Little Oaks Pre-School And Day Care

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are busy and happy in this welcoming, inclusive pre-school. They share, take turns and are kind to each other. Children behave well.

They form strong attachments with the attentive staff. This helps them to feel safe and secure. Children enjoy doing things for themselves.

For example, when following patterns and matching simple shapes to create pictures out of wooden blocks and painting daffodils they observe in a vase. They enjoy the praise they receive for their efforts and achievements. This helps to build their self-esteem and confidence.

Children learn about the benefits of a balanced diet, regul...ar fresh air and exercise. They have lots of opportunities to move their bodies in different ways. Children bend, jump and stretch while they join in with a 'yoga disco'.

They listen to the instructions and sing along to the familiar music. Children, including the youngest, ride balance bikes and scooters with great enthusiasm. This helps develop their large muscles, balance and coordination.

Children show they are inquisitive learners. They explore the environment with enthusiasm and enjoyment. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children in receipt of additional funding, develop a positive attitude towards learning, while they develop skills for life.

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

Children enjoy a range of experiences that help them understand the world around them. Staff regularly take children to local woodland and for walks in the community, regardless of the weather. Staff teach children about road safety and not to pick the flowers.

They encourage children to look for signs of spring and to work out which animal tracks they can recognise in the mud. This supports children in a vast range of skills, including taking responsibility for their own safety and learning about their community.Staff have supervision meetings and access online training to develop their practice.

There are monitoring processes in place. However, sometimes, there is not a precise enough focus on helping to raise the quality of the provision even further. For example, to ensure that all staff are confidently able to adapt and respond quickly to the changing needs of the pre-school session.

Staff plan adult-led activities that help children to develop a range of skills, such as understanding the properties of different shapes. However, staff do not always challenge older children enough to extend their learning. In addition, younger, quieter children require more support to meet their individual needs during these activities.

Children develop impressive communication skills. They eagerly enter into conversations with staff, each other and visitors. Older children use complex vocabulary to help to express themselves.

For example, when discussing the importance of visiting the dentist, children remind the inspector of the importance of brushing her teeth for two minutes. They state that she must do this to avoid 'cavities'. This demonstrates that children are aware of the importance of being healthy.

Parents are happy with the setting. They comment on how much their child enjoys their time there and how they look forward to attending. Parents say that staff are friendly, approachable and supportive.

They value the information staff share about what their child has enjoyed at the setting each day.Staff support children with SEND well. They speak with other professionals to share information and plan together to move children forward in their learning.

Staff ensure the welcoming environment meets all children's individual needs.Occasionally, some routine activities are not well organised. For example, children spend too much time waiting in line to wash their hands before snack time and lunch.

In addition, staff bring armfuls of children's coats to the door when it is time to go outside. There is a lengthy process before children successfully find their coats and boots in the pile, so they can go out to play. This time-consuming process happens again when children return inside.

As a result, children show signs of boredom and there is a lack of purposeful engagement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a secure understanding of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse.

They know what action to take if they are concerned about a child and are familiar with the nursery's safeguarding procedures. Staff are confident about how to report any concerns they may have about any children, or the adults they encounter. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

Staff maintain a suitable environment for children. For example, they have put in additional hygiene and cleaning measures following guidance due to COVID-19.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop more precise monitoring of practice to help raise the quality of provision even higher, including all staff's ability to adapt to changing issues as they arise nensure the planning of adult-led activities meets all children's individual needs to support their overall development and challenge them further review the organisation of daily routines to ensure the length of time children spend waiting does not have a negative impact on learning and development.