Out There Forest School and Kindergarten

Out There Forest School and Kindergarten East Winds Activity Centre, St. Annes Terrace, Bristol, BS4 4DY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 June 2018 Not applicable

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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

 The manager and her staff are an experienced, ambitious and cohesive team. Overall, they are dedicated to providing the very best care and education for all children. They provide an imaginative and adventurous curriculum based almost entirely outdoors.  Children develop high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. They learn to manage risk and take responsibility for themselves particularly well.  Children enjoy the wide range of well-chosen, outdoor learning opportunities on offer. They are highly motivated and eager learners.  Observation and assessment practice is robust and children's progress and development are regularly shared with parents. Any gaps in learning are quickly identified and addressed. Strong relationships with parents and outside professionals ensure that support is accessed and that progress continues without delay.  Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good

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This provision is good

progress in all areas of learning, relative to their starting points.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff lack professional development strategies to challenge all children to reach their very highest potential.  The views of parents and children are not yet taken fully into account, when planning for future improvements.

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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

 develop a more rigorous programme of professional development for staff, to improve outcomes further for all children  develop strategies to find out more about parents' and children's views on all aspects of provision, to take into account when planning for future improvements.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed staff interactions and children at play.  The inspector and the manager observed a planned activity together and discussed their findings.  The inspector sampled required documentation on the day.  The inspector held a meeting with the manager to discuss self-evaluation, safeguarding and staff professional development.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. The manager ensures that staff implement all safety routines and procedures meticulously. Risk assessments are robust. Children are safe on and off site. Staff teach children safety rules effectively. For example, children know to stay calm and stand still if they meet a dog and they do this unprompted. The manager rigorously implements the necessary procedures if ever there is a concern over a child's well-being. She evaluates provision accurately and has focused plans in place to improve the setting. Parents enjoy family days where they can learn more about learning in and through nature. Staff suggest activities that parents and children can do at home together, which promotes consistency in children's learning. Parents frequently contribute their skills and talents to enhance children's growing awareness of the wider world.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The staff are skilled at seamlessly interweaving all areas of the curriculum into their outdoor learning approach. For example, in the woods, children developed their pirate project and wanted to build a ship. Staff encouraged children to think through their ideas, such as where the toilet might be and asked, 'What if there are no pipes?' Different ideas are evaluated well. Some children draw the final design while others start on the treasure map. Younger children find clumps of mud and suggest these can be used as 'cannon balls'. Before building the ship, they enjoy a pirate story about disappearing pirates. This provides much interest as well as valuable practice in subtraction. Children develop their communication, collaboration, problem-solving, mathematical and many other skills very well through such projects.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children enjoy very warm and trusting relationships with staff and their friends. The key- person system is well embedded and children settle in quickly and easily. Children listen well and often look after each other. They spontaneously hold hands when walking to the woodland, for example. Staff help children understand their emotions effectively, often through summarising what children are saying. For example, when children talk of their mixed feelings about a good friend leaving, staff say, 'Yes, it is strange how we can feel happy and sad at the same time sometimes, isn't it.' The children visibly relax as they learn that this potentially confusing pair of emotions are part of normal life.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children thrive at this setting. They develop high levels of self-care, independence and resilience. For example, they develop good physical confidence as they climb muddy slopes and jump off logs. All children develop good early reading and writing skills. Younger children enjoy exploring initial sounds in their names. Older children learn to write their names, link sounds to letters and to recognise these in the environment. Children develop a good awareness of diversity and the wider world, for example, through outings. Children are well prepared for school or the next stage of their learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY546746 Local authority Bristol City Inspection number 1109444 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 0 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 18 Name of registered person Out There Forest School and Kindergarten Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07948674811

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reference number

Out There Forest School and Kindergarten registered in 2017. It is located in Bristol. It provides a range of education and childcare facilities, including a kindergarten, an after- school-club and a holiday club. The setting is open from 8am until 5.45pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during term time only, and from 8am to 6pm for most school holidays. The provision employs eight members of staff, three of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Of these, one member of staff holds qualified teacher status. The kindergarten is in receipt of funding to provide early 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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