Little Stars Pre-school

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the pre-school happy and tell their parents how excited they are to come and play.

Practitioners greet children in the playground and welcome them with smiles and reassurance. They offer cuddles and comfort to all children, especially those who are still settling in. Children feel safe and secure.

They cheerily wave goodbye to their families and independently find their names for self-registration. Enthusiastic practitioners ask children about their holidays and talk to them about the different activities that are available today. Children quickly become absorbed in exploring paints and play dough....r/>
Leaders have high expectations for children's learning. They design an ambitious curriculum that builds on children's interests. Practitioners use this to create activities that motivate children to think for themselves.

For example, they support children to consider their responsibilities in the world they live in. During a water play activity, children work hard to carefully scoop the rubbish from the 'sea' and rescue the toy animals with nets. Practitioners encourage children to consider the importance of putting litter in the bin.

Children engage enthusiastically in their learning.

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

Children enjoy an array of books and see print throughout the day. Practitioners read enthusiastically to inspire children's love of reading.

For example, children giggle with delight when practitioners shout 'help' on the crocodile page of their story. Practitioners also implement activities that are focused on the sounds of different letters, which children enjoy and interact with well. Older children easily name words that link with the sound they are discussing.

Children gain important literacy skills to promote their future learning.The special educational needs coordinator has a comprehensive understanding of her role. She works closely with children, families and other professionals to ensure that children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have an appropriate referral made, if necessary.

Practitioners support children in achieving the best outcomes.Children are confident and independent. They enjoy choosing their activities and explain how much they enjoy making their own play dough.

Children know to wash their hands before mealtimes and explain the importance of wearing hats in the sun. Practitioners remind children about the benefits of drinking water, especially in the hot weather. Children are learning about how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Practitioners teach children about the importance of respect for one another. They carefully model how to share toys and how to help each other, for example, when a block tower gets knocked over. However, rules and expectations are not always fully explained to children.

Practitioners do not consistently address this to support children's understanding. Through this, rules are not fully understood by children and are not followed.Children benefit from activities and equipment that have been arranged to promote their physical skills.

During outdoor play, children learn how to throw and catch large balls. Practitioners offer children plenty of praise as they try hard to throw the basketball through the hoop.Parents explain they are pleased with the communication they receive.

They feel informed about their children's time at the pre-school. However, when children first start at the pre-school, practitioners do not always gather information to support them in their assessment of children's stage of development. As a result, knowledge about children's progress and learning is occasionally inconsistent.

Practitioners are sensitive and respectful in their approach to children's care routines. They ask children kindly if they can change their nappies. Practitioners chat to them happily about their activities and ask them how they are feeling today.

Children's emotional well-being is promoted particularly well.Leaders provide an abundance of training opportunities. They encourage practitioners to frequently engage in courses that interest them to build on their professional development.

Leaders also use supervisions and observations of practitioners effectively, to improve the quality of teaching.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders have a clear understanding of how to ensure the safety and welfare of children.

They ensure that all practitioners regularly complete mandatory training. This covers all aspects of safeguarding, such as female genital mutilation and the Prevent duty. Practitioners complete further training around subjects such as fabricated illness to broaden their knowledge even further.

Practitioners are confident about what to do if they ever have a concern about an adult working with children. They understand the correct local authority reporting procedure to follow, if they believe a child has become victim of abuse.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen how practitioners explain and implement pre-school rules, so they can be fully understood by children build on how information is gathered about children's starting points to support their future learning effectively.

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