Serendipity Pre School

Serendipity Pre School Willow Road Community Centre, Willow Road, Darlington, Co Durham, DL3 6PZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15 March 2017 25 June 2013

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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

 Management and staff are highly qualified, very knowledgeable and ambitious in their pursuit of excellence. The quality of teaching by staff is exemplary. They are calm, confident and skilful in supporting learning. Their timely interventions and use of precise observations and assessments help them to focus on what children need to learn next. Staff are very enthusiastic about their roles.  Strong key-person systems enable children to develop secure emotional attachments quickly. Children are provided with a nurturing environment and are supported to develop positive relationships with their peers. They are extremely happy and confident and they demonstrate a positive sense of belonging.  Staff work very successfully with other professionals to ensure all children receive any extra support they need. Staff ensure children have the very best opportunities to thrive as they play and learn in this highly stimulating and safe environment.

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This provision is outstanding

 Evaluations of staff's teaching practice and supervision sessions are given the utmost priority. This helps to ensure outcomes for all children are given high priority.  Partnerships with parents are exemplary. Comprehensive information sharing enables parents to have an accurate understanding of their child's level of development. They are invited to sessions where they can observe how children learn, such as one about the benefits of den making. This all helps them to continue their child's learning at home.  The manager instils high levels of confidence in all staff and supports their continual professional development. For example, staff have recently attended training abroad to learn about play-based learning outdoors and planning for children's interests.

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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

 continue with the excellent action plans that raise the quality of children's learning and development to the highest levels.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the premises.  The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the pre-school deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the pre-school manager and deputy manager. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the pre-school.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The management team is inspirational in its pursuit of providing the highest-quality care and education for children. Managers systematically evaluate the quality of the pre-school and constantly strive for excellence in improving the lives of children. The views of staff, parents and children are actively sought and consistently acted upon. Staff have exceptional action plans and are considering how to promote children's learning and development even further. The management team meticulously monitors how well individual children and the different groups of children achieve in their learning. Any delays in children's development are swiftly identified and precise interventions put in place to help them catch up rapidly. Safeguarding is effective. Staff are incredibly vigilant and know how to respond to any concerns about a child's well-being.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children make excellent progress. They enjoy a wealth of opportunities to make choices and lead their own learning, adeptly supported by staff. They are very curious, motivated and show a very positive attitude to learning. At circle time all children join in enthusiastically as they identify resources that have rhyming words, such as, 'bat and hat', and they sing a familiar rhyme. They develop a deep love for books, anticipating what will happen on the next page and joining in with the end of sentences when listening to staff read. Outdoors, children experiment with coloured-water spray bottles. They observe how far the water will spray and mix colours together in the water tray. Children's knowledge of the world is helped to develop when they dig in the ground and find worms. When children talk about food for the animals they decide to make earthy play dough to feed them. Highly responsive staff follow these interests, making sure children can access the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

resources they need, such as flour, oil and water.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children thrive in this vibrant, exceptionally well-resourced pre-school. Their behaviour is impeccable. They are especially kind, considerate and caring towards each other. For example, they go and get their friends a bowl for their snack. Snack is freely accessible so that children's play is not interrupted. All children become very independent as they choose what they would like, such as strawberries, crackers or freshly made bread and they help to wash up the dishes afterwards. Promoting children's good health is given high priority by staff. At lunchtime, children help to make themselves an omelette on the open fire in the garden. They help to beat the eggs and choose what fillings they would like. Children are very well aware of how to look after their own safety, for example, as they always walk round the outside of the group.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children, including those in receipt of additional funding and children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make exceptional progress in their learning. They are self-assured and confident to talk with adults. Their ability to listen, maintain attention and follow instructions is developing very well. Four-year-olds are extremely well prepared for the move on to school. They have extremely strong literacy and mathematical skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY447362 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 1065931 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 54 Name of registered person Serendipity Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 25 June 2013 Telephone number 07432129909

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reference number

Serendipity Pre School was registered in 2012. The pre-school employs five members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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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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