Redwoods Forest Preschool

Redwoods Forest Preschool Nowton Park Centre, Bury Road, Nowton, Bury St Edmunds IP29 5BD

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Inspection date 6 March 2019 Previous inspection date Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Not applicable 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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This provision is good

n The manager and her staff team are committed to providing children and their families with an outdoor pre-school of the highest quality. Since opening, they have worked hard to promote the ethos of child-led learning thorough hands-on experiences and opportunities to explore the natural world around them. n Some aspects of teaching are outstanding. Staff have an excellent understanding of how to help children become independent and self-assured individuals who are ready to experience the next stage in their learning, including moving on to school. n Staff carry out thorough risk assessments to identify potential hazards while recognising the benefits of letting children learn how to manage risk and experience physical challenge. Staff are highly skilled at promoting children's sense of pride in their own achievements. n Children demonstrate increasingly high levels of confidence in different situations. They

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This provision is good

are highly motivated and eager to learn. They separate from their parents with confidence on arrival and soon become engrossed in exploring their own ideas and sharing their discoveries with others. n Senior staff are particularly skilled at building on what children already know and can do. They skilfully adapt their teaching to take account of children's age and stage of development. For example, they focus on helping Reception-aged children learn to read and write, while ensuring younger children enjoy listening to stories with increasing attention and recall. n Systems of performance management and supervision are not fully focused on providing staff with effective feedback to help raise the quality of their teaching to a consistently higher level.

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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 provide staff with more incisive evaluation and supervision to help them raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level to help all children make more rapid progress.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities in the outdoor pre- school and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. She spoke to staff and children during the inspection. n The inspector held a meeting with the manager and looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff. n The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff understand their responsibilities to protect children and keep them safe from harm. They have all attended relevant training to help ensure their knowledge is up to date and in line with current guidelines and regulations. The manager implements thorough recruitment procedures to help ensure staff are safe and suitable to work with children. The manager and her deputy help staff reflect on their practice and together they identify relevant priorities for improvement. Parents are highly complimentary about the setting, explaining that it reflects their own values and parenting styles. They praise the staff for being so child- orientated and comment on the amazing progress their children have made.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff interact well with children during their play to promote their enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning. Senior staff are good role models for less experienced members of the team. They ask thought-provoking questions to help extend children's ideas and thought processes, for example, while writing down a child's story. Children enjoy cooking activities, including making pancakes for snack time. Staff encourage children to use their own initiative, for example by letting them find their own way of opening an egg. The manager monitors children's overall progress and uses the information gained to help staff target effectively any gaps in children's learning or the educational programme.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff are very sensitive to children's individual personalities. They skilfully help children learn to manage their own feelings and encourage them to settle simple disputes for themselves. Staff are very effective in helping children learn to keep themselves safe and healthy while giving them the freedom to explore the natural world. They provide a well- resourced and highly stimulating environment that helps encourage children to be independent and resourceful. Children enjoy making paint by grinding chalk or charcoal. Staff are alert to this interest and provide further resources for children to crush with a pestle and mortar. Senior staff use excellent storytelling skills to capture children's imagination. Children animatedly make their own suggestions about what might happen next in the story. Staff work very closely with parents to help promote a consistent approach to supporting children's learning and development.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop key skills to prepare them for the next stage of their learning. They are confident to 'have a go' and explore their own way of doing things. Children are proud to share their achievements with others, for example they demonstrate their good counting skills. They are very curious and show high levels of concentration. Children are very physically able for their age, for example, they climb and balance with confidence. They demonstrate very good hand-to-eye coordination and use woodwork tools safely and with increasing control.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY538548 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10090060 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 15 Number of children on roll 18 Name of registered person Redwoods Forest Preschool Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07981396417

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reference number

Redwoods Forest Preschool registered in 2016 and meets in the walled garden at Nowton Park. The pre-school employs four members of childcare staff, including the owner. All staff hold appropriate early years and/or forest school qualifications, including one with early years teacher status. The setting opens on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday during school term time. Sessions are from 9am until 2pm. The pre-school provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The pre-school follows the forest school philosophy.

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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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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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If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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