Compton Pre-School

Compton Pre-School Higher Compton Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 5JB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/11/2014 12/01/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is consistently high, which results in all children making excellent progress in their learning and development.  The manager and staff are extremely committed and work very well as a team to provide the best possible learning experiences for children.  Staff work very effectively in partnership with schools and parents to ensure children are very confident and exceptionally well prepared for their future learning.  Staff expertly arrange the learning environment to maximise children's development in all areas of learning, particularly communication and language. Consequently, children make excellent progress and are confident, active learners.  Staff provide superb support to children as they play together and act as positive role models. As a result, children's behavior is exemplary and they develop strong friendships.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a range of activities across all areas of the pre-school and talked with staff and children.  The inspector reviewed documents, policies, procedures and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and reviewed written comments from parents.  The inspector conducted joint observations with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Compton Pre-School is privately owned and managed. It opened in 1997 and operates from self-contained premises in the grounds of Higher Compton Church of England Primary School in Plymouth, Devon. A secure area is used for outdoor play activities. The pre-school is open each weekday from 8.45am until 3.30pm during term time only. There are currently 42 children attending who are in the early years age range. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for three- and four-year-olds. The pre-school is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are eight members of staff, including the owner. One member of staff has qualified teacher status, six members of staff have relevant qualifications at level 3, and one has a qualification at level 2.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 review the organisation of monitoring information in order to easily identify trends in children's learning so that any gaps in areas of learning for groups of children can be quickly remedied.

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who attend

Children at the pre-school are extremely happy and completely absorbed in a wide range of exciting activities. Staff have an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn and develop. They are highly skilled and have significant experience. Consequently, teaching is consistently of a very high quality and children are enthusiastic and highly motivated to learn.

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who attend

The pre-school effectively gathers information from parents and observes children when they start at the pre-school in order to assess their current abilities. Staff carry out precise observations of children as they play, which identify their individual interests and learning needs. Staff have an excellent understanding of children's expected levels of development and plan very effectively to extend their learning. Staff have developed a highly effective system for planning. This ensures children find out about the world around them, the seasons, and celebrations from different cultures. Staff respond imaginatively to children's ideas and interests, providing activities that motivate children, enabling them to learn effectively. As a result, children display exceptionally high levels of interest and concentration.

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who attend

Staff involve parents in planning individual targets so that they fully participate in their child's learning. This shared approach to learning means that staff and parents notice when children need extra support. The pre-school then ensures children receive help promptly and work effectively with outside agencies. Consequently, all children make the best possible progress in their learning.

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who attend

Staff plan exciting activities that enable children to make links in their experiences and areas of learning. For example, they noticed children enjoyed using ink stamps in their creative play, and developed this learning by providing a richly resourced post office role- play area. Children were engrossed in wrapping up parcels, writing labels, sending letters, and stamping them. Staff gave children time to become deeply involved, and expertly judged when to interact in order to extend learning. They provided appropriate support as children used scissors and tape, praising their efforts as they succeeded. Staff encouraged children to think about how much paper was needed for each parcel, challenging their thinking and supporting them to test out their ideas. As a result, children show a high degree of confidence, and are eager and active learners.

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who attend

The pre-school provides a very well-organised environment with specific areas full of interesting resources which encourage interaction. Children enjoy sharing books in cosy areas, exploring resources in the numeracy corner and play together in dens outside. They listen to each other and cooperate in play. Staff value what children have to say, skillfully using their comments to extend learning. This means that children are confident and develop extremely good communication skills. Staff provide a wide range of art materials so that children have lots of opportunities to make models, draw and write throughout the day. Resources such as scissors are always available, so that children can develop skills as they play and are motivated. Staff are always nearby to provide support when necessary, and to encourage children to explore. As a result, children are self-assured and very well prepared for the next steps in learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff know children very well and develop secure attachments and strong bonds with them and their families. Consequently, children develop close and affectionate relationships with staff and each other, ensuring they become confident and independent.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff provide a wonderfully rich and varied learning environment. Inside, there are inviting and attractive spaces, which enable children to gather together for role play, construction activities or making music. Staff provide an area where children can use up-to-date tablets and computers. This enables children to develop skills when using information and communication technology, and enhances learning across all areas of the curriculum. The indoor and outdoor environments are rich in letters, numbers, shapes and meaningful information, which children refer to as they play and learn. This supports their literacy and mathematical skills, and ensures that they make excellent progress. Outside, the environment is arranged so that children can choose to climb and explore, managing risk, developing physical skills and independence. Staff arrange activities to encourage interaction for example, there is an area with planks of wood and dinosaurs, a fairy

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

garden, and a builder's shed. Staff encourage children to find out about the natural world as they grow fruit and look for insects in the bug hotel. Children plant fruit and vegetables, which they are able to harvest. The ethos of active learning outdoors is a strength of the pre-school and as a result, children develop extremely well and thrive. Staff make good use of routines to promote independence, particularly at snack time. Children enjoy choosing healthy snacks, and staff encourage children to help themselves. As a result, children become independent and develop very good self-esteem. Staff ensure that meal times are social occasions and the atmosphere is calm. Children relax and eat together as staff talk to them about their activities. They expertly use a wide range of language and help children develop new vocabulary. As a result, children display excellent communication, language and social skills.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff provide superb support to children as they play together and act as positive role models. They encourage children to share and take turns, encouraging them to be considerate towards each other. Staff reinforce this during circle times and children's efforts to tidy away resources are celebrated. As a result, children's behavior is exemplary and they develop strong friendships, which continue when they move on to school. Staff are vigilant and have an extremely high regard for children's safety. They expertly involve children in thinking about how to keep themselves safe. There are robust risk assessment systems in place, which are continually reviewed.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The pre-school adjoins the local primary school and children regularly have the opportunity to play together. This ensures they become very familiar with the environment and staff of the school. Staff have regular conversations with new teachers and share children's developmental records with them. This promotes excellent continuity to support children's ongoing learning and care needs Consequently, children develop high levels of self-assurance and go on to school ready for the next steps in learning.

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provision

The manager and staff have an excellent understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Safeguarding policies and procedures are robust. Staff are well trained in the Local Safeguarding Children's Board procedures so that they are up to date with all current legislation. They confidently describe the procedure for dealing with child protection issues, should they arise. Risk assessments are comprehensive and effective and staff constantly review and revise them. The pre-school gives the utmost priority to children's safety. The manager ensures that all staff have up-to-date paediatric first-aid training and are deployed well so that prompt action can be taken in an emergency situation. Effective and rigorous recruitment procedures are in place to ensure the suitability of each member of staff.

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provision

The manager and staff are inspirational in their commitment and teamwork. They are extremely reflective of their practice, and have made significant improvements since the last inspection. Consequently, the pre-school demonstrates an excellent capacity to maintain continuous improvement. The individual strengths and skills of staff are used extremely effectively. As a result, children enjoy high quality learning experiences, which enable them to make exceptionally good progress. Continuous monitoring of staff practice and regular staff meetings ensure that high levels of teaching and learning are maintained. Staff enhance their skills and expertise through regular training. They constantly evaluate activities and the environment as they strive to provide exciting experiences for children. Staff training is also responsive to individual children's needs, so that staff have the expertise to enable all children to develop very well. Staff monitor

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provision

children's progress well overall, however this information is not organised effectively so that trends in children's learning are identified easily and any gaps in areas of learning for groups of children quickly remedied.

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provision

The pre-school is extremely effective in involving parents with children's learning and development. Staff display photographs of children taking part in activities alongside information about what children are learning. Planning is shared and parents enjoy supporting the pre-school and spending time there. As a result, partnership with parents is outstanding. Parents speak very highly of the staff and find them friendly and extremely supportive. There is a strong community ethos and parents say that children love their time at the pre- school. They comment that children feel happy, safe, secure and have blossomed at the pre-school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted 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.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 117180 Local authority Plymouth Inspection number 846123 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 42 Name of provider Sharon Amanda Matthews Date of previous inspection 12/01/2011 Telephone number 01752 769355

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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