Little Avenues Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children play happily in a safe environment. They are given freedom to choose what they would like to play with and engage with interest.

Children are active and use both indoor and outdoor spaces effectively. They challenge themselves by walking on the balance beams, developing their gross motor skills. Children interact and socialise with their peers.

They use good manners and are reminded how to behave in an appropriate way by, for example, using walking feet indoors. Overall, their behaviour is good.Children enjoy small-group activities, and supportive practitioners are close at hand to provide guidance where neede...d.

Children have good language and communication skills. They know how to approach practitioners and ask for help. They are supported to ask questions and are listened to by practitioners.

They use their imaginations in role-play scenarios, cooking dinners in the kitchen and using real packaging, adding further reality to their play. Children invite staff to join in with their play, and they often take the lead. Children play games, learning to take turns and how to follow instructions.

For example, when playing a game about healthy food, they excitedly turn over the cards and make choices about if it is a 'tummy ache' card or a 'healthy food' card. Children are learning about the local community, and they are interested in the photos added to displays. They talk with practitioners about home experiences and share details about their visits with their families.

Staff take time to listen to the children, and they enhance children's self-esteem.

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

Children are cared for by passionate practitioners, who prioritise giving children positive learning experiences. They are enthusiastic about their roles, and this is evident in their behaviour with children.

Practitioners get down to the children's level, listen and give eye contact. They use visual picture cards effectively to communicate with children who may need further support to understand. Children talk about the weather and happily sing 'the days of the week' song all together.

They are encouraged to talk about their feelings. Children are supported to learn about the world through conversation and looking at books. They enjoy singing songs and sharing stories.

Children have a good routine, which helps to promote their independence. They know to wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet. Snack times encourage children to make healthy choices.

However, children are not consistently challenged to be even more independent in everyday routines such as mealtimes.Children are given opportunities to choose the book for group story time. They vote for their choice by finding their name at the snack table.

This is followed up at group time when children count the votes and identify which story has the most votes. Children are encouraged to count beyond 10 in some play experiences. They are introduced to mathematical language through everyday play.

When exploring the sand, they fill up the measuring scales and identify 'full', 'empty', 'more', or 'less'. Children are exposed to mark-making experiences. They enjoy using clipboards and imitate writing in their play.

Children are encouraged to use stickers to make shapes and patterns.Children use safety scissors with confidence, practising cutting dough and herbs. They talk to each other about their creations, and practitioners offer lots of praise.

Children help to make a banner for the end-of-year party, using collage materials. They are confident and persevere to walk on stilt cups around the garden, smiling at their own achievements. They seek challenge and fun in their play.

Children explore a range of resources and spaces at the pre-school. However, not all areas have been fully developed to enhance children's learning experiences even further.Parents are positive about the pre-school and the practitioners.

They are happy with the communication and updates they receive about their children's development. Parents say that their children are well prepared for the next steps in their education. They are complimentary of the steps taken to help children settle into the pre-school.

Parents' written comments state that practitioners create 'a very kind, attentive and caring place for children to thrive'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Robust safeguarding procedures are in place.

Staff are aware of who to report concerns to about children's welfare, both within the setting and to the local authority. They have completed appropriate safeguarding training, and information is provided on a regular basis to keep everyone up to date. Staff know how to keep children safe and have a secure knowledge of indicators to identify possible abuse.

They supervise children in their care and ensure safety checks are carried out in the form of risk assessments. Staff record attendance, and they keep the pre-school spaces secure, indoors and outdoors.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support children to become more independent through everyday routines build on the learning environment and resources to extend opportunities and experiences for children.

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