Little Adventurers Forest School (Walesby) Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children show appropriate levels of concentration and engagement through a range of interesting learning opportunities that staff provide in the vast outdoor environment. They enjoy developing their physical skills, helping one another climb trees, navigating obstacles in the woodland area and balancing on crates and logs.

Children learn actions and words to join staff in singing a range of songs about the days of the week, the weather and dinosaurs. With staff support, children are confident in sharing their ideas. They explain dinosaurs might swim or 'speed round' and follow staff's instructions in demonstrating what this means ...to their friends.

Staff encourage children to understand how they are feeling and help them to learn different words to explain their emotions. Children explain they feel 'mad' and that this can mean they feel a bit crazy or cross. However, the staff's interaction with children is inconsistent.

Children do not experience the same support from staff to learn during activities. For example, as children play with clay and natural objects, such as sticks, staff tell them which objects to use, find and pass, leaving little room for children to learn for themselves. Children learn some routines of the day.

Staff remind them to independently wash their hands before dinner and support them in deciding what warm clothing they need to put on. However, staff do not always provide clear and consistent boundaries or give children the support they need to understand their expectations. Some children wander around the environment eating their snacks, while others walk off from their seats without putting their cups and plates in the bowl to be washed.

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

Staff explain children's interests and personalities and know their varying care needs. Key persons recognise what children already know and can do and are aware of some skills and knowledge that children need to learn at different ages and stages. However, staff do not identify what is important for children to learn next, particularly those who are already five years old and working towards the early years foundation stage profile assessment.

Overall, staff do not plan activities well enough as they do not consider the skills and knowledge children as individuals need to learn next. For example, staff help children complete a story trail by looking at different pictures they have attached to trees. Staff aim their questions at children who are more confident speakers to compare similarities and differences and talk about what they can see.

However, other children do not understand these questions. Consequently, although these children initially enjoy what they are doing, they quickly lose interest.Staff support children to speak and listen.

They encourage children to share what they are doing and thinking while mixing potions in the mud kitchen. Staff repeat keywords they want younger children to practise, such as 'mix' and explain the words for different colours. Staff teach children new vocabulary and meaning, such as 'raw' means not cooked.

Staff teach children how to share resources and encourage them to push each other on the swings. Children develop close relationships and offer their friends the reassurance they have seen staff offer. Staff remind children to use kind hands and when to stop climbing trees as they are high enough.

However, staff's behaviour expectations for children are not consistent. Staff who are not the child's key person are unaware of the support children may need to understand and demonstrate kind hands and to remain seated while eating, and therefore, do not provide it.Although staff intend to use snack time and other transitions as focused learning opportunities, they do not make the most of this time.

Staff encourage children to mix flour, banana and other ingredients in a tub to make banana pancakes to cook outside. They support them to use their existing skills to set cotton wool alight using a forest school flint. However, the staff then continue all preparation and cooking while children wait unoccupied.

Staff frequently update parents and carers about what their children have been learning and playing, including children with special education needs and/or disabilities. Parents comment the staff know the children well and help them learn to enjoy the freedom the setting offers.Since the last inspection, leaders have taken steps to improve their risk assessment and safety measures relating to the use of phones and tablets in the setting.

They provide staff with training that positively impacts children's experiences. For example, staff have undertaken communication training and used what they learned to help communicate with children who cannot yet do this verbally.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a thorough knowledge of how to keep children safe from harm. Safeguarding policies and procedures are kept up to date, and staff attend regular safeguarding training. The environment is checked regularly by staff to ensure it is safe for children to play.

There is a clear procedure for visitors, and steps are taken to make the site secure. Staff and leaders understand their responsibilities in monitoring and reporting any signs and symptoms that a child is at risk of harm. They are confident in how to escalate any concerns.

Leaders have a robust recruitment process and continually monitor the suitability of all staff.

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 staff use their assessment of children's learning consistently to consider what it is they want children to learn and plan activities to support children to build on their existing skills and knowledge 04/01/2024 make better use of information about children's individual abilities to ensure support, expectations and boundaries are consistent and clear, particularly during mealtimes.04/01/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff further to help them make the most of the learning experiences they provide during routine parts of the day.