Stepping Stones Pre-School

Stepping Stones Pre- School Newlyn School, Carne Road, Newlyn, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 5QA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 June 2016 27 April 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

 Staff provide an extensive range of resources for children, which successfully inspires their interest and learning. Excellent use is made of the outdoor environment to excite and fascinate children in their activities. Children thrive in the highly stimulating pre- school and thoroughly enjoy their activities.  Support for children's personal, social and emotional development is extremely effective. Staff prepare children exceptionally well for their next stage in learning and for school. Children make excellent progress from their starting points.  Staff use available funding extremely well to provide further support for children's individual development. This successfully helps to close any gaps in learning and significantly increases children's potential to achieve.  Rigorous observation, assessment and planning procedures monitor children's progress with precision. Excellent communication systems and partnerships with others enhance

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This provision is outstanding

children's care and development.  Thorough self-evaluation procedures enable the manager and staff to enhance their exemplary provision. Staff benefit from excellent support in their professional development. They skilfully apply ideas from training to further improve teaching strategies.

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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

 enhance the opportunities to encourage healthy lifestyles for children and their families even further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, chairperson, staff and parents.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector observed the staff and children in their indoor and outdoor activities.  The inspector read a sample of children's development records and checked required documentation, including evidence of staff suitability checks and qualifications.  The inspector viewed the safety of the premises.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Staff demonstrate an exemplary capacity for ongoing improvement. Since the last inspection, they have increased play space and improved the facilities for children. Outdoor learning has been extended and enhanced to provide further exciting play opportunities. The qualified teacher and experienced staff are exemplary role models, which further develops staff skills. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a thorough knowledge of the child protection procedures, which enables them to safeguard children's welfare. Rigorous procedures are in place to check that people who work with children are suitable.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff skilfully engage and challenge children to extend learning. Innovative questions successfully help children to understand and work things out. For example, children are encouraged to consider whether a snail has flippers or fins before deciding that it cannot go underwater. Children show immense interest in nature and talk with great enthusiasm about their chrysalises, stick insects and tadpoles. Exciting resources inspire children's imaginations, such as their unique lifeboat and pirate ship. Support for children's speech and language development is excellent. Staff and children use signing throughout the session, for example, to further support communication. Children show an excellent understanding of letters and sounds, showing rapid progress in their early literacy skills. Staff work closely with parents to further encourage children's individual learning. For example, they provide an extensive range of books and activities for families to borrow.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children cooperate and play exceptionally well with their friends. They work together to find solutions and achieve results. Staff provide excellent support and supervision, showing children how to be extremely careful and safe. For example, children saw wooden logs with keen attention. Staff skilfully encourage children's continuous learning and mathematical understanding during activities. They provide a wealth of information for parents, which is mostly very effective to further support children's good health. Children are exceptionally eager participants in physical exercise, which is highly beneficial. They have an excellent understanding of the daily routines and make confident decisions. Children develop highly competent independence skills and willingly help staff with everyday tasks.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are extremely eager to learn and take an active part in all activities. They investigate and explore with confidence, making exciting discoveries in play. Children have excellent attitudes towards others and they show kindness and concern.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 102756 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 824703 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 42 Name of registered person Stepping Stones Pre-School Group Newlyn

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 27 April 2010 Telephone number 01736 363050

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reference number

Stepping Stones Pre-school registered in 1991 and is a committee run group. It operates from premises in the grounds of Newlyn School. Care is available from 8am until 3pm each weekday during term time only. The pre-school receives early education funding to provide free places for children aged two, three and four years. There are eight staff employed to work with the children, all of whom have relevant early years qualifications. The deputy manager holds qualified teacher status.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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