Little Willows Pre-School Warwickshire CIO

Inspection of Little Willows Pre-School Warwickshire CIO Warwickshire County Council, Nursery Premises, Franklin Road, Whitnash, Leamington Spa CV31 2JH

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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 flourish at this nurturing setting. Staff interactions with children are of a high quality. They engage children in activities and move their learning forward. Children display positive attitudes and are eager to join in with the planned experiences, which are based on their interests. Children show excitement when building towers with large light up blocks or using magnifying glasses to find bugs in the soil. Staff support children's emotional and physical well-being. For example, when children become upset because they are learning to share, staff offer strategies, such as sand timers, to help them understand and wait for their turn. Staff teach children about healthy lifestyles and support parents to provide children with healthy lunch box options.

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The provision is good

Staff follow a well-sequenced curriculum, with clear expectations of what they would want a typical child to achieve by the time they leave each age group. Staff identify next steps in children's learning together as a whole staff team. This allows support to be given to new practitioners, as well as using the strengths of all staff members' experiences and expertise, to provide experiences that move children forward in their learning.

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The provision is good

Staff provide children with an abundance of open-ended resources that spark their imaginations. There are loose parts with frames where children can create pictures and arrange objects to be anything they choose. Outside, children play 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?' with members of staff while others climb, ride bikes and chase bubbles.

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need to do better?

n Staff focus on the prime areas of learning for both age groups. There are opportunities for children to develop important physical skills through repetition. Staff use specific approaches to promote communication and language development. For example, there are visual cues in the cloakroom and the bathroom to remind children of what they need to do. Staff use signs and get down to the children's level when interacting with them. They use assessments to monitor the progress that children make in their communication, and there are books in all areas of the environment to further support children's communication and vocabulary through stories. n Staff teach children essential knowledge in mathematics. Children love to join in with number games and rhymes. However, sometimes, staff do not recognise the need to consolidate children's understanding of numbers up to 10 before they introduce larger numbers.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff offer children broad and varied experiences, such as forest school learning, going to the library and creative learning based on the Reggio

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need to do better?

23 January 2025 Emelia approach. This gives children opportunities to think creatively and critically. Staff are aware of children's previous experiences and add to their overall learning to build on what they already know and can do. n Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent, and this is a strength of the setting. Staff have a detailed understanding of what children need to learn next and what their specific targets are. Regular meetings with families ensure that all information is shared and referrals to external agencies are made at the earliest opportunity. There is a separate sensory room, where children can spend time if they are not ready to access small-group learning or need time to regulate. Children with SEND make accelerated progress. n Parents are extremely happy with the care and education that their children receive. They comment on how effective communication is, the support staff

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need to do better?

offer with toilet training, the information sharing and the encouragement for children with additional needs. They also share that staff go above and beyond for the children in their care. As a result, staff build supportive relationships with families. n Leaders work closely with the staff team to develop an effective overview of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement. Leaders have plans to continue to build on staff's knowledge and invest in their professional growth. Staff receive a thorough induction and know that leaders' doors are always open for support. n There is a small forest school learning area where children explore the bug hotels and 'bake' in the mud kitchen. All children wear a full waterproof suit so they can fully embrace the natural learning on offer. Children visit a local woodland area every week, where they follow a specific program of skills, working up to using an open fire. Children are taught how to stay safe, and staff

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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 recognise when to consolidate children's understanding of smaller numbers before moving them on.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2690324 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10367671 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 60 Number of children on roll 83 Name of registered person Little Willows Pre-School (Warwickshire) CIO

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reference number

Telephone number 01926425225 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Willows Pre-School Warwickshire CIO registered in 2022. A team of 12 staff are employed to work with the children. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 3. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, from 8am until 4.30pm, during term time only. The setting follows the Montessori and Reggio Emilia approaches.

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Inspection activities

n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n Staff spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. 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 inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager. 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

23 January 2025 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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