Little Leaves Pre-School

A bear hunt in a woodland area gives Little Leaves Pre-School its most memorable picture: in March 2023, children turned a familiar story into imaginative play, practising recall and conversation as they went. This was learning with room to move.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 2 March 2023 and judged safeguarding effective. Little Leaves has 28 places in total at New Ash Green Youth Centre in Longfield; the children attending in March 2023 were aged two to four.

In March 2023, children chose activities independently and took responsibility for their own tasks. Pretend veterinary play gave them opportunities to invent stories and share ideas, while running and ball play developed movement skills. Active experiences sat alongside opportunities to rest or choose quieter activities, allowing different ways to participate.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the March 2023 examples show what that meant in practice: conversation through imaginative play, physical learning outdoors and opportunities to make choices.

Discussions about Chinese New Year helped children explore lives and traditions beyond their own experience. However, some practitioners were unsure which languages children encountered at home, limiting how fully they could extend those children's language development.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, made good progress, with staff drawing on advice from outside specialists. A den gave children somewhere to retreat when overwhelmed.

In March 2023, practitioners knew children's personalities and interests, using that knowledge to plan appealing activities. They handled occasional difficult behaviour calmly. Parents received daily information about achievements and activities, plus practical ideas for learning together at home, including making play dough.

Shared care needed closer coordination. In March 2023, staff relied on parents to pass on information from other settings rather than consistently communicating with those settings directly. Families combining childcare arrangements should weigh that finding alongside the positive account of parent communication.

The address is New Ash Green Youth Centre, Ash Road, New Ash Green, Longfield, DA3 8JY.

In March 2023, opening hours were 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. At that date, the setting received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. These are dated operating details rather than a description of today's attendance arrangements.

• Home languages. Teaching for children learning English as an additional language needed development in March 2023. Ask how practitioners now establish the languages used at home and incorporate them into activities.
• Care across settings. Direct communication with other providers was inconsistent in March 2023. Families using more than one setting should discuss how learning and care information will be exchanged.
• Attendance fit. The March 2023 opening pattern was term-time weekdays. A visit is the opportunity to discuss the current booking pattern against your family's working week.

Little Leaves suits families who value imaginative play, outdoor movement and practical communication with parents. Its March 2023 examples give substance to those priorities: woodland storytelling, child-led role play and home-learning ideas. Families whose children use several settings or speak another language at home have two specific teaching and coordination questions to explore before choosing.