Little Learners Pre-School

Water experiments in a purpose-built wet room and soup-making over an outdoor fire pit give Little Learners Pre-School a recognisable character. These were part of children's experiences in May 2022, combining hands-on exploration with opportunities to practise language and independence.

Ofsted judged the pre-school Good on 23 May 2022. On Lincoln Road in Skegness, it has capacity for 48 children; children attending at that visit were aged three to four.

In May 2022, the wet room gave children opportunities to investigate water flow using apparatus, funnels and buckets. Comparing containers introduced ideas about capacity, while painting walls, hands and feet opened up different ways to explore colour and make marks. Learning was physical and practical.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care. Here, the May 2022 examples included learning through play: staff introduced vocabulary during play dough activities and helped children practise following instructions of increasing difficulty.

Outside, children cut vegetables for soup cooked over the fire pit, with encouragement to persist and guidance about hot food. Painting also involved large arm movements on paper laid on the floor. Activities introduced cultures and beliefs, giving children opportunities to think about similarities and differences.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and that staff understood children's care needs, including those involving complex medical conditions and special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are dated findings.

In May 2022, children had close relationships with staff and helped one another during play. Lunchtime routines encouraged independence: children washed their hands, poured drinks and served themselves a hot meal. Conversations with parents covered children's development and preparation for school.

There were weaknesses alongside that familiarity. In May 2022, knowledge held by key people did not consistently reach colleagues, leaving some staff uncertain about how to support individual children during play. Adults also sometimes curtailed children's own ideas, and activities could lack sufficient challenge. Both points matter when considering how consistently a child's learning is supported across the team.

The address is Lincoln Road, Skegness, PE25 2DR. In May 2022, opening hours were 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year. Those hours describe the opening window at that time, rather than a choice of booking patterns.

In May 2022, the pre-school provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. That funding age range is separate from the ages of children attending the inspection.

• Continuity between staff. Sharing key-person knowledge was an improvement point in May 2022. During a visit, ask how colleagues now use each child's next learning steps.
• Challenge during play. In May 2022, adults sometimes limited children's ideas. Look for how staff extend activities while allowing children to pursue their interests.
• Attendance arrangements. The May 2022 opening window covered weekdays across the year. What booking patterns and funded attendance arrangements would fit your family's routine now?

Little Learners merits consideration by families who value practical exploration and growing independence. Its May 2022 examples are concrete: water investigations, cooking and self-service at lunch. The balance rests on consistency, with information-sharing and challenge during play the two improvement priorities from that visit.