Little Learners Lawefield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff plan broad, challenging and generally effective educational programmes for children aged from two upwards, especially those who are rising three and above. Consequently, children enjoy learning, make continuous progress and develop skills for school, such as learning to put on outdoor clothing, wash their hands and pour drinks. Children engage well, for example, as they develop imagination skills while playing with dough and role-play resources.

Staff introduce early mathematics as children build models, collect leaves and make wiggly worms with dough. Older children use dough tools, which helps to increase their small-muscl...e strength and hand-eye coordination in readiness for early writing. However, leaders do not deploy staff, or use space and resources, well enough to fully promote the care, learning and development needs of children under two years of age.

Staff give families a warm and friendly greeting, which helps children to settle quickly and play happily. Children confidently enter and place their name and photo on the registration board, which helps them to develop a sense of belonging and early literacy skills. Children generally have close bonds with staff, which helps them to feel secure and safe.

Children enjoy manoeuvring wheeled toys, balancing on wide planks placed on tyres and throwing hoops over thin tree stumps. Such activities develop their physical skills. Staff create a positive, calm and orderly environment, enabling children to focus.

Staff are good role models. They help children to learn respectful and kind behaviours and other important social skills, such as sharing, taking turns and building friendships.

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

Leaders have recently started to care for toddler-aged children from approximately 16 months upwards.

However, they have not effectively considered or planned for this change to help this age group make good progress. There is no separate area for children under two, and therefore, toddlers are integrated with all other age groups. This does not meet their emotional and learning needs well enough.

Although there are staff who have relevant qualifications, training, skills and experience, those designated as a key person for children under two years old do not. Toddlers lack support and interactions from other staff while their key person undertakes the lengthy nappy changing routine. This impacts on their confidence and motivation to learn.

Although there are weaknesses in the provision for children under two, toddlers happily explore. They engage incidentally with particular activities and resources set out for everyone. For example, toddlers develop small-muscle strength as they poke and squash dough and fill and empty utensils in the exploratory kitchen outdoors.

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or a developmental delay, such as in their speech and language, effectively. They work in excellent consultation with other professionals, meticulously following children's individual support plans. Staff set up effective interim interventions where children are awaiting appointments or assessments.

A key focus of the curriculum is supporting children's early language development, many of whom speak English as an additional language. Designated 'communication champions' undertake excellent training and set up various initiatives. Staff use pictorial aids to help overcome communication barriers, and bilingual staff use children's home languages alongside English.

Children love songs, rhymes and stories, which further supports their early language development. Staff create a richly resourced story and singing area with, for example, a wealth of enticing books, 'song' spoons, puppets and 'tapping' sticks that children collected on a nature trail.Staff have undertaken training on sharing stories, which is reflected in their confident and animated storytelling.

However, because all children join together for the same story, younger two-year-old children become restless and distracted. This is also observed during other group activities, such as registration time.Staff demonstrate motivating interactions as children develop their creative skills in exciting ways.

For example, children love exploring tactile media, such as cinnamon-scented, glittery red dough. They feel the soft cotton wool balls that form part of a winter-themed activity tray.Staff, overall, promote children's good health effectively.

For example, they provide healthy snacks and support children to brush their teeth to fun songs. However, staff do not actively reinforce policies relating to healthy eating and good oral hygiene to fully support children's understanding of healthy lifestyles when parents provide food.Staff celebrate and reflect the diversity of the families who attend.

They help children to learn about everyone's special celebrations, inviting parents to share family photos and information about their culture.Staff involve parents in children's learning, for instance, through stay-and-play events, activity boxes and a lending library. They share ample information with parents electronically and through progress meetings and reports.

However, day-to-day information is not as successfully shared where handovers are not completed by children's key person. This does not fully promote continuity of children's care.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that the use of space meets the needs of children under two years of age, to fully support their learning 06/01/2025 support staff working with children under two to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities, to ensure they take full account of and effectively plan for toddler's individual needs, interests and development.06/01/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: refine the curriculum for the youngest two-year-old children so that activities and daily routines are consistently aligned to their stage of learning provide clearer information for parents about healthy options for children's food to promote children's physical well-being and understanding of healthy lifestyles to a higher level strengthen information sharing with parents as they drop off and collect their children to more effectively support children's daily transitions.

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