Exmoor Stepping Stones CIC

Exmoor Stepping Stones Bottom Meadow Car park, Lynton, Devon, EX35 6AR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 February 2015 4 March 2009

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 Staff have a good understanding of how children learn through play. They provide a broad range of activities and experiences, both indoors and outside, which support children to make good progress in their learning.  Children form positive attachments with their key person and other adults. This aids their confidence and helps them to settle into the pre-school well.  Children are safeguarded well because the setting has effective policies and procedures that staff follow. All staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe.  Staff work well with parents. They build partnerships that ensure they meet all children's needs and promote consistency in their learning and care.  Supervisors and staff know the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement them well. This means they provide good quality care and education experiences for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always ensure children can enjoy stories without distractions.  The organisation of morning routines means that sometimes, children have to wait to go in the garden.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 develop story time so that children can listen to stories without distractions  review the morning routine so that children are not left waiting to go in the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interactions with children inside and in the garden.  The inspector spoke with the supervisors and staff.  The inspector sampled documentation including planning, children's learning and policies.  The inspector spoke to some parents on the day of the inspection.

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who attend. This is good

Staff regularly observe children and assessments show they are making good progress. Staff plan and provide children with a good range of activities to promote their learning. For example, children are excited to explore fake snow. They use tools to manipulate it and see what marks they can make. Staff repeat children's language and introduce new words to extend how children express themselves. This supports children's communication and language skills well. Staff introduce children to mathematical concepts during activities; for example, they count how many children and staff are present. Children enjoy listening to stories. However, staff do not always manage them well. When some children become disruptive and want to play with something else, staff stop the story, meaning those that were listening are not able to hear the end of the story.

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good

Staff work well with parents to support children's well-being and help them to settle. Staff are good role models. They teach children about sharing and taking turns, and reinforce positive behaviour through praise and encouragement. This successfully promotes children's personal and social development, helping them to develop friendly relationships with each other and staff. Children have good opportunities for physical development to learn new skills outdoors. They climb and slide on equipment, push, pull and pedal wheeled vehicles. However, staff are not always quick to allow children to play outside when they ask, meaning at times, children have to wait before they can follow their ideas. Staff follow good hygiene practices to assure children's health. They provide healthy snacks, milk and water. Staff promote children's independence and personal care skills by encouraging them to do things for themselves. This helps children develop confidence and

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good

self-assurance, key skills needed for the move on to nursery and school.

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provision is good

The supervisors review all potential risks to ensure there are no hazards in the environment, and children remain safe. They are committed to improving the quality of the provision. They track all children's progress to identify any gaps in learning and arrange support where needed. Parents' views influence self-evaluation. This helps management in identifying areas for improvement and future planning, For example, they now teach parents specific songs and rhymes to sing at home with their children, to improve children's language development. There are effective arrangements for the safe recruitment of staff. Staff supervision assists the supervisors in managing performance well. They ensure training links to staff personal development targets for improvements. This results in those staff that have recently gained early years qualifications using more effective questioning to extend children's learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY381223 Local authority Devon Inspection number 829714 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 15 Name of provider Exmoor Stepping Stones CIC Date of previous inspection 4 March 2009 Telephone number 01598753336

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Setting details

Exmoor Stepping Stones pre-school registered in 2008. The pre-school operates from its own self-contained property in Lynton in North Devon. The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for children aged two, three and four-years. The pre-school is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 3.30pm term time only. There are four members of staff, including the providers. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications, of these, two have a level 3, and two members of staff have a level 2 qualification.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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