Cold Ash Pre School

Cold Ash Pre School The Acland Memorial Hall, Hermitage Road, Thatcham RG18 9JH

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Inspection date 12 July 2019 Previous inspection date Not applicable

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Not applicable Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1 Outcomes for children Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

n The manager is a highly qualified, enthusiastic and inspirational teacher. She is extremely successful at sharing her passion for children's learning with parents, staff and committee members. Everyone understands why they do things and what children are learning. Children practise and master new skills rapidly. n The parent committee has made a massive contribution to improvements at the pre- school. This helps staff to deliver new ways of inspiring children to even higher levels of curiosity, investigation and physical challenge. Fulfilled, exhausted and often slightly muddy children return home having spent most of the day adventuring outdoors. n Staff are swift to share their professional observations, assessments and ideas for promoting children's next steps in learning with parents and carers. The manager monitors the progress of individual children, different groups of children and staff practice to check that every child is achieving their potential.

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This provision is outstanding

n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities promptly receive the additional help they need. Their parents praise staff for the outstanding transformation they have made to their children's social skills, speech, learning and quality of family life. n Children make wise decisions about choosing healthy snacks and sitting somewhere calm and undisturbed to enjoy them. Highly responsive staff make excellent use of this time to focus on children's individual welfare and well-being. n Children explore interests as broad as 'what happens in Greenland?' and 'dragons eating eggs for breakfast, leaves for dinner and ducks for tea'. They know how to research the unknown and develop a story. Children quickly develop a broad vocabulary, the art of conversation and the confidence to share their opinions. They are extremely well prepared for school socially, emotionally and academically.

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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 extend the excellent outdoor pursuits already in place to further encourage children to take even more responsibility for caring for the world around them.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

n The inspector talked to parents and carers to gather their views on the pre-school and their children's progress. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning and development, both inside and outside. n The inspector listened to and talked with children as they played, and reviewed how well staff monitor and extend children's achievements. n The inspector sampled policies and spoke to staff to gauge their understanding of safeguarding arrangements and how they promote children's welfare. n The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager and asked how staff training improved outcomes for children. n The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including information on staff recruitment, suitability checks and training, and discussed plans for further improvement with the leadership team.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. The manager checks that staff know how to identify and respond appropriately to any child protection concerns. The committee members also undertake a wide range of training to help them manage and support staff, parents and children to a remarkably high standard. Members of the leadership team work exceptionally well together. They make excellent use of staff appraisals and professional study to raise the quality of teaching and learning experiences for children. For example, recent staff training in yoga has already had a hugely beneficial effect on helping children manage anxiety and improve their well-being.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Teaching is consistently receptive, imaginative and pitched at just the right level to challenge the thinking and creativity of each child. For example, staff provide clay, help the children work out how to make dough and encourage them to find natural materials to make sculptures. Staff help children to explore their ideas and identify their own goals, such as clarifying what size of sticks they are looking for. Children think creatively and gain the confidence to express their ideas very clearly using appropriate descriptive and mathematical language. For instance, one child who is making a snowman reasons that they do not need sticks for the arms to be the same length. Staff inspire children to think through different ways of connecting and strengthening their sculptures. Children routinely evaluate and improve their work, and have a very positive attitude to learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Highly observant staff know precisely when to model positive approaches to social challenges and when to give children the opportunity to practise and perfect such skills. Children display high levels of self-control, tolerance and understanding. For example, older children watch younger children dismantle an elaborate construction, completely unaware of the pride and joy they felt on building it. With significant self-restraint, they reflect on the pre-school rules, watch the younger children struggling to develop a new game and rise to the responsibility of helping them realise their vision. Recently, staff have identified children's fascination with building safe havens for insects. One child says, 'I'm building a bug hotel. It's going to be finished by the time it rains'. Staff are considering how to extend children's interests in such areas as woodwork, and using wind or solar power outdoors. They aim to help children learn about how to take even

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

more responsibility for caring for the world around them.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Young children become more self-confident, resilient and skilled at making new friends and asking others for help. They quickly recognise and adapt their responses to include and encourage friends who are less experienced at playing new team games. Older children finish rhymes and investigate number concepts with their inspiring teachers, wherever their interests take them. For example, playing in 'a pirate ship' at the top of a stack of tyres.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY560354 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 10117946 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 40 Name of registered person Cold Ash Pre-School CIO

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07780664454

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reference number

Cold Ash Pre School has been in operation since 1970. It re-registered in 2019 to form a legal entity as a CIO, and is located in Cold Ash, near Thatcham, Berkshire. The pre- school operates during term time only. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday it opens from 9.15am to 2.45pm, and on Wednesday and Friday from 9.15am to 1.30pm. The pre- school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are eight staff working with the children, all of whom hold relevant qualifications from level 2 to level 6. The manager holds qualified teacher status.

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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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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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