Little Barn Pre-school

Inspection of Little Barn Pre-school Little Barn Nursery, Bluehouse Lane, Oxted RH8 0AA

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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 eagerly explore natural resources in the garden area with staff to learn about nature and the world around them. These include a large bug hotel and herb garden. Staff encourage children to take care of living things. For example, they give them flowers to plant and take care of. Children water their flowers and look after them until the end of term, when they will take them home. These tasks give children a sense of responsibility and purpose in the setting, to help develop their confidence and thinking skills.

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The provision is good

Staff know the children well and develop good bonds with them. For example, children seek out staff for comfort and reassurance when required. As a result, children are happy and relaxed in this calm and welcoming setting. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They encourage children to say 'please' and 'thank you' and to be kind to their friends. For example, when children share play dough with their peers, staff give gentle reminders to say 'thank you'. This helps to install good manners and recognise kindness.

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The provision is good

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive support to ensure that they are included and make progress. Staff also support children who speak English as an additional language effectively. For instance, they use dual language books to help children communicate and share their cultural background with their peers.

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need to do better?

n The manager evaluates her practice and identifies areas of the setting to develop. She supports staff's professional development and arranges suitable training. For example, staff recently completed a course to help them develop their planning system to provide the best outcomes for children's learning. n Risk assessments are completed by the manager in all areas of the setting to ensure that all play spaces are safe and secure. Staff plan trips outside of the setting to broaden children's experiences. While off site, they closely follow policies and procedures to ensure that children are kept safe. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff communicate well with parents through a daily diary and verbal feedback at the end of each session. They share children's progress and provide ideas for home learning. As a result, parents feel supported and are extremely happy with the care provided. n Speech and language skills are supported well. Staff listen to what children have

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need to do better?

to say and engage in meaningful conversations. They repeat words clearly and introduce new, exciting words to extend children's vocabulary further. For example, children decide to create a garden centre in the playhouse. They talk excitedly about their trips to the garden centre, recalling and discussing past

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need to do better?

3 July 2024 experiences. This helps children to develop their communication skills and confidence speaking in social situations. n Staff are highly skilled at supporting children to develop their gross motor skills and gain control of their bodies. Children listen well and follow instructions from staff during planned activities as they dance and flutter like a butterfly then pretend to cycle fast to the seaside. n Throughout the day, staff play alongside children and add resources to games to extend play. For example, children decide to feed and wash the zoo animals so staff provide herbs and small bowls of water. Children keenly use the new resources in their play. They tear and smell the herbs and carefully wash the animals. This keeps children focused and engaged in their game, which helps to develop their concentration skills. n During play, staff frequently encourage children to practise counting objects and

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need to do better?

talk about numbers. For example, children add candles to their play dough cake and staff suggest they count them. However, at times, staff are not as confident in further extending children's mathematical understanding and offering more complex challenges to build on their learning. For example, on occasion, they do not recognise opportunities to help children gain an understanding of the link between a written number and quantity. n Children enjoy listening to stories. Staff read familiar books and enthusiastically act out the text. Children relish joining in and confidently repeat the last line of the text. Some children pre-empt the ending of the story and hide to jump out and surprise their peers. Subsequently, children are fostering a love of books. n Self-care skills are taught well. For example, staff use props to teach children how to clean their teeth. They give children toothbrushes and toothpaste to

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need to do better?

clean black marks from the crocodile's teeth. Staff teach children to wash their hands before they eat and after they visit the toilet, to help them adopt good hygiene routines.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n support staff to more consistently extend children's understanding of number and quantity and build further on their early mathematical skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY479015 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 10350974 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

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

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inspection

Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 19 Name of registered person Perry, Nicola

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reference number

Telephone number 07920 425117 Date of previous inspection 21 September 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Little Barn Pre-school registered in 2014. The pre-school is open during term time from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. The pre-school provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five members of staff. Of these, one holds early years teacher status, two members of staff hold a level 3 early years qualification and one holds a level 2 qualification.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider 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 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 The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation of a communication and language activity. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

3 July 2024 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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