Little Chums Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive in this exceptional pre-school.

They arrive in the morning with great anticipation and quickly engage in an excellent selection of activities. The attention to detail in the planning and presentation of all areas of the pre-school, both inside and outside, is impressive. Staff have thoroughly reviewed the provision and used their meticulous, incisive monitoring to make some positive changes which have significantly improved the quality of children's learning.

For example, the organisation of the inside space has been adapted to allow younger children to play much more freely alongside older child...ren. This has made a notable improvement in the younger children's language and communication skills. The pre-school owner's dedication, devotion and full commitment towards providing the very best quality provision are reflected in all areas of practice.

Parents highly commend the pre-school and the staff. They praise the way in which children are thoroughly prepared for starting school and how those who need extra help with their learning are fully supported. The staff work together exceptionally well.

They combine their wealth of experience, training and natural abilities to successfully foster children's love of learning. As a result, children are seen to be extremely happy at the pre-school and they make rapid progress in their learning and development. Staff use impressive strategies to support children's learning.

They plan activities in detail to take account of every child's developmental needs. Every activity is adapted skilfully to offer individual children the type and level of challenge they need. For example, children develop a strong awareness of mathematical concepts as they use resources, such as weighing scales, while playing with oats and other sensory materials.

Children count freely in their play and develop an excellent awareness of numbers, calculation and value.

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

Children develop a strong sense of belonging within the pre-school. Staff continually seek children's views and allow them ample opportunities to make their own decisions.

As a result, from a young age, children become confident, decisive learners.There is excellent promotion of children's learning within the outside environment. Children frequently spend time in the nearby forest where they become skilful in building dens, learning about wildlife and taking more risks in their play, such as climbing trees.

These opportunities support children's learning exceptionally well and contribute significantly towards building children's confidence and a thirst for learning.The local area is used exceptionally well to enrich children's learning. Children develop excellent social skills as they make many trips into the village to meet members of the community.

For example, in preparation for cookery activities, children walk to the village shop to select their ingredients. They handle money as they pay for their goods and demonstrate their impeccable behaviour.Children develop an in-depth awareness of the needs of others and the importance of celebrating differences and similarities.

For example, they frequently spend time socialising with older members of the community. These opportunities significantly enrich children's life experiences and help them to fully understand the importance of respecting others.Staff are outstanding teachers.

They are highly skilled and benefit from the excellent direction and leadership of the owner. Staff's commitment towards ongoing professional development, and their ability to incisively reflect on their practice and make constant improvements, is impressive. Their dedication to the children and their families is commendable.

Children's unique qualities are continually recognised and celebrated. Staff are skilled at planning activities they know will captivate children and thoroughly engage them in learning. When children achieve new things, or show impressive levels of behaviour, their achievements are actively celebrated through 'wow' moments and being nominated as a daily 'star'.

These strategies are highly effective in supporting children's self-confidence.Children are particularly well prepared for starting school. The outstanding quality of teaching means children concentrate exceptionally well.

They listen attentively for prolonged periods and socialise extremely well with their friends.Children who need extra help with their learning achieve well. Staff monitor children's development precisely, and swiftly recognise when further support may be needed.

Extra help is quickly put in place with highly focused, targeted teaching and the involvement of other professionals, if needed. This means any gaps in children's learning close rapidly.Staff fully involve parents in their children's learning and keep them fully informed about the progress children make.

Imaginative strategies are used to extend pre-school activities into the home environment. For example, children delight in taking home 'Travelling Ted' and sharing his experiences with their friends. The library system is used extremely well to help children enjoy sharing books with their families at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Children's safety and well-being are given the highest priority. Staff are always exceptionally vigilant and supervise children closely.

Rigorous risk assessments are completed for all outings and visits away from the pre-school to protect children from possible hazards. All staff are highly trained in safeguarding procedures and know exactly what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. Staff deployment is consistently excellent, making sure children's care needs are consistently met.

Children develop an in-depth understanding of possible hazards. They learn how to manage their behaviours and actions to keep themselves consistently safe. For example, when climbing trees, they recognise when they are not confident to climb any higher and self-regulate their own actions.