Pumpkin Patch Nursery Steyning

Pumpkin Patch Nursery Steyning

Unique reference number (URN): 2844273 Address: Unit 1, Chanctonfold, Horsham Road, Steyning, BN44 3AA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 23/06/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Pumpkin Patch Nurseries Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children's perseverance and resilience when learning new tasks are impressive. They repeatedly practise new skills and keep trying until they succeed. In addition, children encourage other children to have a go and to keep trying. For example, they coach each other as they melt ice with small amounts of water, motivating each other to keep going.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children confidently communicate with each other. They explain the intent of activities and what they are trying to achieve. Even the youngest children use Makaton independently to communicate with their friends.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children's achievements are celebrated throughout the whole setting and their efforts are respected and valued. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to their learning, are very well prepared for transitions within the setting and their future move to school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. All children, including the youngest children, learn the importance of respecting and valuing each other. For example, staff encourage children to listen to each other when they share their experiences and encourage babies to wait and take turns.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children recite songs they have learned about using 'kind hands' and respecting each other's personal space and boundaries. Children demonstrate this in their play as they remind each other when they are not happy about something their friends have done. They are respectful towards each other and staff reinforce this, helping to develop strong relationships. Staff consistently use Makaton with all children to support their understanding of the rules. Children independently sign please and thank you when asking their friends to share resources.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

All children are extremely engaged in their learning and motivated to learn. For example, babies show increasing curiosity as they explore a range of tools and brushes used to spread glue. Older children use their imaginations as they intricately place different media in clay models to replicate forests and shells.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders ensure that parents and carers understand the importance of children's attendance. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, such as who are new to the setting, are happy and settled in their environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders prioritise when children may need more time to support their emotional wellbeing and provide a calm sensory area for all children to access. Staff support children to recognise when they feel sad and use Makaton consistently to reinforce this. This helps children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning, when they feel overwhelmed to reengage back into their learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

During forest school sessions, staff teach children how to stay safe. For example, children are involved in risk assessing the forest area to ensure that it is safe to use. When using tools, such as hammers, children learn they need 2 hands and to move their faces away. Children have time to practise these skills and show pride when they succeed. Staff provide a variety of protective equipment, such as different-sized goggles, so that children who might wear glasses can take part safely.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

All children build secure relationships with staff and are extremely settled, including those who are new to the setting. Children are encouraged to be independent. At mealtimes, they learn to put their plates and cups in the bowl, use mirrors when wiping their face and put their tissues in the bin. Even the youngest children can do this independently.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have developed a very ambitious curriculum for all children, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, which is well sequenced throughout the setting. For example, staff focus on promoting children's communication and language and provide a narrative to their play. They comment on what children do and use Makaton consistently.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff know children extremely well and use assessment effectively to check what children know to tailor their teaching. They quickly identify where they need to adapt their practice to fully support all children and ensure that the curriculum is inclusive to all. Staff provide experiences for all children that builds on their skills as they move through the setting. For example, babies receive the time and space to build their confidence and explore tools to build on the skills required for their future learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

As children move through the setting they gain knowledge across all areas of development. For example, staff create awe-inspiring activities that promote older children's mathematical development and thinking skills. Children demonstrate excellent perseverance as they fill pipettes with water to slowly melt ice and reveal hidden penguins. Staff encourage children to estimate how many penguins are hidden in total and introduce mathematical concepts, such as addition, subtraction, floating and sinking.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff regularly assess children's progress and quickly identify when children may be facing barriers to their learning. For example, they monitor how well children settle into the setting, acknowledge when children feel anxious and provide spaces for them to feel secure.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have high expectations for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to their learning. Staff have the necessary skills to assess children's progress to ensure they are achieving. They use their knowledge of each individual child's needs to inform practice so that they can address barriers to children's learning very carefully. This includes ensuring adequate protective clothing for all children to access all experiences and working with parents and carers to ensure all children have the same opportunities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding effectively so that all children are fully included and can access the whole provision. Leaders have a secure understanding of every child's needs and family circumstances. They work effectively with other professionals to ensure that children are fully supported.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have recently reviewed the procedure for when children transition outside to ensure that all staff understand this process and all children are accounted for. Leaders regularly evaluate the whole provision. They understand their strengths and identify areas to improve further. For example, they plan to develop their forest school offer and involve children in designing an allotment so that they can grow their own vegetables. This will support the development of a cooking programme to promote children's awareness of healthy eating and teach them where their food comes from.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff wellbeing is a high priority. Staff surveys inform their offer, such as providing more regular feedback on their practice and providing mental health support that is accessible at all times. Professional development programmes are high quality and provide rich learning opportunities to help staff fully understand the ethos behind the curriculum. Staff report they feel very well supported in their roles.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders know their families exceptionally well. They organise parent workshops and provide resources to support children's learning further at home. Leaders use additional funding to enable children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning, to access the full curriculum and experiences on offer.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children thrive at this setting. They are happy and confident learners, who lead and influence their own curriculum. For example, projects and activities are based on what interests children, and what they want to learn more about. Older children explore using different tools and media to create clay sculptures that replicate their interpretation of where dragons live. They confidently describe their creations and concentrate intently on the detail of their design. Children demonstrate great curiosity and engagement in their learning.

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Inspector:

Pippa Clark Children are extremely settled and have secure relationships with staff. For example, children who have recently started at the setting already independently explore the environment and move confidently around their room. Staff know all the children's individual needs very well. They provide a calm and welcoming environment, and adapt their approach appropriately to each child. For example, staff recognise when children might be feeling overwhelmed and provide a calm and sensory space to help them to regulate their emotions. Staff talk to children of all ages about how they feel and promote their awareness of how others feel. They create a highly respectful culture that shows children how to value and celebrate each other's differences. For example, staff encourage children to invite others to join their play and to consider if they need to adapt their play to ensure that all children are included.

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Inspector:

Leaders strive to support and work with families, to ensure that children can attend the setting. They recognise when there may be barriers to children's attendance and address these with parents and carers so that all children have access to the learning experiences they offer. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate levels of support to flourish. For example, children who face barriers to their physical development show great pride as they independently use hammers and mallets alongside their friends.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face other barriers to their learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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Address:

Unit 1, Chanctonfold, Horsham Road Steyning BN44 3AA

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Pumpkin Patch Nurseries Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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