Bramfield Stepping Stones Pre-School

Inspection of Bramfield Stepping Stones Pre-School Bramfield Village Hall, Bridge Street, Bramfield, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 9HZ

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Staff create a homely setting which children thrive in. Children excitedly arrive and take pride as they hang their belongings on their peg. An effective key-person system is in place and children have created secure attachments with staff which enable them to part with ease from their family. Children excitedly find somewhere to play, happily joining their friends. Children can independently negotiate turn- taking and, as a result, share resources well.

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The provision is good

Staff lead a very popular circle time focused on language development. Children are excited when they see the treasure box. They ask for their favourite puppet and wait with anticipation. Each puppet is linked to a familiar song which they join in with. Children laugh as the puppet tickles them or creeps out of the box. Staff ensure that both factual books and storybooks are available in different places in the environment. Children independently access them and really enjoy retelling stories. This promotes their listening and communication skills and develops their use of vocabulary. Staff provide a variety of opportunities for children to mark make, both indoors and outside. They work collaboratively when they use paintbrushes and water to paint the fence and marvel as the wood changes colour. Children love being outside. They particularly like the sand, burying their feet in it. They enjoy competing to see how far they can jump into the sand and compare

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need to do better?

n Staff prioritise building good relationships with children and their families. They use their observations and discussions to plan activities and resources to support children's ongoing development. Staff use children's interests to encourage them to engage in areas of the environment they might not ordinarily access. Staff have a clear curriculum which focuses on building children's independence and communication and language. n Independence is highly fostered at the pre-school. Staff have high expectations of children and provide many opportunities for them to be independent within daily tasks. Children take pride when they sweep the floor, tidy their toys and put away their plates after snack. They are proactive and ask for a cloth to clean up if they spill their drink. Staff praise them, which further encourages them. n Staff skilfully interweave mathematics into everyday routines and conversations.

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need to do better?

Children continuously demonstrate their knowledge through both child-initiated play and in response to adult-directed questions. For example, staff ask children to count the plates and work out how many are missing. Children, as a result, use numbers very capably in their play and enjoy calculations. They independently use mathematical language, such as 'long' and 'short', to compare items. They have a good understanding of positional language and have fun

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need to do better?

15 July 2024 calling out the answer when staff ask them who is sat opposite them at snack time. n Children know and participate in the daily routines. For example, staff signal that it is snack time and children know to tidy up and wash their hands. There are moments, however, when children spend a lot of time waiting in between transitions, which limits their time to engage in purposeful play. n Staff use their experience to expertly judge when to intervene in children's play and introduce new concepts and vocabulary. In the current cohort, some children have an interest in dinosaurs. Staff build upon the interest by introducing children to fossils. They talk about how they are formed and children understand the concept. They enjoy touching a fossil and staff introduce vocabulary such as a 'spiral'. Children explore dinosaur skeletons and, with staff assistance, they can determine which dinosaur it is.

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need to do better?

n The committee is fully vetted and contributes well to the management of the setting. It provides effective supervision for the manager and supports reflective practice. Staff are passionate about providing high-quality care and learning. They attend a range of training opportunities to further their professional development. Paperwork is used well to support the efficient running of the pre- school. Staff assess the risk of the building and outdoors and teach children how to keep safe. Staff have very good links with their local primary school. There are good transition procedures in place to support the children when they move to school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n review the routines of the day to minimise children's waiting time and maximise their time spent in purposeful play.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY375200 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10355212 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 18 Number of children on roll 27

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Name of registered person

Bramfield Stepping Stones Pre-school Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01986 784 586 Date of previous inspection 21 November 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Bramfield Stepping Stones Pre-School registered in 2008. The pre-school employs three members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 6, one at level 3 and one is working towards a qualification at level 3. The pre-school opens from Monday to Friday, during school term time. Sessions are from 9.15am until 12.15pm and 1.15pm until 3.15pm, with a lunch club from 12.15pm until 1.15pm. The pre-school 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 pre-school 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 provider and the inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed their curriculum and what it is that they want their children to learn. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The provider and the inspector carried out a joint observation together. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector spoke to children during the inspection.

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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

15 July 2024 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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