Humpty Dumpty Playschool

Humpty Dumpty Play- School Monxton Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8HT

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23 September 2015 18 November 2014

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 Highly effective leadership and management ensure the safe and smooth running of the playschool, with all requirements met well. All those involved have a clear understanding of their responsibility to protect children.  Exemplary reflective evaluation and the strong focus on developing the skills of staff bring about continuous improvements for children. This has a very positive impact on the quality of interaction and the activities provided to support children's learning, which has helped to raise the quality of the provision greatly.  The high number of well-qualified and extremely motivated staff and the very effective organisation means that all children, including those with communication difficulties, disabled children and those who have special educational needs, receive excellent support.  The quality of teaching across the playschool is outstanding. Staff meticulously assess children's progress and provide an exceptional range of high-quality learning

p.1

This provision is outstanding

experiences for children. As a result, children make excellent and sustained progress.  Staff organise a highly stimulating environment extremely well, which enables children to be independent and to initiate their own play and ideas. As a result, children are highly motivated and eager to explore and learn.  A well-established key-person system helps promote children's welfare and emotional development exceptionally well. Therefore, children form very secure attachments and are extremely well prepared for the next stages in their learning, and for when they go to school. Staff meet children's physical needs extremely well.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 extend the excellent teaching for literacy even further by increasing opportunities for children to learn about letters and sounds.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff and how they interact with children during play and learning activities, and viewed the play areas and resources.  The inspector undertook a number of joint observations with the manager.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation relating to children's development, the suitability of staff and the committee, training records and safeguarding procedures.  The inspector had discussions with members of the management team and staff. She spoke with children and parents to gain their views of the playschool.  The inspector discussed the playschool's self-evaluation and how the action plan is used to bring about continuous improvement. She discussed how staff work with other early years providers, other professionals and parents.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. Staff are clear about their responsibilities and the safeguarding policy and procedures. Leaders have very high expectations of staff and children. They regularly provide excellent in-house training and many opportunities for staff to share the skills they gain. This helps to increase staff's teaching skills highly effectively. For example, staff follow a national scheme to help them assess and promote children's language and communication skills very effectively. They engage parents particularly well in this process, such as by providing story sacks for them to share with their children at home. Management is rigorous in monitoring children's progress.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff have an expert knowledge of how children learn and give children's communication and language development very high priority. They skilfully use every opportunity to enrich the curriculum and promote children's learning. For example, they spark children's interests as they challenge them to think about ways to solve problems. Children are very eager to take part in the carefully planned small language group activities. They listen intently and remain focused for very long periods. Staff help children develop excellent literacy skills, and many children to write their names using pictures with the same beginning sound to those in their names. However, children do not see pictures for words starting with 'ph' to help those whose names begin with this sound. Children develop excellent physical skills and confidently use mathematical concepts, including calculation, as they play and in daily routines.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children thrive and radiate confidence as staff help them to build a very positive sense of themselves and the world they live in. Strategies gained through training mean staff skilfully guide children's chosen superhero play to focus on how they can help others. This helps children develop excellent negotiation skills, form very strong friendships and quickly understand what behaviour is acceptable. Staff help children develop an excellent awareness of keeping safe and healthy. For example, children help assess the risks involved in playing on the climbing frame in wet weather and learn about foods that are good for them. Staff are highly sensitive to, and supportive of, the emotional needs of children whose parents are in the forces. For example, staff help them to communicate via letters and talk to them about where their parents are stationed.

p.3

Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children make strides in their progress in all areas of their learning and development in relation to their starting points. They gain a very wide range of important skills they need for their future learning. This has an extremely positive effect on outcomes for children, including those with communication difficulties.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number 110128 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 999587 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 46 Name of provider Humpty Dumpty Play-School (Andover) Committee Date of previous inspection 18 November 2014 Telephone number 01264 382767

p.4

Setting details

Humpty Dumpty Play-School registered in 1974. It operates from buildings on a military base in Andover. The playschool predominantly provides care for military families, although places are offered to non-military families when places allow. The playschool opens each weekday from 8.30am until 4pm during school term time. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 13 members of staff employed to work with the children, including the manager who holds a relevant early years qualification at level 5. All remaining staff hold recognised early years qualifications.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

Setting details

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

Setting details

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

Setting details

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

p.5