Littlehampton pre-school praised by Ofsted

The Alpha Pre-school, based at the Baptist Church, in Fitzalan Road, was praised by the education watchdog for the strong links forged by the pre-school staff with the children and parents, as well as the organisation of staff and management.

The latest result was an improvement over the site’s 2011 inspection in which inspectors judged the centre to be satisfactory – one level below good.

In the most recent report, published last week, the inspector, Rachel Southern, said: “Staff have high expectations of all children at the pre-school.

“They encourage children to be enthusiastic in their play and children are eager to join in activities. Key staff engage and motivate children well, talking about what they are doing and asking appropriate questions.

“For example, at snack times, staff sit together with the children and ask questions about their home lives to encourage responses from children. As a result, children are chatty and feel comfortable sharing their news and home events with their key person.”

The inspector continued by saying that the staff supported children in learning effectively because the quality of teaching provided ‘rich and varied experiences’ for the youngsters.