Mini Mice Pre-School

Inspection of Mini Mice Pre-School 7 Alton Road, BOURNEMOUTH BH10 4AA

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children build strong bonds with staff and respond positively to their warm welcome. Staff get to know children well and clearly value each child as an individual. Staff provide a broad curriculum that focuses on supporting children's independence and helps them prepare well for school. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. They provide an inclusive environment where all children make achievements and feel welcomed. Children play cooperatively and recognise the established boundaries. Older children act as good role models and readily help their younger friends, such as by finding some paper for them to draw their pictures on.

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The provision is good

Staff plan activities around children's interests, such as a favourite book, and children enjoy learning through their play. For example, children have fun developing their understanding of the world and sensory skills as they explore the sand and water play. Staff ask children about the toy sea creatures hidden in the water, such as a shark, whale or starfish. Children know sharks don't have legs but that an octopus does, and they count these confidently. They dig in the sand and scoop this into a bucket, telling a visitor it is a 'strawberry sand porridge'.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff work very well together as a team and have worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. They have reflected well on their practice and use staff's skills more effectively. As a team, they continue to develop their professional knowledge. They have raised their understanding of how to help children recognise and learn ways to manage their emotions, such as when separating from parents on arrival. n Staff help children learn about keeping fit, safe and healthy. For example, children like going on outings with staff to the beach. They meet the lifeguards and learn about water safety. Staff encourage children to try a range of fruits, such as figs, satsumas or mangoes. They have fun using up their energy as they jump up and down excitedly to a favourite song about monkeys falling off the bed. Younger children show great pride as they climb up the low climbing wall and then down and over the ladder frames independently.

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need to do better?

n Children behave well. Staff keep clear, consistent expectations that help children feel secure, knowing what will happen next. They help children understand how to share toys and manage taking turns. n Children develop their communication and language skills very well. Staff are skilled at encouraging children's discussions through their play. Children start to form long sentences to describe their ideas. For example, they say, 'We need to wear hats to keep the sun out of our eyes when it's hot.' Children tell a visitor that the shaving foam feels 'soft' and that the play dough is 'squidgy'. They

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need to do better?

19 September 2025 excitedly anticipate what happens next as they join in with a favourite song about a turtle and sing 'bubble, bubble, bubble and pop!' n Staff monitor children's progress and identify their next steps of development. They plan a good variety of motivating activities that help children to achieve in their play. For example, children develop their imaginations and their physical coordination and fine motor skills well. They concentrate well, squeezing and rolling play dough, and use different tools, such as a pastry wheel, to make patterns and shapes for their creations. Children say, 'Here is a big heart shape to go on the chocolate pizza we have made.' However, staff do not always organise some group activities, such as circle time, to meet children's differing concentration levels and engage them fully in the activity. n Staff form good partnerships with parents and keep them well informed of their

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need to do better?

children's achievements each day. Parents speak highly of staff, saying they are 'amazing' and very supportive to their families. They comment that their children settle in pre-school very happily and make good progress from when they start. n Staff encourage children's early counting skills well overall. For example, children sort and match the colourful toy bears and count how many are in each group. They sing a favourite song about the 'green and speckled frogs that jump off a speckled log' and count how many frogs are left. Children gain confidence with counting and begin to instantly recognise how many objects are in a group, but staff do not always build on these skills to help them see how the written number links to quantity. n Children enjoy a wide range of exciting experiences that help to build on their cultural capital. For example, staff take children to the library to support their enjoyment of stories, or to the theatre to see a Christmas show. They go on

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need to do better?

visits to a local school and share activities with the children there. This helps children develop the life skills that will prepare them for their future learning.

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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 review and improve the organisation of group activities, such as circle times, to support all children's concentration levels and engage them in learning consistently well n make more use of opportunities to help children learn about linking written numbers and quantity to develop their early mathematical awareness even further.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2696100 Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Inspection number 10383419 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 34 Number of children on roll 25 Name of registered person Haigh, Danielle

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reference number

Telephone number 07717842699 Date of previous inspection 26 November 2024

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Information about this early years setting

Mini Mice Pre-School re-registered in 2022 and is located in Bournemouth. The pre- school employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and four hold qualifications at level 2. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, from 8.45am to 2.45pm, term time only. The pre- school receives government funding.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the manager undertook a learning walk and discussed the curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector observed children's interactions in play, indoors and outdoors, and had discussions with staff about the children's learning and their next steps of development. n The inspector viewed documentation, such as proof of suitability for staff and safeguarding records. n The inspector and the manager completed a joint observation of an activity and discussed the quality of education provided. n The inspector took into account the spoken views of parents.

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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

19 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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