Branston Little Pickles Pre School

Branston Little Pickles Pre School
Unique reference number (URN): EY563538
Address: Branston C Of E Infant School, Beech Road, Branston, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN4 1PR
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/11/2018
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Branston Little Pickles Pre School
Inspection report: 7 July 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
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.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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.

Strong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders and staff create a calm, welcoming environment in which children thrive. Staff know
and understand their roles and responsibilities and work together as a team. They have the
same high expectations for all children and support them effectively according to their
individual needs. Staff use strategies such as visual prompts, which enable children to follow
the setting's rules and routines.
Leaders are reflective and actively seek ways to improve the experiences for children. Staff
know children well and give them opportunities to challenge themselves, offering support
only when it is needed. This encourages children's confidence, resilience and ability to
resolve issues. These skills can be seen throughout the children's play. Staff are excellent
role models for children. They communicate calmly with kindness and respect. These values
are reflected in the children, who work together to solve problems and help one another. For
example, children use a sand timer to help them take turns and share toys fairly. Staff play
and laugh with the children. They join in with singing and dancing and provide nurture when
it is needed. Children learn about their emotions, and staff support them to think about their
impact on other people and the environment. Staff work closely with parents to ensure they
understand the importance of punctuality and regular attendance.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Staff are highly responsive to the needs of all children, including those who face barriers to
learning and wellbeing. They work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure
children receive the right help at the right time. Children form warm, trusting relationships
with staff and key people. As a result, children feel safe and secure and have a sense of
belonging. For example, staff take time to sit and read stories to children who are missing
their parents. A child who is not yet as confident as their peers enjoys helping their key
person during snack time and happily pours drinks for their friends. Staff refresh activities
between sessions, keeping children curious, engaged and motivated to learn throughout the
day.
Parents report that their children settle in quickly and establish good relationships with the
staff. These secure relationships give children the confidence to explore, play and learn.
Leaders prioritise children's safety and wellbeing. They review policies regularly and ensure
that staff follow them consistently. Children learn about the importance of self-care, including
healthy eating, hygiene and dental health. Safe eating practices are embedded, and staff
are fully aware of how to keep children safe when sleeping. Children benefit from sports
sessions with an external coach. Staff report that these have had a positive impact on
children's gross motor skills, as well as teaching children how to keep their bodies healthy.
Staff model labelling their emotions during group activities and encourage children to think
about how they are feeling. Staff use these strategies sensitively during play to support
children to manage their emotions and develop positive relationships with their peers.

Expected standard
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders and staff consistently make a positive difference to every child's learning and
development. They have implemented effective assessments which ensure that children's
needs are identified at the earliest opportunity. Targeted support and clear next steps that
are understood and implemented by all staff help to bridge the gaps in children's learning.
Leaders deliver highly impactful training to staff to ensure that there is a consistent approach
to inclusion across the setting. They build strong relationships with external agencies, who
they contact for advice and guidance. Parents report that they are included in this process
and feel extremely well supported by the setting. One parent shared their experience by
saying, 'They couldn't do any more to help my child.'
Leaders have a clear knowledge and understanding of how to secure the best outcomes for
every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those
known or previously known to children's social care. Staff communicate with children in a
range of ways, including now-and-next boards, photo prompts and Makaton signs to
develop communication, language and understanding. All staff have high expectations for all
children's development. They encourage children to try new things and plan opportunities for
children to practise these skills in different ways. For example, one child was able to refine
his gross motor skills by performing a pouring activity in the small-world tray with the support
of an adult. He was then able to practise this skill using jugs and watering cans in the
garden. Additional funding is used to provide sports coaching, cookery sessions and bucket
therapy. These opportunities have a positive impact on children's listening, attention and
physical development.
Achievement Expected standard
Children make good progress from their starting points across the curriculum, particularly in
communication and language. They develop the listening and attention skills they will need
for their next stage of learning through carefully chosen books matched to their ages and
stages of development. Children build knowledge and skills across all areas of learning
through well-planned activities indoors and outdoors. During snack time, children have the
opportunity to cut their own fruit with adult supervision. Following on from this, children use
real food and child-safe knives in the role-play area and mud kitchen. This allows them to
risk assess their own play, explore different textures and refine their fine motor skills. All
children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who may
face other barriers to learning, are supported to achieve their next steps. However, staff do
not consistently recognise opportunities to introduce and extend mathematical language
during children's play. As a result, children do not make as much progress in this area as
they could.

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Staff ensure that every child has equal access to the curriculum. They make effective
adjustments to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those
known or previously known to children's social care can access the same learning
opportunities as others. Staff plan activities around the current topic so that children can
connect their learning across all areas of the setting. Children enjoy revisiting a previous
topic around life cycles and growing, which helps to embed their learning. They water the
vegetables growing in their garden and show curiosity about how their food is grown.
Children talk excitedly about the carrots they planted and why they need water to grow. Staff
offer children varied experiences, including trying different foods, going out to visit the
library, visiting an old people's home, and inviting visitors, such as a midwife, to come and
talk about their jobs. This has helped the children to learn about their local community while
developing their social skills and confidence.
Staff extend children's learning well during adult-led activities. However, at times, staff
interactions with children during free play are limited. They sometimes ask closed questions
and do not extend children's learning as much as they could. Leaders have identified
mathematics as an area of curriculum focus. They have started to put measures in place for
this, and the consistency of mathematical interactions in the setting is starting to improve.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development.
They use assessments to notice areas of weakness in their curriculum and are proactive in
taking steps to improve these areas. For example, leaders work with the primary school to
provide training for their staff and plan to introduce a new maths programme to improve the
quality of teaching. Leaders provide mentoring during staff meetings and appraisals and
have also introduced peer-on-peer observations.
Staff feel valued and well supported. They speak positively about working at the setting and
say that leaders care about their wellbeing. Leaders provide a calm space where staff can
take breaks and complete work during the day, helping to reduce the need to take work
home.
Leaders respond well to the changing needs of families. They work closely with parents to
secure the best outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and those known or previously known to children's social care. Staff
communicate through an online app, sharing updates about children's learning and
development. However, not all parents have enough clarity about their children's next steps
to enable them to work in partnership with the setting when supporting their children's
learning at home.
During the inspection, leaders took immediate steps to strengthen their procedures for
notifying Ofsted of significant events. This ensures that they will continue to meet the
requirements of their registration in future. Leaders respond well when there are events,
identifying measures to improve robust safety practices already in place even further.

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children in this setting love learning. They have many opportunities to explore, be creative
and develop their independence. Children settle in quickly and show high levels of wellbeing
throughout the day. They are supported to understand the rules and behaviour expectations,
and, as a result, they behave incredibly well. Embedded routines and visual timetables help
the children to feel secure, knowing what will happen next and what they need to do. They
build strong relationships with staff and happily approach their key person for a cuddle or
extra reassurance. Children enjoy well-planned activities that match their interests. They

Inspector:
Abigail Fleary
About this setting
have opportunities to revisit learning, enabling them to develop their confidence and
independence. Children visit areas in their local community. They also love welcoming
visitors to their setting, and this supports them to develop their social skills. Children with
additional funding receive individualised support which is tailored to their interests and
needs.
Children develop a love of reading. They access books from different cultures, share stories
with their friends and are read to by staff. Planned story times allow children to develop their
listening and attention skills. Children revisit a 'book of the week' each day. They build on
what they already know and learn new vocabulary from the story. This approach to reading
has allowed children to learn repeated language from the book and build fluency when
retelling stories. Younger children benefit from singing, playing instruments and listening to
interactive stories. All children access these group sessions, which creates an inclusive
atmosphere in which children thrive. Throughout the day, children have access to indoor and
outdoor provision. Children are given opportunities to practise skills taught during adult-led
activities. Children have an excellent start to their education and leave this setting with the
skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their next stage of learning.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to use high-quality interactions that develop children's
thinking and extend their learning while they are in free play.
Leaders should work to strengthen communication with parents so that they have a
clearer understanding of their children's next steps in learning and can better support
them at home.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs
coordinator during the 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.

Unique reference number (URN): EY563538
Address:
Branston C Of E Infant School
Beech Road, Branston
Lincoln
Lincolnshire
LN4 1PR
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/11/2018
Registered person: Branston Little Pickles Pre School
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00
Local authority: Lincolnshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 7 July 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
24
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
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.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
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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