Little Apples

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the setting happy and separate from their parents and/or carers with ease. They greet familiar staff with a smile and a cuddle. Children are becoming independent.

Staff encourage them to put their belongings away for themselves. Children place their lunchbox in the trolley when they arrive. They are proud and responsible.

Children take turns to be the 'daily helper' and enjoy completing specific tasks, such as shaking the tambourine to let their friends know it is time to tidy up. They are valued by those around them and learn to show their appreciation for others. Children share their thanks with th...e daily helper and comment on the kind things this person has done for the wider group throughout the day.

This supports their well-being and growing self-esteem. Children freely access the well-resourced outdoor area. They enthusiastically create their own obstacle course from tyres, ladders and planks of wood.

Children access running water from the tap and enjoy filling and emptying containers. They pretend this is honey to pour over an 'ice-cream' they have made for staff. Children are fascinated by the world around them and excitedly show visitors a worm.

They display an accurate understanding of measurement and point out a tiny worm and one that is bigger. Children say, 'The bug hotel has it's lights off'. They learn that worms like the dark because they live underground.

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

Staff support children's understanding of technology well. They recently installed a wildlife camera to monitor any animals that enter the setting's outdoor area at night. Children watch the footage back with staff and excitedly discover a squirrel and a magpie visiting the garden.

The manager strives for excellence. She continuously reflects on the service the setting provides and identifies some areas for further development. The manager explains how she intends to introduce a recycling project to facilitate children's learning about the environment during their time at the setting.

Staff value children's diverse backgrounds. They encourage parents to share traditions from home so they can celebrate these authentically in the setting. Parents come in to read stories and share activities with the children.

For example, at Chinese New Year, parents help children to create paper lanterns.The manager ensures that any additional funding is used effectively to support children's individual needs. For example, they use funding to access forest school sessions at the local school.

This supports children's overall development and develops familiarity with school routines, so children feel prepared for this transition when the time comes for them to move on.Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff share information with them about children's learning and development at drop-off and collection times.

Staff recently created 'learning at home' bags to support parents to continue children's learning at home. Parents appreciate the setting's book share scheme, where children are able to borrow books to read at home with their families.Staff are extremely content in their roles.

They feel supported by the manager and by their colleagues. The manager meets with the staff team once a month to discuss best practice, such as the importance of asking questions which give children time to think and respond. Although the manager identifies weaknesses in practice, she is yet to find effective ways to consistently monitor staff's practice and raise the quality of teaching to an outstanding level.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. The manager and the special educational needs coordinator work well with the local authority and external agencies, such as speech and language therapists. Regular meetings with professionals and parents mean that support is put in place promptly.

Children learn about the importance of making healthy choices. They routinely wash their hands before mealtimes. Staff encourage children to eat their savoury food and fruit before sweeter lunchbox items.

Children comment that 'carrots help you to see in the dark'.Children have access to wide range of books. They enjoy looking at them independently and share their ideas, making links between the animals in the story.

For example, children point out that the bird has a long neck just like the giraffe. However, they do not always display high levels of engagement during group story time. Staff do not always fully consider how is best manage group activities to capture the attention of all children and make sure they equally benefit from planned learning experiences.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff understand their role to keep children safe from harm. They undertake regular safeguarding training and discuss child protection at every staff meeting to ensure they have the required knowledge to recognise a concern.

Staff display an awareness of the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and neglect, including the signs children may display if exposed to extreme views and behaviours. They have a good knowledge of reporting procedures and know the correct action to take should they have a concern about a child or colleague.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance ways to monitor staff's practice and identify specific areas for support to raise the quality of teaching to an outstanding level review the organisation of group activities, such as story time, to make sure all children equally benefit from planned learning experiences.

Also at this postcode