Little Oaks Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have positive attitudes to their learning. They are confident speakers and they happily talk to visitors. This is illustrated when children talk about their family members and then ask visitors about theirs.

Children play imaginatively with others. They enjoy lining up dinosaurs in the mud and making roaring sounds. They demonstrate kind behaviour.

For example, when children approach and say, 'Please can I play?', they say, 'Here you go,' as they hand them a dinosaur to join in.Children are happy and secure in the pre-school. They form strong bonds with their key person.

They benefit from timely suppo...rt where needed, such as during group activities. Children explore the pre-school happily and make independent choices, such as selecting toys to play with.Children benefit from consistently high expectations.

For instance, staff ensure that the curriculum helps all children to build on their individual knowledge and skills. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language effectively. For example, they use visual prompts to help children communicate and understand what is coming 'first' and 'next' in their routine.

This helps all children to make good progress in their learning.Staff provide healthy snacks for children. However, they have not fully considered how they can support parents to help them to consistently promote healthy eating choices.

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

Managers have a positive attitude to improvement. For example, they work closely with their local authority adviser. They actively seek feedback on their provision and implement suggestions for improvement promptly.

Managers value the opinions of all staff. They illustrate this by ensuring that staff are fully involved in evaluations during staff meetings.Managers use additional funding well to support the most disadvantaged children.

For instance, children enjoy relaxation activities such as yoga. This helps to promote their well-being. Children benefit from group times where they learn to play games with their friends.

This helps to develop their speech, language and confidence. Managers are part of a local authority initiative to build better transitions for disadvantaged children. They share thorough information with settings children transfer to.

For example, they focus on how they are using additional funding to support children's unique needs. This helps to promote a consistent approach for children at their next setting.Children manage their own self-care confidently, for instance putting their own coat and hat on before they go outside.

Children recognise when they need to blow their nose. They find tissues themselves, wipe their nose independently and then put the tissue in the bin when they finish.Staff promote snack time as a positive social experience for children.

For example, they encourage children to talk about what they have been doing at the weekend. Children listen to their friends and take turns to speak. Staff provide healthy options at snack time, such as milk, water and fruit.

They talk to children about where food comes from, such as apples that grow on trees in the orchard. However, at other times, such as during lunchtime, children do not receive consistent messages about healthy eating. Managers have not fully considered how they can strengthen partnerships with parents to help them understand the importance of promoting healthy eating.

The key-person system is effective. Key people know their children very well. For example, they talk to parents when children start about what they know and can do.

They use this knowledge alongside their own observations to help them plan learning that links to children's next steps.Children are eager to learn and they behave well. This is demonstrated when they listen attentively to staff about how to handle tools and materials, such as a hammer and nail.

Children manage risks effectively. They concentrate as they practise tapping nails into wood and then removing them safely. Children enjoy the range of activities on offer in the pre-school.

However, on occasion, staff are not deployed as effectively as possible to fully promote consistent high-quality interactions with children. For example, throughout sessions, one member of staff takes on a supervisory role. This means that they are not being fully utilised to help children make even better progress in their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers ensure that robust policies and procedures are in place to keep children safe. Staff have a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of different types of abuse.

They know how to report concerns about children's welfare. Staff know how they can support children to be safe online. For example, when they use electronic devices with children, they talk to them about how to use these safely.

They read books with children about screen time. Staff signpost parents to appropriate support should they have concerns about the way someone is communicating with themselves or their child online.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen partnerships with parents to help them understand how to promote consistent messages about healthy eating review arrangements for staff deployment to ensure that high-quality interactions with children are fully promoted.

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