Little Discoveries : Frome

Inspection of Little Discoveries : Frome Frome Community College, Bath Road, Frome BA11 2HQ

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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

The warm and friendly staff greet the children with bright smiles and open arms. The children enter this engaging play environment feeling happy and eager to learn. They immerse themselves in their chosen activities. Staff work diligently to build strong relationships with the children, helping them feel safe and secure. They empower the children by consistently offering encouragement and praise. As a result, the children exhibit high levels of confidence and self-esteem.

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The provision is good

Staff maintain clear expectations for the children's learning, focusing on strengthening their personal, social and emotional skills. They use emotional language with the children, encouraging discussions about feelings. They listen attentively and validate the children's emotions, helping them understand their feelings and manage them positively. Children develop robust social skills that help them in forming close friendships. Staff encourage the children to vote on which activities they wish to do. The children count the votes in each group to determine which activity is the most popular. Older children confidently resolve conflicts and problem-solve independently, without adult support. Staff enforce clear behavioural expectations and provide gentle reminders to reinforce the pre-school's golden rules, creating a calm and nurturing learning environment.

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need to do better?

n All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points. The provider identifies children who may need extra support. They use additional funding to provide special resources and activities to support these children. For example, staff record English words onto electronic buttons with pictures. Children push these buttons and hear the word. This helps those children who are learning English as an additional language and children with speech delay. The staff work with parents and external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for all children. n Staff enhance children's communication and language skills. They continuously ask the children open-ended questions to spark discussions. Staff encourage the children to share their thoughts and ideas. Older children show high levels of confidence when communicating in larger groups. Staff continuously repeat

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need to do better?

words back to the children, using the correct pronunciation. They teach children new words and their meanings, which extends children's vocabulary further. n Children learn how to keep their body and teeth healthy. Every day at circle time, staff discuss oral health routines and why these are important. They talk about the impact that certain foods can have on their teeth and bodies. Staff help the children to be physically active. Children count how many star jumps they can do and march around the garden while singing songs. Staff encourage the children to feel how fast their heart rate is after exercise. This supports

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need to do better?

26 March 2025 children's overall health and well-being. n The enthusiastic staff team has begun implementing a new curriculum. Staff plan activities based on loose themes and the children's next stages of learning. Staff ensure children can access various materials and resources to extend their play and learning independently. However, staff do not always plan activities to stretch and challenge learning further, particularly for the oldest children. This means some children lose interest quickly. n Parents praise the knowledgeable and passionate staff for their continued advice and support. They feel involved and well informed about their children's learning and progress. Parents receive regular communication regarding their children's learning and development. Staff provide a range of sessions and training opportunities for parents. This helps parents to extend their knowledge and provides ideas on how to support learning at home. Staff welcome parents into

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need to do better?

the pre-school for special events, such as Mother's Day breakfast. n Overall, staff promote children's growing independence well. Older children serve themselves pre-cut snacks using tongs and use knives to spread butter on their crackers. Children tidy away the toys and are independent in their play. However, staff do not always support children's independence thoroughly, and routines are not implemented consistently, particularly for the younger children. n The newly appointed management team is continuously reflecting and evaluating the provision. The team conducts regular meetings with staff and provides company training days. It gathers feedback from staff and parents to highlight any areas for development. Staff feel well supported and enjoy working at the pre-school. They receive a wide range of continuous professional development and feedback. This provides the staff with opportunities to extend

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need to do better?

their knowledge and enhance their practice. The management team is dedicated to supporting staff's well-being. The team provides staff with appreciation rewards and has well-being support plans in place. This creates a compassionate working environment where all staff feel valued.

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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 plan consistent challenges for the most able children to extend their learning to the highest possible level n strengthen opportunities for children to further develop their independence and do things for themselves.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2711817 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10376621 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 37 Name of registered person Little Discoveries Childcare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01373 453838 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Discoveries: Frome registered in 2022. It is open from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. There are five staff members who work directly with the children, all of whom hold a relevant childcare qualification at level 2 or above. The pre-school provides government funded early years education for all eligible children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the leadership team completed a learning walk where they discussed the provision and the curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education during indoor and outdoor play and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection and completed a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the members of the leadership team to discuss how they self-evaluate the provision. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting. n The inspector spoke to a small number of parents during the inspection. n Children spoke to and engaged with the inspector during the inspection.

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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 March 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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