these. This helps children to learn what staff expect from a young age. Children show they understand the routines staff have in place.
...r/>For example, when children enter the pre-school, they know to hang up their belongings before they choose what to play with.The staff are enthusiastic. They frequently interact with children and show them how to play with resources.

This support helps children engage for long periods and progress in their learning. Staff support children to learn how to take care of themselves and build skills towards being independent. For example, staff take children to the tissue station; they show children how to wipe their noses and where to put their tissues when they have finished.

Staff support children to manage their own toileting and hand washing needs and encourage them to keep having a go before they offer a helping hand.

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

The manager and staff build positive relationships with families. This supports staff to gather information from parents, such as children's interests and what they can already do.

Staff use this information to set up the environments they offer to children. This helps staff engage children quickly and extend their learning beyond what they already know and can do.The staff and the manager understand how children develop.

They identify what children need to learn next and plan activities to extend their learning. However, on occasions, staff do not follow their plans effectively. Children do not receive the intended learning experience.

For example, when staff plan to support children's use of longer sentences, they ask questions that only require a one- or two-word answer. As a result, children do not practice using more complex sentences.Staff develop children's communication and language.

They speak with children frequently, asking questions and modelling how to hold a conversation. Children listen to staff, learn to share ideas and talk confidently. Staff extend children's vocabulary.

For example, they repeat what children say and add new words. Children use these words in their play, such as 'daffodil'.Staff create space for children to move and develop physical skills.

This enables children to move in different ways. Children call out, 'I'm practising my running skills' as they run around the garden. Staff encourage children to ride scooters and bikes to strengthen their big muscles.

To support children to develop skills for writing, staff provide activities to build up the small muscles in their hands. For instance, children use tools to play with dough, and staff show them how to squash and squeeze the dough with their fingers.The manager has processes in place to support staff, families and their children.

Staff feel valued and well-supported by management. They comment that the manager is easy to speak to and is prompt to help them with personal or work-related issues. Staff say the manager allocates training to develop their practice further.

For example, staff have attended training to support managing children's behaviours. Staff feel the training improved the consistency of staff interactions, which means all children understand what they expect and children consistently behave well.Parents highly recommend the pre-school.

They praise the care offered and nurturing staff that support their children to learn. Parents value the detailed information they receive about their children's day. Staff explain what they are helping children learn next and share ideas for parents to try at home; to support their children's learning further.

For example, staff ask parents to take children on treasure hunts to help them learn about different natural items, like pinecones.Staff offer parents suggestions about different healthy food options they can provide in children's lunchboxes. This contributes to children eating a balanced diet.

However, staff do not yet support children to understand which foods are healthy or the impact healthy eating has on their bodies. Staff sit with children during mealtimes and name the food that children are eating. However, they don't extend this learning further by explaining about nutrition.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop staff understanding of how to implement the learning intention for children during planned adult-led activities develop staff interactions to promote children's understanding of how to be healthy.

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