Little Rascals Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children receive effective support from staff to come into the setting, ready for their session. This helps children to separate with increasing ease from parents and to settle quickly to their chosen play. Children seek warmth and comfort from key staff, who give this willingly and with great care.

Staff recognise when new and young children may need a cuddle for reassurance. This enables children to feel safe and secure. Children receive worthwhile support and encouragement to succeed at their chosen task.

For example, when they want to cut their cardboard boxes in half, staff help children to use the scissors to ach...ieve their goal. Staff talk about safety when using scissors and also about mathematical concepts such as fractions. Children develop great friendships and help each other with a task when they struggle.

For example, they help each other to try to zip up their coats, chatting while they do so. This shows kindness and consideration for others. Children develop a good understanding of science and doing experiments.

For example, they learn about recognising items in the environment that are metal. They use their magnets and staff encourage children to think about objects that they can see and test. The manager has a very clear understanding of how to provide children with a wide variety of play and learning experiences.

Staff set out the environment effectively with activities that activate children's thinking, that stem from what children need to learn next, while incorporating their interests.

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

The leadership and management of the setting are effective. Staff, including those supporting the setting from their sister provision, understand children's care and learning needs.

The manager implements an effective system to enable all staff to be aware of what children already know, understand and can do, and what they need to learn next. This enables staff to make the most of their interactions with children to extend their learning and engagement in their play.There is a strong community feel to the setting.

It makes charity donations to local food banks and offers a book lending library service and clothes exchange for families. Children have weekly opportunities to engage in forest-school activities and staff plan regular outings. For example, following a child getting a kitten, they visited a local pet shop.

This enhances children's awareness of caring for pets and animals.Children help to assess risks in the environment. For example, they play the role of 'safety spies' and don their high-visibility jackets and hard hat.

They then venture off with their clipboard and tick list to look for any hazards in the outdoor area. This helps children to learn about their own safety and minimise risks in their play.Children persist at their chosen task and enjoy the encouragement they receive from staff.

For example, they build tin cans and use a ball to knock them down. When they miss, they try again. However, other children can sometimes disrupt the game by kicking the cans over.

Children occasionally walk over toys on the floor. These aspects do not fully enhance children's awareness of respect for others and resources.Children hear a wealth of new words during their play.

For example, when making monsters using the play dough, staff introduce words such as 'squishy', 'slimy' and 'sticky'. This enables children to develop the use of a wide range of vocabulary, supporting their communication and language development.Staff do not always explore differing ways to make sure that children remain engaged in purposeful play at certain times of the day.

For example, following lunchtime, children sometimes find it difficult to re-engage with the activities. Staff have not yet found an effective system for packing away the resources while fully maintaining all children's engagement in play and learning.Children enjoy group games and show that they understand the rules of the game.

For example, they ask the 'wolf' what time it is and when they shout that it is 'dinner time', children squeal with delight and run away. This helps younger children to learn the rules and join in with the others, showing inclusive practice.Staff provide a highly inclusive environment where they value all children and understand their individual needs.

There is effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work closely with other agencies and value the input from other professionals. This enables children to make good developmental progress from their starting points.

Partnerships with parents are good, which enables children to receive consistency in their care and learning. Parents report that their children 'thrive' at the setting and comment on the good levels of support for children with SEND. They also report how their children have built in confidence since attending and that their social skills are rapidly developing.

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 further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on children's awareness of respect for others and resources revise the planning of activities and experiences following lunchtimes to ensure that children remain engaged.