Little Stars Preschool

Inspection of Little Stars Preschool Surfleet Primary School, Station Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 4DB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

The organisation of the outdoor learning environment inspires children's natural curiosity and they keenly lead their own play. They confidently explore and investigate, and staff consistently encourage them to find things out for themselves. Staff enable children to become fully engrossed in their play. Waterproof trousers and wellington boots are available to every child. Therefore, children can sit in the mud pit counting worms and are free to run through the longer grass to explore the hidden pathway. Children are happy and quickly become engaged, demonstrating increasing levels of concentration. They understand how to keep safe, as they move a large fallen branch together so that others will not trip and fall.

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The provision is good

The manager and staff have high expectations for all children and skilfully support them to learn about their local community and the wider world. The children welcome visitors, including parents who share their own cultures and beliefs with them. Staff are good role models in teaching children to value similarities and differences and to respect themselves and others. Staff skilfully implement opportunities for children to sing songs and listen to stories. New vocabulary is introduced such as 'millipede' and 'asparagus', increasing all children's language skills, including those who speak English as an additional language.

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need to do better?

n Partnerships with parents are positive and supportive, and key persons keep parents well informed about their child's learning. Staff inform parents about how their child is progressing at drop-off and collection times each day, and they have an online system that parents can access to see how their child is progressing. Parents state that they value the home-link books and the suggestions from staff regarding how they can support their child's learning at home. Staff regularly seek the views of parents to see if there are any improvements they could make. n The children benefit from staff being positive and consistent in their management of children's behaviour. Children are well behaved and show consideration to each other. For example, a child offers his friend the opportunity to come and help him sweep up the leaves. Older children take younger children for rides on the back of their vehicles and they take turns with

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need to do better?

resources very well. n The manager offers effective support and training for staff to enable them to extend their skills. They evaluate and reflect on the quality of teaching by providing feedback on practice through systems such as peer observation and performance reviews. As a result, teaching is consistently strong, and children are making good progress.

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need to do better?

16 October 2019 n Children proudly demonstrate their increasing physical skills as they ride balance bicycles and bicycles with pedals and stabilisers. They show delight as they blow huge bubbles that float off into the sky. Some children try to chase and pop them. Staff encourage children's awareness of safe behaviour as children take age- and developmentally appropriate risks in their activities. For example, they learn to use a knife with care to spread butter on their toast at snack time. n The manager adopts a carefully planned curriculum and promotes outdoor learning and experiences. The children enjoy learning about changes in the seasons by going on nature walks and reading stories about celebrations such as harvest festival and Diwali. Children's learning is extended by using the natural items they collect in their play. They make marks with sticks in shaving foam and roll the conkers, identifying whose has gone the furthest.

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need to do better?

n Staff plan each session carefully and adapt their interactions to meet the interests of each individual child. The children have easy access to resources and so they follow their own interests quickly. Staff skilfully ask children questions and adapt their language to make themselves clear for the younger children. However, sometimes they do not wait for the children to answer their questions and they miss opportunities to enhance learning further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff understand their responsibilities in relation to child protection issues very well. They know how to report any child welfare concerns to the relevant professionals. Staff receive regular up-to-date training. All staff receive a thorough induction and are vetted to confirm their suitability to work with children. All activities and visits are risk assessed and regular checks of the environment are undertaken to ensure that children are safe. Children are reminded of the importance of considering their own and each other's safety, especially when playing outdoors.

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should:

n ensure staff wait for answers to questions they ask children, to make better use of opportunities to extend and challenge children's learning as they play.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY479681 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 10076169 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 16 Name of registered person Gromett, Beverley

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reference number

Telephone number 07841417464 Date of previous inspection 2 February 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Little Stars Preschool registered in 2014 and is located in Spalding, Lincolnshire. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications ranging from level 2 to level 6, including the manager who has qualified teacher status. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am until 2.45pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 8.45am until 12.45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The pre- school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector completed a learning walk with the manager. She observed the quality of teaching during indoor and outdoor activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation. n The inspector observed the staff and children as they played and held discussions with them at appropriate times during the inspection. n Parents talked to the inspector about their views on the pre-school. n The managers and the inspector discussed the leadership and management of the pre-school.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

16 October 2019 regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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