Little Friends Pre-School Limited

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy dressing up in Christmas outfits for their charity event at pre-school. They learn about the different festivals and cultures celebrated in their community during the year. They eagerly discuss their different jumpers and learn new words, for example reindeer and snowman.

They practise new songs related to Christmas and join in enthusiastically with the actions. Their learning is further extended as they play a wide range of instruments in time to the beat. They are happy and contented as they cuddle up with staff while they are singing.

Children delight in playing outside in the garden. They ...are free to explore the many sensory resources in the mud kitchen and are very well behaved. For example, they use the large metal whisk and potato masher to stir up pine cones, straw, leaves and grass husks in saucepans and pots.

This sparks their imaginations and they pretend to make pies and feed them to their dolls. Children are kind to one another and learn about sharing and taking turns through the support of highly perceptive staff. Staff embrace children's unique personalities and children are growing in confidence.

Children feel safe and secure as they play.

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

Children help staff to make play dough in the morning and they use it creatively, in the home corner, throughout the day. Children relish the opportunity to sieve and sprinkle flour.

They develop their handwriting muscles as they manipulate the dough. Staff take this opportunity to introduce children to new words. For example, as they push the dough into containers, children learn the words 'squish' and 'squeeze'.

Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are delighted with the progress that children are making and the support they receive from the nurturing team of staff. They compliment staff on how well they help their children to settle when they first start and the positive influence they have on their children.

However, managers have not fully developed ways for parents to be more involved in children's learning at home, in order to help children to make even further progress.Staff help children to persevere and challenge themselves through offering encouragement and support. Staff give children lots of specific praise and positively reinforce good behaviour.

Children know the rules of the pre-school and happily tidy up and follow instructions well. They are highly motivated to learn and concentrate on activities for long periods of time. Children are learning how to manage their self care and staff support their individual needs.

They follow good hygiene routines and eat a healthy snack daily. They make their own decisions about what they will drink and pour it out themselves.Children learn to take risks and challenge themselves physically in the garden.

For instance, they climb through the pirate ship and over the caterpillar tunnel. They balance and stretch over the obstacle course and whizz down the big slide. Younger children make rapid progress on the slide as they start to take big steps up to the top while they join in the fun.

They count the stairs as staff introduce early mathematical skills into their play throughout the day.Staff observe and assess children's progress continuously and plan activities to close any gaps in their learning. Children learn through their individual interests.

They are highly motivated to explore and investigate in their play. However, occasionally, staff miss the opportunity to allow children to do even more things for themselves and develop their independence skills further.Managers promote staff development and encourage staff to take on focused areas of expertise.

They ensure that they receive training that precisely supports these skills. Staff feed back their training to the team at staff meetings and proactively implement changes to enhance practice. The team works closely together and senior members share their years of knowledge and skills.

Staff are excellent role models to children in their kind behaviour and positive attitudes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff fully understand their responsibilities to safeguard children.

They are confident and knowledgeable in identifying and addressing concerns relating to safeguarding and wider child protection issues. They attend ongoing training to keep up to date and refresh their knowledge in staff meetings. Staff carry out rigorous risk assessments daily to ensure that the premises are secure.

Managers conduct safer recruitment procedures and check staff remain suitable in their roles. New staff complete a thorough induction to confirm their suitability to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen opportunities for parents to be more involved in children's learning at home, in order to help children to make even further progress review the planning and organisation of adult-led activities so that children can do even more things for themselves and develop their independence skills further.