Little Owls Woodland Pre- School

Little Owls Woodland Pre- School Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, SO30 3HQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 May 2016 Not applicable

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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 are very independent and confident. They have excellent opportunities to learn about their own safety and well-being in a highly stimulating outside environment.  The quality of teaching is consistently good and staff have high expectations of what children can do. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning.  Staff forge strong partnerships with parents and they work well together to meet children's individual needs.  The staff work efficiently together and they act as very good role models for children. As a result, children benefit from a harmonious environment where they forge good friendships with both adults and each other.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff recognise that further improvements can be made to the range of learning opportunities available to the children to promote their understanding of mathematics.  The arrangements for staff supervision are informal and not used to full effect to drive further improvement in the pre-school and outcomes for children.

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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

 provide more challenging opportunities for children to extend their understanding of mathematics  extend the use of supervision for staff to identify areas to further improve their practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed all areas of the premises and woodland used by the children.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including evidence of vetting for staff and children's learning records.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager to evaluate the quality of teaching and discussed how she leads and manages the staff in the pre-school.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching and promotion of children's learning, talking to staff about how they do this and how they safeguard children's welfare.  The inspector talked to parents as they dropped off and collected their children.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The staff work closely with other agencies to make sure children are protected and their specific needs supported appropriately. The pre-school is managed effectively and run by a well-qualified and experienced team of staff. They show a strong drive to improve the pre-school to enhance the learning experiences children have. The staff evaluate the activities and the pre-school as a whole to monitor the quality of what they provide. They seek the views of parents and act on any comments they feed back to make improvements. Parents speak very highly about the pre-school and particularly enthuse about the confidence their children have gained.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff blend outdoor learning practices seamlessly with the early years foundation stage so that children benefit from a wide range of stimulating learning experiences. For example, children learn how to make bread; they mix ingredients, knead the dough and then see it being baked on the open fire in a pot. They explore the world around them, looking at moths and then viewing photographs of them on the handheld technology equipment to observe the patterns on wings. Staff demonstrate good teaching techniques, asking questions to encourage children to think and solve problems themselves. For example, staff help children to search for different natural objects in the woodland to put down a pipe so they can then observe how they move at different speeds. Staff use an online system efficiently to track children's progress. They identify accurately where each child needs support to move on further in their overall development. As a result, children are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

achieving well and any gaps in children’s development are closing quickly.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children relish opportunities to independently explore and investigate the natural surroundings of the pre-school. They gain exceptional levels of confidence and a very positive attitude to learning, which is clearly evident in the way they play. The children are able to explain very clearly what the rules of the pre-school are, particularly regarding safety and hygiene. For example, they know to walk around the edge of the fire circle area at all times, and especially while the bread they have made is baking. When going into the tent for quiet play they know to remove their shoes and learn how to put them back on again. The staff are very attentive to the children's emotional well-being, and form close relationships with them. This means the children feel secure, settled and ready to learn. In addition, their behaviour is excellent.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children build close friendships and play harmoniously together. They show a strong determination to learn and develop a wide range of skills. They are particularly skilled at working together; for example as they decided how to move a large wooden log together to use as a stand for a pipe so they could then roll fir cones down inside it. The children are developing important skills and making good progress in all areas. As a result, they are very well prepared for their future learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY478725 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 1049589 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 3 - 4 Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 46 Name of provider Eastleigh Borough Council Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07774336750

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Setting details

Little Owls Woodland Pre-School registered in 2014. It is an outdoor Forest pre-school situated within the grounds of the Itchen Valley Country Park, on the outskirts of Southampton, in Hampshire. Children have the use of a large enclosed woodland area and a separate classroom unit with covered decking area. Toilet facilities are in the outdoor area and are accessed by several steps. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 3pm, term time only. Children can attend for both part-time and full-time sessions. A team of six staff work with the children, of whom three hold qualified teacher status. The pre-school is in receipt of free early education funding for children aged three and four years.

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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

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Setting details

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