Little Poppets Preschool

Inspection of Little Poppets Preschool Elm Park Assembly Hall, Eyhurst Avenue, HORNCHURCH RM12 4RA

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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

Staff help children to flourish and feel safe at the pre-school. Friendly managers and staff greet parents and children as they enter. The children are eager, and they show their excitement to start the day. As children self-register their attendance, they each receive a warm individual greeting from staff. Children show their developing confidence. For example, staff provide opportunities for children to 'show and tell' to their friends about an object of interest that they bring from home. Children demonstrate they are learning to communicate in a reassuring environment.

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The provision is good

Overall, managers plan a curriculum that is ambitious and enables children to follow their interests. The pre-school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. Staff work well in partnership with parents and external agencies. The managers focus on school readiness and forge meaningful links with local schools. This supports consistency in the support that children receive in their education. Managers spend early years pupil premium appropriately. Children benefit from sports sessions with a sports specialist. This promotes the development of their large-muscle movements, supporting a healthier lifestyle. Generally, children behave well. They play nicely with their friends and demonstrate kindness. The children line up patiently to wash their hands, and then, with encouragement, they wait for a seat at the snack table.

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need to do better?

n The children demonstrate early engagement with reading. Staff provide a good range of quality reading books. The children engage well with stories, rhymes and songs. Children enjoy selecting books and respond positively to adults' storytelling and interactions. They are developing a keen interest in literacy. n Overall, the curriculum is sequenced effectively to support children's learning. But managers do not carefully promote and plan for some key skills that older children need to develop. For example, the older children's curriculum is not developing their independent skills further in preparation for the next step in their education. n The key-person system is effective. Staff build warm and nurturing relationships with the children. Staff know all the children well. Children enjoy snuggling up with staff as they listen to stories. Staff work closely with parents, and this supports children's emotional health and well-being. Children form secure,

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need to do better?

trusting relationships with familiar adults who understand their individual needs. n Staff observe and assess children's motor skills and plan children's next steps in physical development effectively. Children enjoy developing their small- and large-motor skills. For example, some children empty and fill containers in the water tray and others use instruments to express themselves musically. Some

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need to do better?

1 July 2025 children make straight and circular marks as they paint. Children receive encouragement and have access to good resources to develop their physical skills further. n Staff very often praise children's positive behaviour. At times, children need extra support to manage their behaviour, for example, when they are running around in the hall. At these times, some staff do not intervene or explain to children the setting's expectations for children's behaviour. This means that children are not consistently learning to self-regulate and fully understand the consequences of their actions. n The managers value staff and support their well-being. However, they do not fully consider ways to help staff enhance their teaching skills and practise to a consistently high level. For example, the managers do not use the current arrangements for staff supervision sessions fully to identify staff's strengths and

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need to do better?

areas of development. n Staff promote children's health. Children bring their own lunches, and staff work hard with parents to encourage healthy foods. The managers provide healthy snacks, which include an assortment of fruits. Children learn about the importance of maintaining their health and taking care of their bodies. n Partnership with parents is effective. Parents comment that staff are approachable, and parents value this. Parents praise staff for the quality of the daily updates they provide about their children's development. Parents comment on how children have become more confident since attending the pre-school.

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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 strengthen teaching practice to develop staff's understanding of the key independent skills for older children n help staff to support children's understanding of behavioural expectations and boundaries to further promote children's self-regulation n promote staff's skills and knowledge further by establishing effective coaching, training and mentoring strategies.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2725674 Local authority Havering Inspection number 10394475 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 20 Number of children on roll 35 Name of registered person Hunt, Sandra

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reference number

Telephone number 07731116247 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Little Poppets Preschool re-registered in 2023. It is located in Hornchurch, London Borough of Havering. The pre-school is open term-time only, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school currently employs six members of childcare staff. Of whom, one holds an appropriate childcare qualification at level 5, three hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 3, and there are two unqualified members of staff. The setting offers government funded places.

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Inspection activities

n One 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 observed the quality of teaching and carried out two joint observations with one manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed children's activities and staff's teaching, inside and outdoors. n The inspector spoke to staff at convenient times and assessed their safeguarding knowledge. n The inspector observed the interactions between the staff and the children.

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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

1 July 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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