Curious Little Minds Preschool

Curious Little Minds Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2776153 Address: St. Richards Church, Collingwood Road, Goring-by-sea, Worthing, BN12 6HZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 27/02/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: The Little Childcare Group Limited

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Needs attention

Although children enjoy attending the pre-school, they do not always make the progress from their starting points that they are capable of. However, children delight in the praise they receive when successfully reaching a goal, such as pulling up a zip for the first time. Children like to engage in conversations, which supports their emerging vocabulary and social skills. Children invite staff to join them in activities, such as when searching for toy dinosaurs hidden in the sand. However, these experiences can be inconsistent as there are times when staff are busy with routines, such as tidying or changing nappies, and do not effectively extend children's learning. This means that children can lack direction in their learning or do not have the opportunity to consistently build on their existing knowledge. This does not fully prepare children for the next stage in their learning, such as going to

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff deployment across the pre-school is inconsistent. This means that strategies and routines that are intended to meet children's individual needs are not implemented consistently or quickly enough. Children can occasionally disengage from their learning and play, which can have a negative impact on their behaviour.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Staff are kind and respectful and form warm bonds with children. They are positive role models and generally have high expectations for children's behaviour, such as taking turns and sharing toys. Staff offer praise and encouragement when children are considerate and kind to each other. This approach supports children's positive self-esteem and confidence. However, staff do not yet have the necessary skills to tackle unwanted behaviours, and this means that some negative actions are not swiftly or effectively challenged. Consequently, there are some children who do not learn the impact that their behaviour is having on others or face consequences for their actions.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention

Leaders work with parents and carers to promote positive attendance at the pre-school. They check the reason for any unexplained absence in order to support regular patterns of attendance. They provide information to parents, such as the link between positive future outcomes and regular attendance.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Generally, staff support some transitions. However, there are times when some younger children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities struggle to understand what is happening next. This can unsettle them and cause them to occasionally hit out at other children.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Staff are patient and kind. They ensure that children who become upset or unsettled are soothed and comforted. They offer cuddles, and children respond warmly toward them. Staff follow positive hygiene routines and teach children to be independent in their self-care, such as finding a tissue to blow their nose. Children demonstrate high levels of independence. They are eager to tidy away the toys that they have been playing with in anticipation of what will happen next.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention

Children are beginning to develop an awareness of their emotions, and staff use books and discussions to support this. Staff have a sound knowledge of children's dietary needs and the procedures that need to be followed for children who have allergies or medical needs. Staff ensure that routines, such as mealtimes, are used to develop children's awareness of healthy lifestyles. Overall, children demonstrate that they are happy and feel safe and secure in the pre-school.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teaching is variable, and not all staff have a sound understanding of how to implement the curriculum effectively to cater for the individual learning needs of all children. Teaching can be generalised and not always purposeful. This means that children's learning can sometimes be incidental and not always suited to each child's age and stage of development. For example, very young children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are often expected to follow the same routines as older, more capable children. Consequently, some children lose interest or do not understand what is expected of them. They wander around and do not always engage in purposeful play and activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum design covers all areas of learning, and children's general learning needs are met. Children are happy to arrive at the pre-school and keen to engage in a variety of experiences. Staff weave mathematics into routines, such as counting out cutlery and cups at snack time. They use language, such as 'more' and 'less', when children are playing with the sand in the garden. Children have regular opportunities to run around outside and balance on obstacles, which supports their physical skills. They use tweezers to support the small muscles in their hands.

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Inclusion Needs attention

There is a general inclusive culture. However, staff have yet to consistently implement the appropriate support that some children need. Leaders have an awareness of children's individual backgrounds and needs, such as those children who speak English as an additional language or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Inclusion Needs attention

Staff work well with the families of children with SEND and those children who speak English as an additional language. They help to identify gaps in children's learning and development and work with outside professionals to plan some interventions for children. Leaders ensure that staff have received the appropriate training, which supports them in their practice and helps them in their confidence. Despite this, there are times when the delivery of the curriculum for children who face barriers to their learning can be inconsistent. For example, despite staff being able to identify children's individual needs, ineffective staff deployment means that some children do not always receive the correct responses and play opportunities.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders use additional funding to provide more targeted support for some children, such as building an outside shelter for children who prefer to play and learn outside. They purchase sensory resources to meet the emotional and unique learning needs of some children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are aware that some areas need improvement, such as increasing the knowledge of the staff team, and they take measures to address this through offering regular training. However, the most urgent areas for improvement have not yet been addressed, such as the balance of staffing so that the needs of all children can be met effectively. For example, there are some less-experienced members of staff who do not yet have the skills to fully ensure that all children's learning and development needs are met. This means that some children do not consistently receive the same level of learning as others. Leaders have not ensured that the knowledge staff gain from training is used in everyday practice at the pre- school.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders work with outside agencies and parents and carers to support children's and family's needs. Parents feed back that they feel that staff know their children well. They mention that staff encourage regular attendance. Generally, the pre-school's recruitment procedures are robust. Any identified gaps in staff's suitability to work with children are swiftly addressed. For example, staff who have not yet been fully vetted are not allowed unsupervised contact with children.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders plan supervision meetings to help staff manage their roles and ensure that their workloads are balanced. Staff feed back that they feel supported and enjoy coming to work. They receive regular meetings, which help them to reflect on their work. Staff who are working towards further qualifications are given appropriate time and support to achieve this.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

The level of teaching is not consistent across all staff. This means that, at times, some children are not actively encouraged to engage in play and other activities. This leads to children wandering around and occasionally becoming unsettled. Furthermore, effective strategies to deal with unwanted behaviours are not consistent and do not fully support children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Overall, staff are enthusiastic in their roles, which positively impacts children's attitudes to learning. However, leaders have not yet provided the necessary guidance to support the less-experienced staff members to implement the curriculum. As a result, some children do not constantly acquire the skills that are needed to support the next stage in their learning.

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Inspector:

Tina Lambert Children form close bonds with staff and with other children. They enjoy their time at the pre- school. Leaders actively promote regular attendance, which helps with children's future outcomes and prepares them for the next stage in learning, such as going to school. Staff know children and their families well and gather important details, such as their likes and dislikes and important routines. They use this information to help children to settle quickly into the pre-school's routine. Staff are aware of children's unique learning needs, such as those children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are aware that some children need additional support to close any gaps in children's learning and development. Children are generally well behaved and form positive friendships with other children. They learn to share toys and

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

provide guidance and support for those staff who are less experienced or less qualified to support them to competently implement their roles. 10/02/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that staffing arrangements meet the individual learning needs of all the children who attend the setting. 10/02/2026

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Action Completion Date

ensure that all staff gain a secure understanding of their responsibilities to managing children's behaviour and managing the routines for the youngest children so that all children have their emotional needs met. 10/02/2026

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to leaders, staff, children and parents and carers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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Address:

St. Richards Church Collingwood Road, Goring-by-sea Worthing BN12 6HZ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: The Little Childcare Group Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:30

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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