Little Acorns Pre-School Moulton

Inspection of Little Acorns Pre-School Moulton Moulton Community Centre, Sandy Hill, Reedings, Moulton, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN3 7AX

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Staff create a welcoming atmosphere, where children are happy and settled. Children arrive excited and eager to start their day. Staff know their key children well and form good bonds with them. Children display positive attitudes to their learning. They select where they want to learn from the range of activities that staff carefully plan for them. For example, children spend an extended time making cakes using conkers in the mud kitchen. They talk with their friends, counting how many cakes they each have in their pan. Children are confident to ask for support from all the staff, showing they feel safe and secure in their care.

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The provision is good

Staff are excellent role models. They support children to build caring and respectful relationships. At group time, staff remind children to listen to each other as they reflect on what they have learned during the morning. Staff support young children to share toys as they play in the sand tray. Older children wait patiently for their friends to climb the ladder as they take turns to go down the slide. Children learn the pre-school expectations and follow instructions well. For example, children tidy up when staff sound the tambourine and then sit down for group time. Children's behaviour is very good.

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need to do better?

n Managers plan a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. Staff use what they know about the children to help plan learning experiences, which focus on children's interests. For example, children pretend to make bread using the play dough. Staff plan activities for children to make their own bread and then eat it. Children engage well in this learning. n Staff monitor children's development and are prompt to identify gaps in learning. They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to plan and provide support. For instance, they use gestures and visual cues to help children understand routines and express their needs. This helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points. n Staff support children's communication and language development well. Children enjoy joining in songs and stories at group time. Staff use vocabulary such as

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need to do better?

'juicy' and 'sticky'. Children repeat these words to their friends as they cut and squeeze different fruits. Staff engage children in conversations, valuing and responding to what they say. This helps children to become confident communicators. n Overall, staff support children to be safe. They remind children to use 'walking legs' inside and to be careful of other children when riding the scooters. However, in some instances, such as children walking up the slide in socks, staff intervene too quickly by telling them they could slip and fall. Therefore, children

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need to do better?

18 September 2025 do not learn how to assess and manage their own risks. n Managers and staff work together as a committed team. They communicate well and contribute to the smooth running of the pre-school. Managers support staff to deliver the curriculum, such as through regular meetings and giving feedback on their practice. This helps staff to know how to best support children to reach the next stage in their learning. Staff mention that they feel valued and listened to and that the pre-school is a 'wonderful' place to work. n Overall, parents are very happy with the care their children receive. They have daily communications about their child's day. Parents talk about how staff have supported them with toilet training. However, staff do not provide parents with information about their children's next steps or how they can further support children's learning at home. This reduces parents' opportunities to fully support

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need to do better?

and extend learning at home. n Staff support children to develop their physical skills. Children crawl through small spaces on a climbing frame, balance on scooters and use the pedals on a tricycle. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their hand-eye coordination, such as pouring and scooping water into containers. These skills help children to develop their independence when pouring water into a glass at snack time.

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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 children to manage and assess their own risks during play to further enhance their learning n provide parents with information about their children's progress and how they can support and extend learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY548544 Local authority West Northamptonshire Inspection number 10399569 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 44 Name of registered person Little Acorns Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 01604 499697 Date of previous inspection 5 December 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Little Acorns Pre-School Moulton registered in 2017. It operates from the village of Moulton, Northamptonshire. There are six staff at the pre-school who work with the children. Of these, three have early years qualifications at level 3 and one has a level 6 early years degree. The manager holds early years teacher status. The pre- school operates term time only, providing various sessions between 8am and 4.15pm. The pre-school provides funded early education.

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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 children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. 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 observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector spoke with children during the inspection. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation and discussed the learning.

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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

18 September 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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