Little Lambs Preschool

Inspection of Little Lambs Preschool Church of the Good Shepherd, Winklebury Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG23 8BU

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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

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school. Staff place a strong focus on building children's personal, social and emotional well-being. Children benefit from the trusting and respectful relationships they develop with staff and their friends. Younger children and those who are new settle happily as staff offer a warm welcome to them. This helps children to feel safe, happy and well cared for. Staff support children to behave well. Where children need extra help with regulating their feelings and emotions, staff sensitively help them. Children listen to staff and respond well to them as they learn to wait patiently and take turns with toys and resources.

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The provision is good

The curriculum is varied and enables all children to make good progress from their starting points. Staff create activities which ignite children's curiosity. For instance, children make mud pies. As they mix mud with water and add leaves, they become fully immersed in their imaginative play. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to be physically active. For example, older children push themselves along on their ride-on motorbike and carefully cross the coloured balance beams. Staff recognise how physical play benefits children's understanding of healthy lifestyles and support this area of learning well.

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need to do better?

n The manager is a strong leader. She has a clear and ambitious curriculum which is shared with her staff. The staff team, with the committee, works together to ensure children benefit from high-quality care and learning. Children are well prepared for their future learning, including their eventual transition to school. n Staff benefit from regular supervisions with the manager to support them in their roles. Staff say that they feel valued, respected and their views are listened to. Their well-being is a focus for the manager. In turn, the well-being of the manager is supported by the committee. Recent changes to the staff team have been managed well. The manager recognises that there is further potential to focus staff professional development to refine staff teaching skills more precisely. n Children develop positive attitudes to learning. They concentrate well and develop good listening and attention skills when activities interest them. For

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need to do better?

instance, staff help children guess the names of animals and the sounds each animal will make. They take turns to match pictures of animals on their board as they play together. Children learn how to take turns and wait for their friends to guess as they cooperate well. n Staff know children well and understand how to support children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Funding is used to provide additional support for children. The management team

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need to do better?

14 September 2023 recognises the needs of the children and how it can work closely with other professionals and parents to support them. This has a positive impact for children and the progress they make. n Parents speak very positively about the pre-school. They say staff are kind and caring and take the time to get to know their children. Staff share a range of information with parents, including daily activities and children's overall progress. Staff suggest ideas for learning at home and parents comment on how positively this has been used to continue learning, particularly in relation to children's personal, social and emotional development. n Teaching is good. Staff know what children need to learn next and follow the pre-school curriculum to target areas where children need most focus to help them achieve. However, at times, some staff miss opportunities to tailor learning to what they want children to learn next as they play alongside and with them.

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need to do better?

This means that some older and most-able children are not challenged to extend their learning further. n Staff value the unique cultural backgrounds and experiences each child brings with them. They celebrate days that are special and provide opportunities for children to learn about cultures other than their own. For example, children learn about Rosh Hashanah as they make a shofar and enjoy tasting apples and honey. Children learn about these traditions as staff share stories about the celebration.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding, including signs and indicators that a child may be at risk of harm. They know how to report concerns about children and how to escalate them to ensure children's welfare is maintained. Recruitment processes are robust and ensure the suitability of all those who work with children, including on an ongoing basis. However, the nominated person has not notified Ofsted of changes to the manager. This does not have an impact for children, as suitability checks were completed before they began working with children. The manager implements a wide range of policies and procedures effectively, including for complaints and the use of mobile phones and cameras. This helps to safeguard children.

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should:

n target future professional development opportunities in order to help to refine and enhance staff teaching skills more precisely n support all staff to extend and challenge children's learning as they join them at activities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 110498 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10310079 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Little Lambs Preschool Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01256 359431 Date of previous inspection 10 September 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Little Lambs Preschool opened in 2000. It operates from the Church of the Good Shepherd in Winklebury, Basingstoke. The pre-school opens Monday to Thursday from 9am to 2.45pm and Friday from 9am to 1pm during term only. The pre-school receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five staff who work at the pre-school. Of these, one holds a qualification at level 4 and all other staff hold qualifications at level 2 or above.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the pre-school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n Children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at pre-school. n The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in 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

14 September 2023 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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