Stepping Stones Pre- School

Stepping Stones Pre- School Surbiton Children's Centre, Alpha Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8RS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 June 2016 27 January 2011

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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 enthusiastic and inspirational management team works remarkably well together to help provide the highest quality of care for children and their families. The pursuit of excellence in everything they do has helped managers to make successful changes and achieve the best possible outcomes for all groups of children.  Staff build exceptional partnerships with parents and other professionals involved in children's care. Staff find every possible way to involve them and share information to help support excellent continuity in children's care, learning and development. Staff ensure that children's attendance and their excellent progress are precisely monitored.  Staff have an excellent understanding of their role in supporting children's development. They accurately assess children's outstanding progress, analyse observations and plan for children's next steps in learning precisely and exceptionally

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This provision is outstanding

well.  Staff constantly engage in activities with children and skilfully question their curiosity. They allow children to think further, offer plenty of time for their answers and help them to explore and investigate the extremely motivating learning environment.  Children's emotional needs are exceptionally well met by staff who are very kind, caring and extremely sensitive towards their individual needs. Children settle in very quickly, seek the attention of their key person if needed and happily join in challenging activities throughout the session. They care for one another and behaviour is exemplary.

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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

 build on existing arrangements for staff's observations to help them reflect on each other's teaching skills and maintain their already excellent teaching practice and outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager, and spoke to staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at relevant documentation, such as self-evaluation, a sample of policies and procedures and evidence of the suitability of staff.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The management team offers highly effective professional support for staff, including through regular supervision meetings, mentoring and training. For example, recent training has helped staff to provide individual support for two-year-old children, with the involvement of other professionals, and improved outcomes for children. The manager seeks the views of everyone involved in children's development to help her reflect on their provision extremely successfully. She constantly sets out the areas for improvement that benefit their outstanding teaching practice and the children. For example, she recognises the need to build on the existing arrangements for staff's observations, to help them identify their own areas for their already outstanding continuous professional development. Safeguarding is effective. Children's safety is given the utmost priority.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff have very high expectations of the children in their care. They plan challenging activities for children that help them learn excellent skills for school. Staff encourage children to be imaginative and learn new skills, including through using expert questioning during play. For example, when children decided to have a birthday party, staff challenged their ideas, and the children confidently divided and counted the pieces of cake to share with their friends. Staff enable children to understand very well how things grow. For instance, as children plant fruits and vegetables in the garden, they eagerly watch them grow and explain that they will eat them for a snack.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff teach children to understand differences in the wider world remarkably well, such as through outings in the local community. This helps them to gain exceptional understanding of people, such as firefighters, who help in an emergency. Children thoroughly enjoy various creative activities and use a range of equipment with great confidence, building on what they know to create highly imaginative games. For example, they pretend that the shed needs new paint and a repair, and use soapy water to paint it and a toy hammer and screws to repair it. Children enjoy riding bicycles and move around with confidence.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children, including those who require additional support and those who are learning English as an additional language, make excellent progress. They are extremely well prepared for the move to school. For example, children learnt to categorise natural objects they collected on walks. They connected sticks to make them longer and compared the sizes of the leaves. Children enjoy reading. They confidently use writing resources. For instance, they make marks, and draw and write the letters of their name. Children show exceptionally high levels of independence, such as through cutting the fruit for themselves at snack time.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 152868 Local authority Kingston upon Thames Inspection number 1053303 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 32 Number of children on roll 55 Name of registered person Stepping Stones Playgroup (Surbiton) Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 27 January 2011 Telephone number 0208 390 2494

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reference number

Stepping Stones Pre-School is committee run and registered in 2000. It operates from Surbiton Children's Centre, in Surbiton, Surrey. The pre-school opens term time only, Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 11.45am, with afternoon sessions Monday to Wednesday from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. There are eight members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The manager holds early years teacher status. The pre-school provides free funded education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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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