Little Buddies Pre-School

Inspection of Little Buddies Pre-School Church Hall, Homefield Avenue, LOWESTOFT, Suffolk NR33 9BU

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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The provision is inadequate

Leaders have limited capacity to improve the pre-school. Since the last inspection, despite addressing some areas, leaders have not done enough and key weaknesses remain. As a result, children are still not receiving a good enough early education. Staff deployment is weak at times and interactions between staff and children vary. Children receive mixed messages about safety and behaviour. Staff do not always support children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others, and some behaviour goes unchecked. Staff do not consistently reinforce rules or expectations. This affects children's ability to manage their own behaviour and understand boundaries.

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The provision is inadequate

Planning is in place. However, the curriculum is not implemented well enough. Leaders do not ensure that staff's teaching is consistent or reflects what children need to learn next. Activities often lack purpose and are not matched to children's individual needs. This leads to low engagement and does not enable all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make the progress they should.

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The provision is inadequate

Children do enjoy time outdoors and access healthy snacks and meals. However, staff do not always promote hygiene routines well. They often fail to remind children to wipe their noses or cover their mouths when they cough. These missed moments reduce opportunities to support children's independence and awareness of healthy habits.

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need to do better?

n Staff do not manage risk in line with leaders' expectations. They do not always act with confidence or authority in managing risky play. For example, when children ride a bike over an obstacle course made from plastic crates and wooden planks, staff tell children this is not safe, but children ignore this and continue anyway. Staff try to remove the bike but give up when children refuse to let go. Children then continue to ride their bike down the plank of wood. This means that children receive mixed messages about what is safe and learn they can ignore rules without consequence. As a result, they miss vital chances to learn how to assess danger, manage risk safely and follow instructions. n Staff do not uphold boundaries consistently, which means that children are unclear about rules and routines. For example, at lunchtime, children leave the table without eating much. Staff do not notice as they are busy helping others.

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need to do better?

They then clear children's food away without encouraging them to return or supporting them to eat more. n Planned learning is not delivered effectively by staff and leaders do not do enough to monitor the implementation of the curriculum. For instance, during

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need to do better?

20 June 2025 group activities on the carpet area, children become distracted and restless as other staff members move away to carry out other jobs. Staff do not recognise this or re-position themselves to support the children. Instead, the flow of the activity is repeatedly interrupted as staff remind the children to 'sit nicely'. n Staff do not support babies adequately to develop their early communication skills. Babies look at books but lose interest quickly. Staff give little language input or encouragement to keep babies engaged. Instead, they follow them passively around the rooms without using focused language or modelling key words, which they had previously identified as being their next steps in learning. Staff explain they focus on reading to babies when they feel tired and are ready to sleep. This reactive approach limits chances for young children to develop a love of books and stories. As a result, babies miss vital chances to hear language

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need to do better?

in context, build vocabulary and develop early attention and listening skills. Despite this, staff promote communication and language with older children through songs and group time. Children join in with welcome songs, use rhythm sticks and follow actions. These routines build confidence, memory and speech. n Staff know what their key children need but lack this understanding for others. As a result, children miss out when their key person is not available. Even when staff know children's next steps in learning, they do not use this to guide their teaching. n Leaders consider the interests of children when spending additional funding. They aim to provide children with a variety of experiences they may not otherwise have. This includes trips to local gymnastics club and visits from the police and the dentist.

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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

ensure that all staff have the confidence and knowledge to manage children's behaviour, and support children to understand and follow rules to keep themselves safe 11/07/2025

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Due date

20 June 2025 improve and monitor the implementation of learning experiences, to ensure staff deliver an ambitious curriculum for all that builds on children's existing knowledge and skills. 11/07/2025

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should:

n strengthen hygiene practices in order to teach children the importance of personal hygiene.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY350350 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10360748 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 24 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person Wright, Katherine Frances

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reference number

Telephone number 07906409418 Date of previous inspection 28 June 2024

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Information about this early years setting

Little Buddies Pre-School registered in 2007. It is privately owned and operates from a church hall in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The setting employs six members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including the owner who holds early years professional status. The setting operates on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9am until 3pm, and on Thursday from 9am until 12 midday, during term time only. The setting provides government funded early education for all eligible children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the pre-school and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children interacted with the inspectors during the inspection. n The inspector carried out joint observations with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector.

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Inspection activities

20 June 2025 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

20 June 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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