Little Stars Pre-School

Little Stars Pre-School

Unique reference number (URN): 2855552 Address: Scoutlands, 20 Evelegh Road, PORTSMOUTH, PO6 1DL Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 12/08/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: LS Pre-School 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 Expected standard

Children build their confidence and communication well. They are becoming increasingly able to express themselves and share what they know. Children with barriers to their learning improve their ability to self-regulate, showing growing control over their emotions and behaviour. They develop their toileting skills and manage transitions with increasing independence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Across the setting, children of all ages develop their independence. Younger children begin to use spoons to serve themselves snacks, while older children put on their own coats and fetch the equipment they need to play. They show patience and take turns, responding appropriately to the clear rules staff communicate.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children demonstrate confidence in their learning. They talk about what they know. They bring items from home to share with their peers, such as toys linked to a specified topic. They confidently stand up and talk about their toys in front of the wider group. These experiences help children build the confidence and independence they need to successfully start school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff monitor children's attendance daily. They model calm, consistent behaviour. They encourage children to work together and share ideas. Staff intervene quickly if children's play becomes boisterous. They help children understand boundaries. For example, supportive staff encourage children to ask how their peers are feeling. Staff establish rules with children that support their ability to sit, listen and attend. This prepares children for their transition to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff communicate effectively with parents to ensure children are supported during toilet training. Staff use visual cues to help children develop the confidence and skills needed to use the toilet appropriately. Staff ensure these routines are embedded and predictable. Staff help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) move between activities calmly and safely. They help children with SEND anticipate changes or transitions by giving clear warnings and modelling what will happen next.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff use the environment well to further strengthen children's understanding of rules. For example, staff place coloured shapes around the setting. These shapes indicate areas that are out of bounds or prompt children about which resources are available to play with. Staff remind children about the meaning of each shape. These visual prompts help children follow expectations, make safe choices and develop their independence.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders' oversight ensures that staff provide care to support children's welfare and wellbeing. Staff make healthy snacks available. They highlight the nutritious foods that children bring in for lunch. This teaches children about the importance of a healthy diet. Staff are vigilant at lunchtimes to ensure children are eating food free from allergens. Staff also teach children about oral hygiene. They help children brush their teeth after lunch. Staff use praise and encouragement effectively. This helps children to redirect their attention and build confidence when tackling tasks independently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff support children to wash their hands before and after eating. They communicate sensitively to all children to ensure those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are able to participate in these routines. Staff work well with parents to ensure children's toileting routines are followed sensitively.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff show knowledge of children's individual emotional needs. This helps children with SEND make progress with their social skills. However, at times, staff do not maintain consistent awareness of quieter children who are playing independently. This means that, on occasion, children play for too long without adult or peer interaction. This does not support children's social development to its fullest.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders devise a broad curriculum that focuses on preparing children for the next stages in their education. Staff place emphasis on developing children's independence and self-help skills. Staff support children to complete tasks for themselves. For example, they encourage children to wash their hands and tidy away. In addition, staff develop children's mathematical knowledge with observations about shape and number that are woven into daily activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff create engaging activities that teach children important skills. For example, staff teach children about caring for the natural world and their local environment. Staff support children to identify deliberately placed clean litter in the garden and clear it using litter pickers. Staff link this activity to previous learning about recycling, waste and the environment. Children then independently apply their new understanding in a different context. For example, children tidy the playground of litter without being asked.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff use a range of communication strategies with children. These support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to understand others and express their wants more clearly. However, staff do not consistently develop all children's language or extend their thinking. On occasion, more confident or quieter children play alone for sustained periods of time. This does not create consistent opportunities for children to extend their learning and development.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff communicate clearly with children and speak in positive, uplifting voices. They talk to children at their eye level and slow their pace of speech to support understanding. Staff use some Makaton signing to provide visual support for instructions. Staff also follow specialist advice to strengthen children's communication and comprehension. For example, they develop visual resources which help children anticipate transitions between activities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff identify children's individual needs through observation and professional discussions. Leaders regularly review what children know and can do. They track children's progress and set next steps for their ongoing development. However, individual plans do not always provide enough detail about the skills that need to be taught. As a result, on occasion staff do not know the specifics of how to best support their key children further.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders adapt the provision to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have recently introduced photo cards to strengthen communication with children who have barriers to their learning. Such approaches are not yet fully embedded, so the impact is not consistently evident across the setting. However, initial use of these communication techniques has helped children with SEND to self- regulate and communicate their choices more clearly.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Since their last inspection, leaders have built on the provision to strengthen how information is gathered about children's starting points. For example, leaders now ensure there are clearer systems for gathering and recording information about children's ongoing development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing. They have an open-door policy where staff can freely ask for advice. Staff have opportunities to develop their skills and report feeling well supported. In addition, leaders provide staff with regular supervision. They review staff practice and provide feedback to improve the quality of teaching. However, there remain occasional gaps in staff's knowledge of children's next steps and some inconsistencies in teaching practice. This shows that leaders have not yet secured consistently effective practice for all children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders monitor attendance through daily registers. These contain additional information about daily drop-off and collection arrangements. This helps leaders to build a picture of attendance for each child, which is constantly monitored to ensure children's wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure staff contribute to assessments for every child. For example, staff complete the written progress check for children aged 2 which is shared with parents for feedback.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents value the close relationships they have with staff. Leaders encourage teamwork between parents, key persons and professionals. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, prepare for the transition to school and communicate more easily.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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

Children use a range of communication methods to express themselves. Younger children talk about what they are drawing. Pre-school-age children are confident talkers. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) bring trusted adults to the resources they need, communicating their wants and needs. Children with SEND develop the skills to respond to staff who communicate with speech, signs and visual information.

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

Children enjoy helping their peers. They use their imaginations and become engrossed in their play. Children develop their fine motor skills and creativity using play dough and chalk. Outdoors, children eagerly take part in structured activities such as 'clean' litter picking. This supports their growing understanding of how to care for their environment. Children develop their gross motor skills by playing football and taking part in races. Children investigate how to care for their environment as staff talk to them about waste and pollution. Children also learn about their local community through visits to the nearby care home.

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

Children, including those with SEND, develop positive relationships with friendly, caring staff. This helps children to feel welcome and safe. Children develop the confidence to try things by themselves. For example, children put on their coats or serve their own snack with support. Staff encourage children to use their emerging independence rather than relying on adults to do things for them. For example, children follow advice from staff to use steps safely to retrieve their dropped items.

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

Children show an interest in books, eagerly listening to group stories or exploring pages independently. Children cooperate well. They sit, listen and follow instructions to help them

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Address:

Scoutlands 20 Evelegh Road PORTSMOUTH PO6 1DL

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: LS Pre-School Limited stay safe. They play well in team games and take turns. This allows everyone a chance to join in. Children clearly understand what is expected of them. Staff communicate rules and positive behaviour consistently well. This creates a harmonious atmosphere in which children can achieve.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen key persons' understanding of the precise skills their key children need to develop next. Leaders should strengthen staff practice so that all children are consistently supported to develop their language and social skills during play.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator and parents.

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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. Register(s): EYR, CCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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