Candover Valley Pre-School

Inspection of Candover Valley Pre- School Alresford Road, Preston, Candover, BASINGSTOKE, Hampshire RG25 2EE

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is outstanding

Staff are warm and caring. They have very high expectations for all children attending. Staff have extremely clear intentions for their planning, which focuses highly on language and communication, literacy and mathematics and school readiness. Staff teaching is consistently of an exemplary standard. Staff interact purposefully with children and are extremely confident to build on what children already know and what they can do. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. They engage very well and are extremely motivated to learn. Children show that they are happy to attend. Parents comment that their children are very keen to tell them about the day at pre-school and what they have been doing. Children behave impeccably at all times.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff place a high importance on helping all children acquire very good listening and attention skills. They use tried and tested strategies to thoroughly promote the ways that children form sounds by accurately using the correct movements of their mouth and tongue. Children are attentive and resilient. They show self-control as they follow a staff member's direction and guidance to achieve the sounds by altering the shapes of their mouths. Staff work in partnership with parents to support children's early understanding of sounds and letters, for example, by practising sounds of the week when at home. Children are extremely keen to demonstrate their knowledge during small group times and very confidently identify sounds and the letters they represent.

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need to do better?

n The manager is extremely passionate about her role. She leads her staff team with exceptional support. She is very mindful about helping to ensure that staff manage their workload effectively. She is highly supportive of how staff continue to develop their skills and learning. This includes providing training for staff to help them embed incentives, such as forest school activities, that enhance further the ways children develop independence and enjoyment for learning outdoors. n Staff implement the early years foundation stage securely. They have a meticulous knowledge and understanding of all children's individual needs. Staff are extremely proactive in how they evaluate the quality of children's learning and make robust assessments of children's progress. This is regularly shared with parents, who receive the essential information they need to help them enhance and extend learning at home. For example, staff and parents work

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need to do better?

collaboratively together to support children's language skills and literacy awareness, including a shared topic for 'book of the week'. n Children show an exceptionally keen interest in books. Staff help them to act out favourites, such as 'We're going on a bear hunt', while on the school field.

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need to do better?

22 January 2020 Children demonstrate a confident understanding of popular verses. They act out the different scenarios, such as pretending to put their wellies on to go through the water. They use big steps as they trudge through the mud and interpret how to stumble and trip through the forest. They walk on tip-toes, showing a little apprehension and telling each other the 'cave may be dark'. n Highly effective strategies help support children who need additional support for speech and language or physical development. Proactive staff act promptly to help ensure interventions are set in place. The impact of is that all children have improved outcomes and make consistent and rapid progress in relation to their starting points. n Staff are efficient in offering children rich, interesting experiences to help them understand communities and people. For example, children are offered forest school type sessions on local woodland areas, where they develop independence

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need to do better?

and social skills while trying out new experiences in their learning. Children take part in drama classes where they learn more about Chinese mythology, including the interpretation of the emperor and the great race between the animals. n Staff place a very high importance on outdoor learning. Children thoroughly enjoy their time outdoors, whether cooking in the mud kitchen or taking part in activities that promote their gross motor skills. These include playing hopscotch with staff or catching and throwing games with bean bags. Enthusiastic staff are exceptionally confident in extending learning at all times. For example, they help children to problem-solve as they add the total number of beanbags and work out who has more and who has less. n Children are highly respectful of each other. They use polite language at all times and have exceptional table manners during snacktime and lunchtime. Children are very aware of the importance of listening to each other speak. This

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need to do better?

is demonstrated clearly during group sessions as children talk about what they have enjoyed doing today and how they are feeling. Children show that they feel extremely safe and emotionally secure at pre-school. They are highly motivated to take part in their activities and have very warm bonds with the staff who care for them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of all aspects of safeguarding matters and legislation. This includes their competency to respond to questions and scenarios to assess their knowledge of the 'Prevent' duty and what to do if they have a concern about a senior staff member. Staff have a clear knowledge of the signs and symptoms that may indicate possible abuse or neglect and the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care. Staff implement and use the provider's policies, procedures and risk assessments to effectively promote children's health, safety and well-being. The provider uses robust systems for training and supervision of staff to help ensure they remain suitable for their roles.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 507968 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10128702 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Sessional day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 34 Name of registered person Candover Valley Pre-school Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01256 389 008 Date of previous inspection 29 September 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Candover Valley Pre-school registered in 1994. It operates from premises attached to Preston Candover School in the village of Preston Candover. The pre-school is open Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 3.15pm and Friday from 8.45am to 11.45pm, term-time only. The pre-school employs 10 members of staff, of whom one holds qualified teacher status, two staff hold early years professional status and all other staff, apart from an apprentice, hold appropriate early years qualifications. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector observed staff interacting with children indoors and outdoors. n A joint observation was completed with the manager. The inspector discussed how the manager supports staff in their roles. n The inspector spoke with children, parents and staff. n The inspector met with the committee co-chairperson. She also met with the manager. They discussed how staff update their skills and knowledge, evaluate the quality of the provision and how staff monitor children's progress. n Relevant documentation was sampled during the inspection to ensure the setting is compliant with the requirements of the early years foundation stage.

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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

22 January 2020 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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