Little Stars

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and feel secure in this nurturing and child-orientated setting. They build strong relationships with staff and, as a result, they are confident and at ease.

Staff's positive interactions with children support them to engage and concentrate for extended periods of time.Children behave well and learn to share and take turns. Staff give them clear expectations for behaviour and children follow the rules in place to keep them safe.

They are developing skills to manage and understand their own feelings. Staff help the children understand different emotions and explore these together. For example, in the p...re-school room children use a book featuring monsters of different colours, which depict different emotions.

The children create paper-plate faces to paint a colour of their choosing, to reflect how they feel, and discuss this with staff. Older children develop friendships, playing and working together cooperatively as a group.Children learn through a mix of adult-led experiences and child-initiated play.

This helps them develop new skills to practise in their own play. There is a strong focus on supporting and developing children's language. Recent training has helped staff to assess and identify children's language abilities.

This ensures potential speech delays are identified early and support is given before they become more of a significant issue.

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

Managers support staff's professional development by regular supervisions and observations of practice. These help to identify any training needs.

Recent training on policies and procedures has helped to secure staff's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding practices.Staff support children's independence well. From a young age, children are encouraged to feed themselves and self-serve at lunch time.

They wash their hands and wipe their noses. This helps to build children's self-reliance and confidence.Staff plan effectively around children's interests.

For example, children in pre-school excitedly engage in activities about frogs. They happily take part in singing, 'Five little speckled frogs' and explore a water activity about the habitat of frogs. Children's fine motor skills and creativity are supported during the activity by drawing pictures relating to the life cycle of frogs.

Babies and younger children have a good understanding of the routines throughout the day. They explore a range of activities to develop their learning. However, while there is good focus on the prime areas of learning, other areas are included slightly less effectively.

For example, staff do not always recognise opportunities that arise to challenge younger children and help develop literacy, mathematical and problem-solving skills.Staff provide interesting and stimulating activities and experiences. Activities, including exploring ice and mud, are planned for the children.

Staff introduce new language to the children while they play. For example, younger children excitedly dig in the mud for the 'pea seeds'. With the encouragement of staff, children have fun repeating 'pea seeds'.

Staff regularly make assessments of children's learning and development. They use these to plan for the next steps in children's learning. Children make good individual progress.

Staff speak clearly and listen to children. They provide support and encouragement where necessary. Children confidently approach staff for support, to ask questions or to proudly show what they have made.

Children develop an interest in books. They choose to sit down and read together with their friends or to have stories read to them. Staff link books to the children's learning and children are able to borrow books from the lending library.

Staff offer advice to parents to help support reading at home.Staff work with parents to find out key words in children's home languages. Young children who speak English as an additional language settle well.

Staff promote a healthy lifestyle. Nutritious meals are freshly prepared by the onsite chef. All children benefit from regular opportunities for exercise in the large outdoor area.

Younger children also have indoor climbing equipment and slides to help develop their physical skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff carry out risk assessments to ensure the ongoing safety of the premises and equipment.

Staff have secure knowledge of their role in protecting children and can identify signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm or abuse. Managers have recently reviewed policies and procedures to ensure that they are effective and all staff are aware of their responsibilities. Staff know how to report concerns to the local safeguarding children's partners and where they can seek advice.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff working with younger children to focus more effectively on incorporating problem solving, mathematics and literacy into the activities