Humpty Dumpty Playschool

Inspection of Humpty Dumpty Playschool Monxton Road, Andover, Hampshire SP11 8HT

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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

Children demonstrate strong bonds with their friends and the caring staff. They flourish in this nurturing home-from-home environment, greet their peers warmly at the start of the session and give them a welcoming hug. Children are highly motivated and eager to engage in the inspiring learning experiences staff provide. For example, they dress up in their favourite costumes, confidently match pairs of shoes and discuss the similarities and differences in their outfits. Children look in the mirror, show excellent control as they twirl around, and tell each other they look beautiful.

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The provision is outstanding

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They show wonderful manners and are consistently kind to others. They illustrated this as they thoughtfully found the tissue box for their younger peers. Staff acknowledge children's kindness at the welcome meeting, boosting their self-esteem. Children show excellent imagination. For example, they take on different roles and pretend to go to the shops. Children create shopping lists and recall what they have written as they shop. They learn the value of different coins as they pay for their food/groceries.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff work exceptionally well with other professionals involved in children's care and learning. Children who speak English as an additional language and those with identified gaps in their development receive an exceptional level of support. As a result, all children make outstanding progress from their starting points.

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need to do better?

n Staff plan an exemplary curriculum that includes inspiring first-hand experiences. They tailor their teaching to each child's learning needs and use every opportunity to stimulate children's interests and increase their knowledge. Consequently, all children are extremely motivated to learn. For example, children work as a team to design and build a model castle. Staff skilfully asked them questions as they discuss doors and windows, to encourage them to think about shape and size. Older children confidently use tools such as scissors. Younger children show high levels of determination as they work out how to remove tape from the roll n Staff work extremely well together. Children's safety is at the heart of everything they do. Staff are highly organised and use resources such as walkie talkies to communicate throughout the day. Consequently, routines run smoothly and this has a positive impact on children's emotional well-being. Children demonstrate

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need to do better?

that they feel safe and secure, and show high levels of self-esteem. They demonstrate excellent manners, welcome visitors into their play and proudly talk about drawings of their families. n Staff are highly skilled at supporting children's mathematical development.

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need to do better?

10 February 2022 Children draw circles, add written numbers and calculate their scores as they throw objects and practise skills of coordination. n Staff support children's physical skills exceptionally well. Children frequently spend time outside and benefit from extensive exercise and fresh air. For instance, they initiate their own games and move guttering higher and lower to investigate how fast different objects move. Children build on their stamina as they transport water into the water tray. They show excellent problem-solving skills and learn about the concept of floating and sinking. n Children develop an excellent awareness of healthy lifestyles. For example, they practise squeezing toothpaste onto toothbrushes. Children scrub model teeth with great enthusiasm and proudly tell visitors that they clean their teeth every day. As they brush, staff read them stories about going to the dentist. This leads

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need to do better?

to extensive discussions about foods that are good for their bodies. n The manager and staff have highly effective partnerships with parents. They offer activity bags and a lending library to help parents guide and support children's learning at home. Parents comment on the extensive learning experiences that the staff provide for their children. They say children flourish in their care and have made outstanding progress since starting at the setting. n The staff are highly experienced. They benefit from a passionate manager who has made significant improvements to the setting. For instance, children now have access to a wonderful wildlife garden. On the day of the inspection, they were seen exploring as they hunted for fairies. Children recalled past events with great enthusiasm, such as finding a frog. The manager and staff have attended significant amounts of training to enhance their skills and knowledge. They use

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need to do better?

funding exceptionally well to ensure every child can reach their full potential.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have an excellent knowledge of how to keep children safe. They fully understand the comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures. Staff have an excellent understanding of the signs that may indicate that a child is being abused. This includes wider safeguarding issues, such as internet safety. The manager continually tests the staff's knowledge of safeguarding through scenarios and questions. Staff constantly supervise children to minimise accidents and keep them safe. There are excellent recruitment and vetting procedures in place to ensure staff's suitability.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 110128 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10128655 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 33 Number of children on roll 44

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Name of registered person

Humpty Dumpty Playschool (Andover) Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 012643 361326 Date of previous inspection 23 September 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Humpty Dumpty Playschool registered in 1974. It operates from buildings on a military base in Andover. The playschool provides care for military and non-military families. It is open from 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday during term time only. There are 11 members of staff that work directly with the children, seven of whom hold relevant level 3 childcare qualifications. The playschool receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n A meeting was held between the inspector, the manager and the deputy manager. n The inspector looked at a selection of documentation and checked the suitability of staff working with the children. n The inspector spoke to children, staff and parents at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the deputy manager. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. They observed staff's teaching practice during activities and discussed the curriculum.

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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

10 February 2022 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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