Mini Mice Pre-School

Inspection of Mini Mice Pre-School 7 Alton Road, BOURNEMOUTH BH10 4AA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision requires improvement

Children demonstrate they feel secure and confident. They enjoy sharing their thoughts and experiences with visitors. For example, children confidently talk about their friends and staff they like to play with. They share photos from home about their interests and the people who are special to them. This helps children to build relationships and to feel safe.

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The provision requires improvement

Leaders design their curriculum with independence, inspiration and individuality at its heart. This has some success to promote children's independence. For example, in the morning session, children unpack their snack on arrival and put it in a basket with their name tag on top. This also helps children to recognise their name. Children have autonomy to choose their snack time and prepare their own food. Staff sensitively support children who need more help to chop or peel their fruit. This helps some children to make progress in some aspects of the curriculum.

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The provision requires improvement

However, there are weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum. Leaders do not ensure the curriculum is applied consistently for all children. This inconsistency means that some children are not fully supported to make the progress they are capable of. For example, children who attend in the afternoon do not experience the well-planned and broad range of activities offered in the morning session, such as trips off the premises. At times, they are not engaged well and lack stimulation, so they become unsettled and restless.

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need to do better?

n Although leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum, they do not ensure that staff deliver it successfully throughout the day to ensure children are supported to make good progress consistently. For example, during the afternoon sessions, staff pack away many of the resources. This means children have limited choices about their learning and lack focus. The remaining resources do not capture their interest, and children do not have enough opportunities to be creative and imaginative. In addition, staff expect children to remain in one place for too long during adult-led activities. During these times, some children become disengaged and do not demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, such as high levels of curiosity and enjoyment. n Leaders do not ensure that staff always organise changes in routine well so that children fully benefit from the learning opportunities offered. For example, children listen to the story 'Owl Babies'. They are excited by the story and it is

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need to do better?

well known to them. However, other children arrive back from a walk during story time and this interrupts children's concentration. They become distracted, and some children miss key opportunities to develop their early literacy skills. n During the morning session, staff use their knowledge gained through recent

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need to do better?

26 November 2024 training to help children benefit from stretching and breathing techniques. These help children to tune in to how they are feeling, support their emotional well- being and help them understand how to regulate their bodies. For example, children blow on their hot chocolate to develop breathing exercises. They enjoy doing this, and the activity promotes children's communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. Overall, children behave well even during times where they have to wait for prolonged periods, such as preparation for lunch. n Staff help children to use new vocabulary in their play. For example, children learn vocabulary such as 'nocturnal'. They learn about owls and their sleeping habits. Children reflect on their previous learning and remember that owls are nocturnal. During the morning, children make their own play dough. They roll short and long sausages, and make them into 'snails'. Children use the play

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need to do better?

dough in their role play. They demonstrate good imaginative skills when they pretend to make a giant chocolate cake and share it with friends. n Staff work with parents well. They complete visits to the home to build a strong bond with parents. Staff share any assessments they make with parents that may identify children who are not on track in their learning. Leaders work well with other professionals and are quick to seek support, which enables children to receive timely intervention where needed. However, the weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum mean that children do not always have the support they need to make the best possible progress in their learning. n Staff take children on walks in the community during some sessions. Children learn how to cross a road safely when they walk together to a community space in the trees. They enjoy building dens and spotting birds and squirrels. Staff

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need to do better?

provide props to help children identify the birds. However, they sometimes fail to use these effectively to help children gain more knowledge about their natural world. Despite this, children who attend these sessions return inspired about the outdoors and this promotes their learning and development.

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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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Due date

26 November 2024 consider the individual needs, interests, and development of each child in their care and use this information to plan broad, challenging, and enjoyable experiences for all children that support them to make the progress they are capable of in all areas of learning and development 31/01/2025

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Due date

provide training and support for staff to enable them to deliver well-planned, high-quality learning experiences consistently that provide all children with the learning experiences they need to make good progress across the seven areas of learning. 21/02/2025

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should:

n organise the daily routines more effectively to ensure a smoother transition between changes in activities so that children are not kept waiting too long and remain engaged and motivated.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2696100 Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Inspection number 10363708 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 49 Name of registered person Haigh, Danielle

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reference number

Telephone number 07717842699 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Mini Mice Pre-School registered in 2022 and is located in Bournemouth. The pre- school employs 11 members of staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two hold a level 2. The pre-school opens term time only, from 8.45am to 2.45pm, Monday to Friday. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector carried out a learning walk with the manager and discussed how the curriculum is delivered. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this has on children's learning. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector spoke with the leadership team about the leadership and management of the setting. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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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

26 November 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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