Little Acorns Pre-School

Little Acorns Pre-School Ingham Village Hall, The Green, Ingham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN1 2XT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 May 2017 4 June 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 This pre-school is in the heart of the community. Good teamwork is evident in the setting. Staff know the children and their families well and have them at the heart of everything they do. This helps to contribute to the outcomes achieved by the children.  The manager carries out ongoing suitability checks to ensure that all adults are safe to care for children.  Children benefit from the good links staff have established with the host primary school. Teachers and teaching assistants from all feeder schools visit the children in pre-school. This helps children to prepare emotionally for their eventual move on to school and promotes their continuity in care and learning.  Staff encourage parents to provide healthy options of fruit for snack. Furthermore, staff support children to make healthy choices from their lunchbox. This contributes to children's understanding of a healthy diet.  Children develop secure emotional attachments to their key person. Staff show a

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This provision is good

genuine interest in all the children and regularly spend one-to-one time with children, chatting and sharing stories.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The monitoring and support of staff does not place a sharp enough focus on helping all of them to achieve consistently high-quality teaching practice.  The manager does not fully compare and analyse the progress made by all groups of children to enable them to swiftly reduce any differences in their achievement.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 extend the monitoring of staff's performance to enable all of them to improve on their good practice and raise the quality of teaching to the highest possible level  compare the progress made by different groups of children and use the information gained from this to ensure that every child receives the focused support they need to achieve at their full potential.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.  The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child. The committee takes account of the views of staff, children and parents to plan further improvements for the pre-school. For example, following some recent funding, the children chose to spend the money on a wooden galleon. Staff are committed to seeking higher qualifications. This contributes towards improving outcomes and experiences for children. Staff form good links with other settings children attend, contributing to continuity in their learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Key persons demonstrate a good understanding of children's interests and stage of development. They review and assess children's learning to identify where they need support. Children initiate a game to escape from a monster. Staff skilfully encourage them to work out how they might do this. Staff introduce magnifiers to look for the monster and children use their imagination and call the police on pretend mobile phones. Parents access their children's learning on an electronic programme used for assessments. Staff share children's next steps in learning with the parents and offer ideas about how they can support their children's learning at home.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Parents comment positively on the settling-in process for their children. Children and their parents get to know their key person well and in some cases families choose a familiar key person for siblings as they join the pre-school. Children are keen to help staff tidy away resources, which encourages them to care for their environment. Staff provide children with opportunities to develop physical skills as they chase each other playing a cat and mouse game. Children thoroughly enjoy moving in a variety of ways. They pretend to drive a car and jump up and down as they encounter imaginary speed bumps. Children are very well behaved and learn to follow instructions. Staff are positive role models. They give consistent messages and regular praise.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress in their learning during their time at the pre-school, including those who receive funding. Pre-school children develop their early writing skills and they write their name, naming each letter as they write. Children confidently take care of their personal needs, such as going to the bathroom, washing their hands and pouring drinks. Children learn to independently manage their lunchboxes. Children experiment with shape and size. They persevere to complete jigsaws, looking at the picture and solving the puzzle, turning the pieces in different ways until they fit. Children gain the necessary skills needed in readiness for school and their future learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 253462 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 1090345 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 29 Name of registered person Little Acorns Pre-School Playgroup (Ingham) Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 4 June 2015 Telephone number 01522 730 868

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reference number

Little Acorns Pre-School registered in 1992. The pre-school employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 11.30am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9am until 3pm on Thursday. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year- old children.

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reference number

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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reference number

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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