Little Learners Nursery School

Rockets made from shapes, snacks toasted over a fire pit and beach trips give Little Learners Nursery School a recognisable character. These were experiences children enjoyed in May 2022, combining imaginative play with practical tasks and care for their surroundings.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 25 May 2022. Based at The Old Manse in Skegness, it accepts children aged 3 to 60 months. The strongest inspection examples involved children making decisions, sharing materials and trying tasks for themselves.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday activities become opportunities to build language, physical skills and relationships.

In May 2022, younger children mixed play dough, tipped flour, poured water and stirred with different spoons. This brought hand control and new vocabulary into the same activity. Books offered another route into language, with children copying animal sounds and connecting pictures with words.

Children's imaginative rocket-building included rhymes and unfamiliar vocabulary. At the fire pit, children cut bananas and worked out how to keep foil from blowing away. Beach trips introduced responsibility for local wildlife and the community. These examples show how practical experiences could give children something concrete to discuss and solve.

The May 2022 findings also identified a limitation: some practitioners concentrated too closely on their planned learning intention, missing other possibilities within children's play.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and staff able to identify children's next learning steps, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are dated judgements.

In May 2022, children sought reassurance from different members of staff, rather than relying on one adult alone. Practitioners knew their interests and personalities. Children also practised serving dinner, leaving enough for others and washing their hands before eating, bringing independence and consideration into everyday routines.

Communication needed closer attention. In May 2022, some parents received too little detail about their child's learning to continue the same support at home. The improvement priority was better sharing between key people and families, so nursery and home could work more consistently together.

The address is The Old Manse, 14 Lumley Avenue, Skegness, PE25 2AP. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week over Christmas.

In May 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two- and three-year-olds. That describes its offer at the time of the inspection.

• Communication with home. Sharing children's learning was a May 2022 improvement priority. A visit can explore how key people now explain next steps and connect them with activities at home.
• Learning beyond the plan. The May 2022 findings identified missed opportunities during some activities. Examples of staff following children's ideas would help families assess this aspect of practice.
• Funded attendance. Funded provision covered two- and three-year-olds in May 2022. Which entitlements and attendance arrangements apply to a new booking?

Little Learners suits families seeking an all-year nursery whose inspection examples combined language, imaginative play and practical independence. Its Good judgement dates to May 2022. The decision rests partly on how communication and staff responses to children's spontaneous ideas have developed since those improvement priorities were identified.