Dartmouth Pre-School

Dartmouth Pre-School South Ford Road, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ6 9QS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 March 2015 21 June 2011

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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 establish positive relationships with parents, carers and other professionals in order to support individual children well. They share children's learning and achievements with parents, so they are well informed and able to support their children's learning at home.  Staff are positive role models for children's behaviour. Consequently, children behave well and learn to negotiate with each other.  Staff treat children with respect and their contributions are valued. Therefore, children are confident to try new activities and to experiment in their play.  There are secure assessment arrangements that track children's progress well. Ongoing observations, photographs and examples of children's work help staff to identify children's current developmental stage and their next steps, which they link to future planning.  Staff are committed to developing the provision to improve outcomes for children. They

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This provision is good

attend training and share good practice at staff meetings for consistency.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although children enjoy learning in the outdoor area, staff do not always extend children's skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy.  Staff do not always fully promote children's independence by involving them in the preparation of snacks and lunches.

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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

 extend opportunities for children to use their early writing and mathematical skills in the outdoor area  enhance children's learning experiences by giving them individual responsibilities for planning, preparing and organising routine events, such as snack and lunch time.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities indoors and in the outside area.  The inspector looked at a sample of documentation including policies, planning and the self-evaluation process.  The inspector looked at a sample of children's records.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector spoke to staff, parents and children and took account of their views.

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who attend. This is good

Staff provide a wide range of activities to promote children's learning and development. There is a good balance of free play and adult-led activities. Staff develop children's communication and language effectively during all activities. Children enjoy learning and they make suggestions about what they want to do. For example, they decide that they want to make watches and staff extend their thinking by asking them how they will do it. This helps to develop their organisational skills. Indoors, staff promote literacy and numeracy well. They count with the children and draw their attention to patterns in numbers. They provide a variety of experiences to develop early mathematical concepts. Similarly, they show children how to write for a purpose and how to link letters and sounds. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to practise these skills outdoors. Staff work well with other agencies to address the needs of children who have

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who attend. This is good

special educational needs and/or disabilities. They share information with local teachers when children are due to start school. Children make good progress at the pre-school and staff prepare them with the key skills for starting school very well.

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good

Staff provide a welcoming environment. They learn about children's needs and interests through discussion with parents. Once settled, children gain in confidence and plan their activities and cooperate with others. Staff teach children to behave well and help them to resolve minor conflicts. They encourage a healthy lifestyle so children learn about hygiene, exercise and healthy eating. Children learn how to keep themselves safe; they practise the fire drill and learn to negotiate the steps to the outside area. Staff encourage children to be independent. However, they do not regularly involve them in preparing snacks and meals or routinely give them individual responsibilities during the course of the day.

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provision is good

The manager and strong staff team have a good understanding of how children learn and develop. Staff keep children safe. They use daily safety checks and regular risk assessments to identify and address potential hazards. Staff are able to identify children who may be at risk of harm and they are confident to instigate the appropriate safeguarding procedures if necessary. The team uses self-evaluation to highlight its strengths and weaknesses and to develop planning. Following this, individual staff members are planning to take responsibility for an area of the curriculum. Staff supervision informs professional development needs and staff benefit from training to enhance their skills and qualifications. After a recent course, they adapted the environment to create more quiet and calm areas for children. Parents report that they are very happy with the pre-school, and feel very involved in their child's learning and their

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Setting details

Unique reference number 106107 Local authority Devon Inspection number 839378 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Dartmouth Pre-school Committee Date of previous inspection 21 June 2011 Telephone number 01803 834449

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Setting details

Dartmouth Pre-schoolopened in1961 and registered in 1992. It operates from an old Victorian school hall in the heart of Dartmouth, Devon. The pre-school is open between 9am and 3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursdays, they close at 12.30pm and a toddler group uses the premises. The pre-school is in receipt of funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are five members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff is working towards a level 6 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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