Little Owls Pre School & Nursery

Inspection of Little Owls Pre School & Nursery Witchampton Methodist Church, Chapel Row, Witchampton, Wimborne BH21 5AL

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children are happy and really enjoy attending the pre-school. They show good levels of independence such as when they remove their shoes on arrival, hang up their coats and put on their slippers ready for play. Staff are on hand to chat to children and parents as they arrive, welcoming them warmly into the setting. This supports children to settle quickly to an activity of their choice, as they feel safe and secure. Children are keen to learn and confident in communicating with staff and engaging with their friends. Staff show a keen interest in what children have to say and use tools, such as pictorial signs, to help children to express themselves and understand routines. This helps all children to feel valued and included, and to communicate their needs.

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The provision is good

Staff are quick to notice children's good behaviour and achievements, and praise this with a 'well done' or 'thumbs up'. This supports children to become happy, confident and independent learners. Overall, staff make good use of what they know about each child's interest and development, to plan and provide a broad curriculum that captures children's interests well. Staff work closely with a range of professionals to meet children's individual needs. This enables staff to ensure all children receive the support they need to make good progress. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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need to do better?

n The manager and the staff team demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting each individual child to reach their full potential. They frequently reflect on activities and routines to identify where they can make improvements. They are keen to consider alternative ways to support children's learning, and regularly complete training to help them support children even more effectively. For example, they have introduced techniques, gained through training, to encourage children with limited language skills to interact with others. n Staff support children's speaking and listening skills very well. For example, children listen intently to a story, and make comments about the characters and the parts of the book they like. As children play, staff engage them in discussions well, encouraging their use of language and extending their use and understanding of a wide vocabulary. n Excellent relationships are established with the local primary school to which

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need to do better?

most children go on to attend. Children have many opportunities to get to know teaching staff and to spend time in the school environment, helping to ease their transition when it happens. The manager seeks feedback about the achievements of children who have moved up from the pre-school. This helps them to identify areas where they can provide more support to children in the future, so they are even better prepared for going to school.

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need to do better?

4 February 2020 n Staff have a good understanding of children's individual interests and learning preferences. Next steps in learning are clearly identified. Overall, this helps staff focus on supporting each individual child to make good progress. However, occasionally, group- and adult-led activities are not as well linked to children's individual learning needs. This sometimes means that children do not receive the specific support they need to help them make as much progress as possible. n Children are very polite and helpful. Staff act as good role models and are quick to praise children for their good manners and kind actions. Children develop good relationships and strong friendships, as they learn how to be caring and considerate to each other. n Children participate in Forest School sessions each week. This provides opportunities for them to explore all areas of the curriculum in the natural

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need to do better?

environment. They become familiar with changes in nature, and develop their imaginations such as when they use natural objects to make models. Children also have some opportunities to use the outdoor play space at the pre-school. However, this is sometimes only for short periods and does not allow children the option to decide when they would like to take their learning outdoors. n Parents are fully included in children's learning. They receive daily feedback about children's experiences and have time to talk in detail to key staff members about children's progress and next steps. They are actively encouraged to extend children's learning at home, for example through the book lending library at the pre-school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have a secure knowledge of the procedures to follow to keep children safe. Staff have a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures, including wider safeguarding issues. Staff receive regular training to ensure their safeguarding knowledge is up to date. Managers use risk assessment effectively to ensure children's safety remains a high priority. Managers have robust recruitment procedures to help ensure the suitability of staff. New staff receive a clear induction before they start to enable them to fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

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should:

n review the organisation of group- and adult-led activities to ensure that children receive appropriate levels of support and challenge, according to their individual needs, to help them gain confidence and develop new skills n provide more opportunities for children to engage in activities outdoors, to better support children who prefer to learn and play in this environment.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY553007 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 10133814 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 26

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Name of registered person

Little Owls Pre School & Nursery Witchampton

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reference number

Telephone number 01258840042 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Owls Pre School & Nursery registered in 1993. The group operates from Witchampton, near Wimborne, Dorset. The group is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm, during term time only. The setting receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are four members of staff. The manager holds an early years qualification at degree level. One member of staff holds an early years foundation stage degree, another holds an early years qualification at level 3 and one is qualified to level 2 and working towards a level 3 qualification.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector completed a learning walk and a joint observation with the manager and discussed how they plan the curriculum and supports children's needs. n The inspector made observations of the children using both the indoor and outdoor play areas and spoke to staff at appropriate times. n The inspector spoke to parents to get their opinions and comments. n The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including documents that confirmed staff suitability to work with children. n The inspector spoke to the manager about the organisation of the setting.

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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

4 February 2020 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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