Dandelions

Dandelions Downlands First School, College Road, Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8BG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 May 2016 8 March 2010

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The managers give an exceptionally strong focus to continually making improvements. They are highly effective at evaluating practice with staff and identify how they can develop this further to successfully support outcomes for all children.  Staff provide an excellent range of motivating activities that support children's interests and development. Children make exceedingly good progress from their starting points.  Staff form highly positive partnerships with parents. They frequently share children's achievements and update their progress and next steps. This significantly contributes to them working together and monitoring children's development extremely well.  Staff are very caring and form very positive relationships with children. They support children's strong sense of self exceptionally well. Children feel safe and quickly gain confidence in their abilities. This motivates them to try new challenges in their play.

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This provision is outstanding

 Children behave extremely well. Staff are excellent role models and keep very clear boundaries. Children are polite and show great kindness and consideration for others.  Staff provide excellent support for children who have special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language. They successfully help all children to achieve and work towards reaching their full potential.  Staff work extremely well with teachers and other professionals from their host school. This strong liaison is highly effective in getting children ready for their future learning.

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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

 strengthen the organisation of group times to reduce possible distractions for children and enable them to engage even more fully in these valuable learning opportunities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed children's interactions in play indoors and outdoors.  The inspector viewed documentation, such as operational policies, procedures and required records, including those relating to staff suitability checks.  The inspector took into account the spoken views of parents.  The inspector had discussions with management, staff and parents.  The inspector completed a short joint observation with the deputy manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. The managers implement very robust recruitment and employment systems. They are highly effective in supporting staff to continually develop their professional practice. They provide frequent in-house training, for example, to update staff's safeguarding knowledge. Training has also helped staff to actively raise their understanding of further innovative ways to support children's communication skills. Staff strive for excellence and work extremely well together as a team. They regularly observe each other's practice and skilfully identify how to actively strengthen this further.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff are exceptionally knowledgeable about children's individual next steps and they focus on supporting their specific needs and interests. Staff incorporate excellent opportunities for children to learn about early mathematical concepts within their play. For example, children listen to the story of the three bears and decide which bowls are the smallest and biggest for their porridge. They cut dough into four pieces and learn that these are called 'quarters'. Staff motivate children's understanding of the world very well. For example, children learn about life cycles and show great delight as they gently stroke the baby chicks that hatched in an incubator. Staff create exciting, stimulating play areas that engage children's interest. However, very occasionally, noise levels rise and the organisation of some group times does not fully support the concentration of all children. This slightly reduces the effectiveness of some planned learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff support children's good health and physical well-being extremely well. Children have continuous access to play outside and develop excellent strength, coordination and balance. For example, children excitedly crawl, climb and roll over the soft play bricks. They stamp their feet, wave their arms and clap their hands enthusiastically to the songs in the 'quirky quavers' music session. Children develop a very positive awareness of foods that help to keep them fit and healthy. For example, they make fruit smoothies using strawberries or pineapples. They are actively involved in making decisions about the food they eat. For example, each day they choose the fruits they would like for their snack.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are very eager, confident learners. They are extremely well motivated in their play and develop excellent communication and literacy skills. For example, older children join in the 'chatty parrots' activities and know the initial letter sounds of their names and those of their friends. They recognise the names of musical instruments, such as 'guiro'. Younger children enthusiastically follow the actions of familiar games and songs. They listen attentively to a favourite story about animals and develop very good concentration.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 141097 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 825761 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 1 - 8 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 125 Name of registered person Downlands Dandelions Nursery and Pre School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 8 March 2010 Telephone number 01258 450624

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Dandelions registered in 1996. It is a private committee run nursery, pre-school and after- school club, which operates from premises situated in the grounds of Downlands First School, Blandford Camp, Dorset. It is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4.55pm, term time only. The after-school club operates from 8am to 8.40am and from 3pm to 4.55pm, and the pre-school sessions operate from 9am to midday and from midday to 3pm. Dandelions receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 28 staff employed. One holds a qualification at degree level, two hold a foundation degree, 18 staff hold qualifications at level 3 and two hold qualifications at level 2.

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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. 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

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

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