Coventry pre-school where children 'transition well' praised by Ofsted

A preschool in Coventry where children feel 'safe and secure' as they 'confidently explore' their environment and 'enthusiastically' share with other people has received praise from Ofsted. Children 'behave well' and 'listen to each other' at Little Potters Pre-School on Wigston Road in Walsgrave.

Inspectors visited the school on Thursday, June 6. The preschool has received an overall 'Good' rating and has retained its 'good' status since before the Covid pandemic.

Inspectors say children are 'warmly welcomed' into the 'inclusive' preschool where staff and leaders know their children and families well. They focus strongly on meeting all children's needs and supporting their emotional well-being, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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The children are active, motivated learners who thrive when attending. Staff plan learning environments around their interests to support and build on their learning and development. Children are highly motivated as they explore the outdoors, such as using the water dispenser to pour water into their sandmix or using various tools to make 'pretend cakes' for their friends. This helps develop their physical skills.

Staff foster a mutually respectful environment with children. When children become overly excited, staff remind them to be kind and help them understand what is expected of them. They also play games with the children, for example, they count together the steps they need to reach the 'pretend wolf'. This helps children develop social skills when playing with others.

All the staff work closely with families to find out previous experiences children have already had. The team reflects and adapts the curriculum, experiences, and environment to support the next steps. For example, staff provide opportunities for children to learn how to care for animals where they experience how to care for duck eggs and watch them hatch and grow. This helps them with rich learning experiences, supporting their understanding of the world.

Staff and parent relationships are 'strong', inspectors noticed. Staff adapt how they share information to be fully inclusive for all families that attend. Parents comment positively about the care their children receive and the support staff provide for their individual cases. Staff also share regularly with parents what their children are learning in pre-school and how they can support children's learning at home.

On the other hand, support for children with SEND is 'highly effective'. They work closely with external agencies and professionals to help children with SEND make progress. Staff use various strategies to help children with their learning, for example, they offer a dedicated sensory area that they adapt to meet the children's needs, such as providing a swing that allows them time to calm down.

In addition, staff support children with transitions, which helps them adapt well to change. The preschool provides a tailored and flexible settling-in process to meet the individual needs of children. Staff also promote children's confidence and self-care routines effectively, which prepares them well for going to school.

Children also enjoy listening to stories read by staff. Staff use puppets and props during the story to help bring meaning to the pictures, where children join in with familiar parts of the story. This promotes their learning and communication skills and develops their use of vocabulary.

Early Years Teacher, Laura Moreland at Little Potters Pre-School said: "We are extremely delighted to have retained our good Ofsted rating. Since our last inspection, we have dealt with a worldwide pandemic, which we are still seeing the implications of in our children, for example, communication difficulties and personal social and emotional struggles.

"We are proud of the relationships we build with all families within our setting, we foster a fully inclusive environment where families can drop in or give us a ring about anything that is troubling them. We also aim to give all of the children in our care opportunities and experiences they might not otherwise be able to take part in.

"As a setting, we have a certain number of children with differing and complex SEND needs, we have good working relationships with outside professionals and have high expectations for these children to thrive and develop."

To view the full Ofsted report and previous inspections at Little Potters Pre-School, visit the Ofsted website.

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