Acorns Pre-School

Acorns Pre-School Whitstone Community Primary School, Oak Lane, Whitstone, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 6TH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 April 2015 25 November 2008

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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 support children's personal, social and emotional development well to promote children's independence effectively. Children are confident. They form positive friendships, join in activities and play together well, showing good personal and social skills.  Staff follow children's lead and interests, and use their teaching skills and planning effectively to extend children's development.  Management and staff successfully reflect on their provision. Clear action plans to improve practices and outcomes for children work well, for example, to better engage parents in their children's progress and promote learning at home.  Staff promote children's physical development effectively. They have developed the outdoor play space to provide more interesting and challenging experiences, which allow children to take calculated risks in a safe environment, for example, when using the logs.  Management and staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding issues and the

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This provision is good

procedures to follow should they have any child protection concerns.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always build on children's mathematical learning further so that they can see and learn about numbers during their play, for example, by using number lines.  Staff do not provide many opportunities for children to see familiar words in the languages they use at home.

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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

 enable children to see and use numbers more frequently in their play  extend opportunities for children to see written words which reflect the languages they use at home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children playing indoors and outdoors.  The inspector held discussions with the registered person, parents, manager, staff, and children.  The inspector viewed a range of paperwork, including children's and staff records, policies, the operational plan and self-evaluation form.

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who attend. This is good

Staff regularly observe children to understand their interests and achievements. They use their observations to plan activities that enable children to make good progress. Staff follow children's lead and join in with their play. For example, suggesting that they draw and name their treasure maps, then hunt for hidden treasure in the garden. This effectively encourages and captivates children as they develop their imagination and early writing skills during their play. Staff challenge children to count, and they all join in enthusiastically with the daily `hello' song. Children learn about measure and capacity through activities when playing with the sand and making dough. However, staff do not always promote children's recognition and understanding of how numbers can be used. Parents share and learn about their children's interests and achievements during termly meetings with staff, where they receive progress reports and discuss future learning goals.

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good

Children settle quickly, gain confidence, and show a strong sense of well-being and belonging. This is because staff know their key children very well and help them feel fully included and valued. Children have access to the veranda area each day and the outdoor environment most days. They benefit from being outdoors and playing freely. They develop their physical skills by regularly using the larger outdoor school equipment. Staff promote children's good behaviour and are positive role models. Children say `thank you' and `sorry', when appropriate. They share play dough and work well together at tidy-up time. Staff work well with the reception class teacher from the school to prepare children for their transition to school. Visits between the two settings help children to become familiar with routines and a new learning environment.

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provision is good

Management follows clear recruitment processes and provides good staff supervision, which encourages them to reflect on their practice and drive improvement. Clear self- evaluation identifies strengths and areas for development. Management shows a strong drive to make improvements and takes on board new ideas that benefit all children and their families. For example, following training, the pre-school has introduced picture cards and labelling throughout the setting to develop children's communication, their understanding of pre-school routines and promote their independence. However, labelling is predominantly in English and does not fully consider all languages children are familiar with at home. Staff access training and implement ideas for the benefit of the children, for example, behaviour management. Management monitors children's progress successfully to identify and address any gaps in their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 102993 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 839225 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 19 Name of provider Acorns Playgroup Committee Date of previous inspection 25 November 2008 Telephone number 01288341540

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Setting details

Acorns Pre-School registered in June 2010. The pre-school is managed by a voluntary management committee made up of some of the parents of children attending the pre- school. It operates from its own purpose-built building in the grounds of Whitstone primary school. The pre-school is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, term time only, from 9am until 3.30pm. It provides funding for two-, three-, and four- year-old children. The pre-school employs two members of staff who both have a level 3 childcare 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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