The Learning Tree Preschool

The Learning Tree Preschool St Philips Rc Primary School, London Road, Arundel BN18 9BA

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Inspection date 27 September 2018 Previous inspection date 13 October 2015

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1 Outcomes for children Good 2

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The provision is good

n Staff provide an exceptionally warm and nurturing environment. Children settle with ease and thoroughly enjoy exploring the extensive range of resources and activities on offer. n Children make good progress. Staff have a secure understanding of how children learn and plan interesting learning opportunities to support their ongoing development. n Staff have effective partnerships with parents and other settings that children attend. They understand the importance of sharing and gaining information from others to help provide a consistent approach to children's learning. n Staff support children's communication skills well. Older children are asked a varied range of questions which enables them to think and describe, while younger children benefit from a language-rich environment with lots of repetition and encouragement of key words. n The management team continuously strives for excellence and is committed to gaining

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The provision is good

feedback from parents and children to help drive improvements.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

n Occasionally, staff do not challenge children further or test their knowledge of number to enable them to make even better progress in this area. n At times, some activities are very popular with children which means the group size is large. Therefore, staff are not always able to target individual children's learning during these occasional times.

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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

n strengthen further the opportunities to challenge children's knowledge and understanding of mathematics n consider the organisation of activities to enable staff to target children's individual learning effectively.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed activities and staff's interactions with children indoors and outdoors. n The inspector spoke to children, staff and managers at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector took part in a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector viewed a range of written records, including children's learning journals, policies, and action plans. n The inspector spoke to parents and reviewed written feedback to gain their views.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The commitment and drive that managers have is impressive. Managers are new to their roles but have already made improvements to help drive the quality of the provision. For example, they have introduced peer-on-peer observations which have helped identify areas that some staff need support with to further strengthen their skills. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have a secure knowledge of their responsibilities to protect children and a good understanding of the procedures in place should they have concerns about children's safety. Recruitment, induction and supervision procedures are robust. Managers provide good mentoring and support to all staff to ensure they are confident in their roles. Managers work closely with staff to monitor children's learning and ensure that they are all making at least good progress for their age.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children enjoy a vast range of activities which they move between independently. Young children giggled as they splashed with excitement in water. They repeated key words, such as 'bubbles' and 'splash', which staff then extended, saying for example 'big splash' and 'lots of bubbles.' Older children have lots of opportunities to use natural resources in their play. For example, some children enjoyed stamping dinosaurs into oats to see the prints they could make. Other children concentrated as they filled containers and poured from one to another. Staff tested children's knowledge of colours, asking for example, 'What colour is the small pot?' Children enjoy exploring building blocks. They used their imaginations to build structures and talked confidently about what they were doing. Staff challenged children's thinking skills by asking what they were going to add next and to explain how it works.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of children's routines. They provide exceptional warmth and nurture children constantly. Cuddles are limitless, and children have secure bonds with all staff. Staff are excellent role models. They show the utmost respect to children, who behave exceptionally well. Older children have inspiring opportunities to learn about the wider world. For example, children explored a tray of ice which staff resourced with animals such as polar bears and penguins and other items such as igloos. Staff asked children questions such as, 'Do you know how penguins move?' Staff showed children a map and pointed out where they may find igloos and penguins, saying, 'This is called Antarctica.' Staff promote children's excellent independence and self-help skills from an early age. They use portable hand washing stations to help them get used to 'getting rid of germs.'

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Outcomes for children are good

Children make good progress from their starting points and are developing the skills needed for future learning and school. They are learning to manage their own safety, for example, they learn how to climb safely on apparatus and manage risks. Babies confidently practise the development of their large physical skills and are not afraid to try. Children are confident learners who are keen to learn.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY491514 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 10066654 Type of provision Full day care

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Childcare on non-domestic premises Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 98 Name of registered person The Learning Tree Pre-School Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 October 2015 Telephone number 07943 803390

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reference number

The Learning Tree Nursery registered in 2015 in St Philips Primary School, in Arundel, West Sussex. It is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year. There are 13 members of staff, 11 of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery provides funded free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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