Bluebell Forest School

Bluebell Forest School Matching Village Hall, The Green, Matching Tye, Harlow, CM17 0QS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 June 2018 Not applicable

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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 have an excellent understanding of how to promote children's emotional attachments. They demonstrate high levels of warmth and care and praise children in the moment as they achieve what they set out to do. This helps to raise children's self- esteem, encourages them to behave well and fosters their dynamic friendships.  Staff develop exemplary partnerships with parents. They work closely with parents to ensure children settle in, exceedingly well. They expertly support parents to have confidence in continuing their child's learning in the home environment.  The manager provides all staff with regular confidential meetings to discuss their ongoing suitability and training needs, and their key children. This, and regular observations of staff practice, ensure teaching has a continuously high impact on all children's learning.  Staff attend an excellent range of training courses and share their new knowledge with

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This provision is outstanding

all other staff. They are highly motivated and reflective. This provides optimum challenge for the children in their care. Outcomes for children are excellent. The manager successfully monitors children's progress and ensures that any gaps in learning are swiftly identified and closed.  All children learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others in the local and wider community. They explore an extensive range of festivals and play with a wealth of toys and resources that depicts positive images of diversity.

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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 the already excellent activities on offer to support children's understanding of information technology even further.

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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 of the nursery.  The inspector spoke to staff and held a meeting with the nursery manager.  The inspector looked at relevant records, documentation and policies. She also checked evidence of the suitability of the manager and staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to children and parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. The provider ensures that staff are trained in child protection. All staff know what to do and who to inform should they have any concerns about a child in their care. Staff robustly check all indoor and outdoor areas prior to children's arrival each morning, which helps keep children safe. The manager is highly motivated in evaluating the provision. As part of self-evaluation, she has identified that there is the opportunity to enhance children's learning and intends to implement a forest school in a private wood. She knows this will encourage children's exploration and investigation skills to an even higher level. In addition, the manager is considering how she can plan even more innovative opportunities for children's understanding of information technology. Staff foster superb partnerships with other providers, including the local schools. This actively promotes a high level of consistent, continuous support for children's care and learning.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Staff use excellent strategies to promote children's readiness for school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff working with younger children support their language and communication skills exceptionally well. For example, they use visual props to enthuse younger children's interest in stories. Younger children sit, concentrate for extended periods and know the actions and story endings. All children become engrossed in their imaginary play as they mix sand, leaves and twigs to make their own concoctions at the sand pit. Staff working with older children enthuse them as they seek out insects and spiders in their natural habitats in the forest. Children develop high levels of empathy for living things as they talk about handling insects and spiders carefully so that they do not hurt them. Staff provide high levels of support as children explore mathematical concepts. For example, children recognise and name shapes confidently, including hexagon and triangle. During such activities, staff use a superb range of questioning techniques to enhance children's

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

thinking and problem-solving skills even further.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children competently take manageable risks in their play. They expertly balance on large logs, build bridges with sticks they find and use whittling tools to carve skewers from wooden sticks, as they prepare to roast foods on the camp fire in the forest. Staff hold discussions with children about eating healthily. They remind children to drink after being physically active and they provide them with nutritious snacks. This enhances children's awareness about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Children develop excellent self-esteem, tolerance and acceptance and are very kind to all their friends.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress. Younger children have high levels of confidence, make independent choices throughout the day and engage well in new activities. Older children are self- assured as they recognise and write their own names at various points throughout the day. All children competently use tools to make marks and create their own pictures.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY545422 Local authority Essex Inspection number 1097339 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 - 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 50 Name of registered person Bluebell Forest School Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07878555294

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reference number

Bluebell Forest School registered in 2017. The pre-school employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including the manager who has a master's degree in early years and the deputy manager who has qualified teacher status. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and from 9am until 1pm on Thursday and Friday. 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

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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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