Herstmonceux Preschool

Inspection of Herstmonceux Preschool Village Hall, Hailsham Road, Hailsham BN27 4JX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at pre-school. On the day of inspection, one child was seen bounding through the door and telling staff excitedly 'I'm going on a bear hunt!'. He fully understood this was the planned activity for the day and could not wait to get to pre-school. Several parents were seen having to remind their children to say goodbye at drop-off time as the children became engrossed in activities so quickly. The relationships between children and staff are very strong. Children approach staff confidently for help, comfort and support. They clearly know that staff will help them and keep them safe. For example, one child struggled to put his coat on and asked a staff member, 'Please will you help me?'. All children have lovely manners and behave very well. They are kind to one another and share and take turns in their play. One child was heard to say to another child, 'Please may I have a go?'. The other child said 'Of course!'.

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The provision is good

The quality of teaching is good. The new manager leads a strong, dedicated team of staff. They share the same vision to give children the best possible start to their learning. Activities are planned well to meet the individual learning needs of every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Every child makes good progress, especially those who need extra help with their learning.

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need to do better?

n Although the manager has only been in post for a few weeks, she has already accurately identified how she can make further improvements to the provision. She recognises that some changes are needed to the planning of larger group activities. At times, children have to sit for long periods, and a few children lose interest and concentration. n Full use is made of the outside areas to extend and enrich children's learning. Children and staff make regular trips to the adjoining woodland to explore a range of activities. On the day of inspection, children thoroughly enjoyed recreating the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. They splashed in the stream and made dens out of logs to hide their bears in. Staff engaged in creative play with the children and extended children's learning well. n Most opportunities are used very well to develop children's speaking and listening skills. Staff encourage children to pronounce words clearly and learn

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need to do better?

new vocabulary through topic work. For example, as children enjoy the bear hunt story, staff remind them about the different language used in the book and help them learn about positional language such as 'over', 'under' and 'through'. However, although staff use a good range of questions to help develop children's knowledge, on a few occasions they answer questions too quickly and do not give children sufficient time to think before they respond. n Children develop very positive attitudes towards learning. Even the youngest

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need to do better?

21 November 2019 children are inquisitive, curious and keen to explore. Good attention is given towards respecting the individual wishes of every child. For example, at the end of each session, children explain to staff what they have enjoyed doing and what they would like to do next time. This enables staff to take full account of children's interests when planning activities. n Children's health and welfare needs are met well. They benefit from plenty of activities outside and practise moving in a variety of ways. For example, a steep slope in the garden provides an exciting space for children to climb up and roll down. Children delight in digging in the mud area and enjoy practising a range of skills, such as pouring and stirring as they play in the mud kitchen. A good range of topic work helps children understand how to follow a healthy lifestyle. For example, they enjoy tasting new, nutritious foods at snack time and

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need to do better?

understand the importance of good dental hygiene. n Good attention is paid towards keeping children safe. Staff deploy themselves well to make sure children are fully supervised at all times, both inside and outside. Children learn about possible risks when they visit the woodland. They remind each other about the importance of being vigilant as they cross the car park. Once in the woodland, children fully understand where they can play, and they recognise the possible risks associated in playing near water. Staff explain these hazards well and children are confident playing in these areas.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are extremely vigilant about safeguarding children. Stringent procedures are in place to ensure that every possible check is carried out on potential new staff during the recruitment process. Comprehensive policies and regular training mean that staff have a very good understanding of the signs to look out for that may indicate a child is at risk of abuse or is being exposed to extreme views and inappropriate behaviours. Staff are vigilant and ensure that children's well-being is protected at all times. They help parents understand how to keep children safe at home, particularly when using digital media.

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should:

n review the organisation of larger group activities to make sure children remain engaged in purposeful learning n develop the support for children's communication skills further by ensuring staff allow children sufficient time to think before they respond to questions.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY546062 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 10130026 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 19 Name of registered person Total Childcare Services (TCS) Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07925 514252 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Herstmonceux Preschool registered under its current ownership in 2017, although it has been established in the village for many years. It opens on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sessions run from 8am to 5pm throughout the year. Children can attend on a full-time or part-time basis. A team of five staff work with the children. The early years director holds qualified teacher status. All other staff are qualified to level 2 or 3. Funding is accepted for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector spoke with the early years director and manager during the inspection and evaluated how well the curriculum is planned to meet children's learning needs. n During the inspection, the inspector accompanied a group of children and staff on a walk to the woodland area and observed the teaching that took place during this outing. n A leadership meeting was held with the management team to discuss how the pre-school is organised and how practice is continually evaluated and developed. n Staff talked to the inspector about how they plan activities and what they do to support children's learning and development. They also explained what procedures they follow to keep children safe. n A tour of the premises was carried out to make sure the areas used by children are safe and secure.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

21 November 2019 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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