The Lantern Preschool

The Lantern Preschool The Old Village Hall, Canford Magna, Wimbourne, Dorset, BH21 3AF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 July 2016 16 January 2013

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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 Good 2

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This provision is good

 Since the previous inspection, the management team and staff have worked hard to develop their practice. They work together well as a team and regularly evaluate the provision in liaison with children and parents to make ongoing, effective improvements.  Children enjoy their play. Staff regularly involve children in planning activities that effectively motivate their interests and help them make good progress.  Staff actively encourage children's communication skills. They reinforce children's comments, introduce new vocabulary and extend their thinking and discussions.  Children settle easily in this friendly pre-school. Staff are caring and support children's specific needs well. They are sensitive to children's feelings and effectively help them to manage changes, such as going to school. Children develop positive emotional security.  Staff support children's physical well-being effectively. They provide exciting activities

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This provision is good

for children to develop their overall mobility and gain positive attitudes to exercise.  Children behave very well. Staff keep consistent boundaries and praise children often, boosting their self-esteem and encouraging them to be kind and caring to others.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff have not established fully effective links with other settings children attend to consistently share information and provide continuity for their care and learning needs.  Staff sometimes miss opportunities to reinforce children's understanding of early mathematical concepts, such as linking quantity with written numerals.

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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 ways of sharing information with other settings children attend, to keep fully updated on their specific aims and provide a more continuous approach to children's learning  make more use of opportunities for children to link written numerals with quantity and develop further their number recognition skills.

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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 suitability.  The inspector took into account the spoken and written views of parents.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager of the pre-school and discussed children's development.  The inspector discussed self-evaluation with the management team.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The management team and staff update their knowledge of safeguarding issues and understand their responsibilities of protecting children's welfare. The management team follows clear recruitment and employment procedures. They continue to assess staff suitability and their professional development. For example, staff have completed training to help them develop the range of outdoor activities provided. The management team and staff are committed to improving practice further still. They continually evaluate children's achievements and monitor their ongoing progress. Staff regularly identify children's next steps of learning and share these with parents. They form positive partnerships with parents and support continuity with children's learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff recognise children's individual learning styles and support their play sensitively. They question children's ideas and skilfully help them to develop their critical thinking skills. For example, children develop their understanding of the world and their language. They explore ice and water, and talk about why the ice melts and gets smaller. They become involved in exciting space-themed activities and learn words, such as 'gravity' and 'force'. Staff follow children's interests and support their creative and imaginative skills effectively. Children eagerly talked about their holidays and had fun making passports and checking in their tickets in the pretend 'airport lounge'. Children served their friends special meals in the 'airport cafe' and told a 'customer' that the cheese costs £1 1000.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are friendly and reassuring, and children feel safe in their care. They gain confidence and begin to enjoy taking challenges that support their developing physical abilities. For example, children carefully step across the balancing logs and hold on tight as they whizz round on a hanging tyre swing. They lift and carry branches to build dens and use sticks to make campfires. Children learn about possible risks and know it is important to hold the sticks pointing downwards so they do not hurt anyone. Older children often help their younger friends and pass them plates for their snack. Children enjoy helping to chop up vegetables to make some soup and talk about foods that will help them stay healthy.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are well prepared for their move to school. They are confident communicators. They listen very well to a favourite story and are keen to express their ideas about what happens. They develop independence and learn to put their coats and boots on to go outside to play. Children interact happily with their friends. They listen well to instructions and start to take small responsibilities, such as putting their belongings away. They often practise writing skills in their games and start to form recognisable letters and shapes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY451162 Local authority Poole Inspection number 1028079 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person Lantern Playgroup Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 16 January 2013 Telephone number 01202842348

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reference number

The Lantern Preschool re-registered in 2012 due to a move of premises. It is a committee- run provision that operates from the village hall in Canford Magna, near Wimborne in Dorset. The pre-school is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3.30pm, during term time only. The manager of the pre-school has qualified teacher status and has early years professional status. There are five other members of staff who work at the pre-school; one has early years professional status, one holds a qualification at level 5 and two hold qualifications at level 3.

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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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