Blandford Opportunity Group

Inspection of Blandford Opportunity Group Williams Opportunity Hall, Whitecliff Gardens, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7BU

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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 flourish in this extremely welcoming and supportive group. They are very settled and safe. Children develop very positive attitudes to others and interact happily in their play. They readily reach out to staff for a spontaneous cuddle or supporting hand. Staff clearly value each child's individuality and have a strong commitment to supporting all children to achieve. They provide a curriculum that enables all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make excellent progress from their starting points.

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The provision is outstanding

Children gain very good self-esteem and confidence in their play. They are motivated to learn through exploration and curiosity. For example, they show clear delight as they reach out to touch the sparkly lights of a sensory bubble lamp. They are keen to use the voice- or touch-activated resources that initiate colourful patterns of soft lights or sound. Children watch fascinated as these reflect on the walls around them. Children like singing counting songs together and develop an early awareness of number. They help staff to count how many 'little speckled frogs' are left 'sitting on a speckled log'. Children strengthen their hand-to-eye coordination skills, such as when pouring water in and out of containers, or filling and emptying buckets of sand. They have great fun splashing in the water tray or playing peekaboo in the outdoor playhouse.

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The provision is outstanding

The management team and staff supported children and their families extremely well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents spoke very positively about the continual contact that staff kept with them and how this helped their children's learning and well-being.

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need to do better?

n The management team and staff continually reflect on their practice to ensure they support all children's needs at the very highest level. They have successfully extended and reorganised the play areas to provide further inspiring learning opportunities for children, such as a wider range of stimulating sensory experiences. n The experienced staff gain an exceptional understanding of the needs of all children's care, learning and development. For example, in liaison with parents and other involved agencies, they have motivated children to gain better mobility, and enable their exploration of play further. n The management team is highly effective at encouraging staff to develop their knowledge and skills. Staff continue to attend training, such as to raise their understanding of children's cognitive development in more depth, and how to manage different levels of trauma in their lives. n Partnership with parents is exceptionally strong. Parents spoke extremely highly

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need to do better?

30 March 2022 of staff, reporting very positively about the support they provide for their children and families in many ways. n Staff are highly skilled at supporting children to manage their emotions and develop positive social skills. Staff maintain a calm, reassuring environment. They clearly understand when children need time to sit quietly in their self- chosen place to help them feel safe and begin to self-regulate their feelings. Children play cooperatively and start to form positive relationships with their friends. n Children benefit from a range of stimulating play experiences and routines that support their physical well-being very well. They gain the confidence and determination to develop their strength and movement. Younger children concentrate very well to pull themselves up to standing. They start to cruise around the furniture to explore the resources. Older children like to climb up, on

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need to do better?

and over the climbing frame and they then smile with delight as they whizz down the slide. n The management team and staff provide excellent support for all children as they move onto school. The management team liaises with parents, schools and related agencies significantly well to ensure all children receive the continual support they need to help them achieve. n Staff are highly skilled at promoting all children's communication and language. They provide the resources to enable each child to communicate their needs. For example, children gain the confidence to use language to express their needs or use specialised picture cards to help them make choices in play and to recognise what is happening next. n Children learn extremely well through a range of exciting, purposeful play activities. Younger children eagerly move their arms and pretend to 'wind up a bobbin' and stretch out to 'point to a door' on hearing the cues from a favourite

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need to do better?

song. Older children smile with delight and anticipation as they lie down and pretend to be asleep, and then excitedly jump up and try to hop like rabbits. n Staff welcome and value each child with an extremely caring and supportive approach. They give a very strong focus to promoting inclusion and help all children to develop a sense of self-esteem and belonging within the group.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The management team has an extremely clear focus on continually supporting staff to gain a strong understanding of safeguarding. All staff complete a variety of related training. Staff have an excellent knowledge of safeguarding issues and their responsibilities to protect all children's welfare. They support all families extremely well to help keep their children safe and healthy. They maintain a very high staff- to-child ratio and supervise children extremely well. Staff continually risk assess the premises to ensure children's security and minimise accidents. The management team implements very clear recruitment procedures to help them continually assess and support staff suitability to work with children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 141094 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 10126082 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 26 Number of children on roll 21 Name of registered person Blandford Opportunity Group Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01258456187 Date of previous inspection 12 October 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Blandford Opportunity Group registered in 1993. This committee-run group is situated in Blandford Forum, Dorset. It opens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am until 3pm, during school term time. There are 12 staff who work with the children. They hold relevant qualifications from level 2 to level 4. The provider employs an administrator. The provider is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The group specialise in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider 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 their evaluation of the provider. n The manager took the inspector on a tour of the setting and explained how the curriculum is delivered. n The inspector observed children's interactions in play indoors and outdoors, and discussed their learning and development with staff. n The inspector and manager completed a joint observation and discussed the quality of teaching. n The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including the qualifications and first-aid certificates for staff. n The inspector took into account the spoken views of parents.

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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

30 March 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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