Sithney Stepping Stones Pre School

Sithney Stepping Stones Pre School Sithney CPS, Crowntown, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0AE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 February 2016 9 March 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is good

 Children's move from pre-school to school is extremely well organised. Children receive good support to achieve the key skills they need.  Staff are calm and consistent role models. They encourage children to have excellent regard for each other's needs and feelings, and to behave extremely well.  Staff use precise assessments of children's learning to help plan challenging activities that enable them to progress well. In particular, staff promote children's early language and communication skills successfully.  Children are extremely eager and highly motivated to learn. They take part in exciting learning experiences that promote their physical development and emotional well-being exceptionally well, for example, as they explore the outdoor play space. Children become very engrossed as they test out their own ideas and take part in activities that capture their imaginations.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always involve parents fully in contributing to their children's ongoing learning to help them achieve as much progress as possible.  The manager monitors the quality of teaching. However, she does not always focus strongly enough on helping staff to use a wider range of strategies to ensure teaching is of a consistently high quality at all times.

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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

 involve parents more closely in sharing and promoting children's learning in the pre- school and at home  build on monitoring systems to evaluate and support staff more effectively to extend their skills and develop their practices further in the pursuit of excellence.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector observed staff and children's play, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector held discussions with the pre-school manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation and children's records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The management team and staff have a thorough understanding of child protection issues. All staff understand how to keep children safe and secure, and protect them from harm. Staff have a good understanding of monitoring children's progress. They take prompt action to seek additional support and close any gaps in learning. The management team and staff work well together to monitor the quality of the provision effectively, taking account of the views of parents and children. They set clear targets, which lead to ongoing improvements. Overall, staff use a good range of teaching skills and introduce new ideas from training to support children's learning and broaden their experiences. For example, training helped staff to provide more challenging activities outdoors.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff have a secure understanding of how children learn, and they create an exciting and stimulating environment for them. They engage children in conversation and model the good use of language. Children develop good mathematical skills. They explore capacity as they pour water from a variety of different sized containers into a bucket to make cement from straw, mud and water. Children are encouraged to recognise numbers, shapes and colours in their environment. Staff interact well with children as they play, extending their skills and knowledge successfully in all areas of their learning through activities that interest them. For example, children demonstrate good coordination skills as they climb trees, balance on a rope swing and work together to lift bricks to build a house for the three little pigs.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children develop exceptionally high levels of confidence and concentrate well on activities. Staff encourage children to be extremely independent and to manage tasks for themselves. They consistently acknowledge and praise children's efforts and achievements. This helps to develop children's self-esteem and support their emotional well-being very successfully. Children have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise to develop healthy bodies; they benefit from the extremely well-resourced outdoor play environments. Behaviour is exemplary. Children all work well together to achieve tasks. They spontaneously take turns while they play and engage in conversations. Parents speak highly of the quality of the support given by the staff and the close and trusting relationships they have.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children achieve well and make good progress from their starting points. Children are self- assured and confident learners who are ready for their next stage in learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 102940 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 839219 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 15 Number of children on roll 15 Name of provider Sithney Stepping Stones Pre School Committee Date of previous inspection 9 March 2011 Telephone number 01326 572910

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Setting details

Sithney Stepping Stones Pre-School is a committee-run group. It registered in 2000 and operates in Sithney School, near Crowntown, in Cornwall. The pre-school opens on Monday to Friday from 9am until 3pm, during school term times only. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are four members of staff, of whom one holds Early Years Professional Status and three hold relevant qualifications from level 3 to level 6.

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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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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