Ludwell Valley Centre

Ludwell Valley Centre

Unique reference number (URN): EY482440 Address: Ludwell Valley Centre, Ludwell Lane, EXETER, EX2 5LU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/09/2014 Registers: EYR Registered person: Ludwell Valley Early Childhood Centre Committee

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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 make rapid and sustained progress across the curriculum and develop the knowledge and skills needed for their next stage of learning. Younger children use a range of equipment with increasing control and accuracy. For example, they use different-sized scoops to pour seeds into pots, they use fishing rods to hook sea creatures and they join in with key words and actions from familiar stories. Older children communicate confidently, share ideas with adults and peers, focus for extended periods and show developing knowledge of letter names and sounds during group activities.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children show increasing independence in self-care. They find their own coats, put them on and persevere when fastening zips. Children enthusiastically engage in mathematical experiences, exploring numbers, shapes and quantities during play showing high levels of understanding. They join in with songs knowing how to tap out rhythms and how to vary the volume of their voices. Children who are still developing verbal communication use pointing, gestures and simple language to express their needs and participate alongside their peers.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children consistently behave appropriately and show positive attitudes to learning. They follow instructions, understand expectations and manage daily routines. Children respond promptly when staff use a tambourine to signal transitions. They stop, listen and help tidy resources before moving to the next activity. Younger children complete simple tasks such as using dustpans and brushes alongside adults as they help tidy for lunchtime.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children engage in learning with great enthusiasm and are keen to participate. They join group activities, saying, 'Yes! story time,' and enthusiastically saying 'Don't start without me!' Children collect their listening mats and find a space on the carpet. They sit attentively, share books with adults and ask for additional stories.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children form secure attachments with staff and separate from their parents confidently. They form positive friendships and show care towards one another. Children play cooperatively, take turns in games without adult support, listen to each other's ideas and share resources. For example, children say, 'You're my best friend' and 'You can have this next.' Staff provide consistent support, praise and encouragement, helping all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel secure and ready to learn.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing is prioritised through consistently responsive care practices and the effective partnerships staff build with parents. Children build secure attachments with all staff. They confidently seek out their key person to share achievements, ask for help and talk. Staff continually respond with warmth and care and recognise children's achievements. Staff support children's emotional wellbeing. They identify when children need support and use strategies to help them regulate emotions, including one-to-one support, validation, active play and quieter spaces. Children identify and express feelings through ongoing discussions with staff and through using resources such as emotion pebbles as part of their play. Staff skilfully and consistently adapt care practices to meet individual needs and work closely with parents. They review medical and/or dietary care plans regularly and provide

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

additional support for children facing barriers or difficult circumstances. Parents describe staff as 'caring, approachable and supportive.'

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff embed hygiene and safety routines, including handwashing before meals. Children brush their teeth as part of daily routines. Staff use visual communication boards to support communication and choice-making at snack and lunchtime to ensure children with communication difficulties are always included. Mealtimes are calm social occasions where staff promote healthy lifestyles and help children understand how food supports their health and gives them energy. Leaders and staff follow clear procedures to help monitor and support children's regular attendance and punctuality to build positive habits for school.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and staff design and consistently deliver a carefully planned broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that builds children's knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. Staff skilfully provide a wide range of meaningful experiences that support children to develop confidence and independence and give them a secure foundation for school and beyond. Staff support learning through their positive interactions with children. They continually join children's play and extend children's learning through careful questioning, suggesting ideas and encouraging children to persevere with challenges such as managing zips and opening packets at lunchtime. Staff thoughtfully adapt teaching for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities by offering simple choices, using clear language and providing pictures for children to use when selecting options. Staff skilfully adjust their support according to children's ages and stages. For example, they help

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

younger children by holding jugs when pouring or beginning to peel fruit so children can complete tasks successfully.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff implement the communication and language curriculum highly effectively. They model vocabulary, repeat language, extend children's sentences and allow time for responses. Staff use communication boards to support children with limited speech to express themselves and make choices. Staff teach mathematics well. They use children's play to develop counting, number recognition and measurement skills and thoughtfully extend children's mathematical thinking and vocabulary. For instance, when children choose to measure themselves, staff ask, 'Have you grown since last week? Look at the lines on the chart,' and encourage comparisons between children.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff promote a love of reading through daily story sessions and individual reading. Staff enthusiastically read to children and build excitement. Children eagerly anticipate story time and select props to support their understanding. Children say, 'Yes, story time!' when they see staff preparing to read.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff create an inclusive environment that enables all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged to successfully access all learning opportunities. Staff hold high expectations for every child and provide the support, experiences and experiences children need to thrive. Staff follow robust assessment and monitoring procedures that help them identify gaps in children's learning and development at an early stage. They quickly identify concerns in children's development and take prompt action. Staff make timely referrals to speech and language therapists, seek additional funding where appropriate and work closely with parents. This helps children receive the support they need and make progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders ensure all staff receive training to implement a range of strategies effectively. Staff adapt teaching, resources and learning experiences to meet children's individual needs and reduce barriers to learning. They implement advice from professionals consistently. This includes staff using sign language, communication boards, photographs for choice making, small group activities and one-to-one support. Staff review these adaptations regularly to ensure they support children's learning and progress effectively.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff prioritise additional time with key persons for children who need extra support with personal, social and emotional development. This helps children build trust, regulate emotions and develop confidence and self-belief. Staff communicate effectively with parents and provide targeted support when families need additional help. Leaders use additional funding to provide extra sessions and enrichment experiences, including collecting and observing tadpoles and visits to the local shop and post office. This approach ensures all children feel included, valued and part of the group.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders maintain a clear oversight of strengths and areas for development and take swift action to improve provision. They have a secure understanding of the needs of children, families and the local community and adapt provision, resources and teaching accordingly. Leaders identify children's needs promptly and secure additional support without delay. They work with external professionals, including speech and language therapists, advisors and schools, to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. Leaders monitor additional funding and target support effectively through small-group work, the use of different resources and enhanced adult support for those children who need it.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders prioritise staff development through robust supervision processes, peer observations, regular staff meetings and targeted training. Staff use these development opportunities to continually improve practice. Staff report that leaders support their wellbeing and manage their workload well. Leaders and staff are reflective and dedicated to improving outcomes for children. Staff enthusiastically take responsibility for different areas of provision and work effectively as a team to ensure continuity for children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders prioritise partnerships with parents and regularly seek their feedback. For instance they speak to parents about potential changes to sessions times or any changes they are considering. Leaders provide newsletters, signpost parents to different services and offer support with school applications and transitions. Parents speak highly of staff and appreciate the guidance they receive to help their children develop and learn.

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

Leaders and staff have worked hard since the last inspection. Leaders have strengthened supervision and staff training to improve curriculum implementation and ensure children receive consistent interactions and engagement that support their overall development. As a result, staff consistently deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum through purposeful interactions that enable children to flourish in this caring and welcoming pre-school.

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

Children continually show enthusiasm for their learning. They immerse themselves in carefully planned opportunities that spark curiosity and interest. For instance, older children spend extended periods counting blocks and matching them to number cards. They count accurately and share resources with each other. Younger children engage in sensory play. They investigate the smells of different plants and herbs and use a range of tools to scoop and pour seeds into different-sized pots. These experiences, alongside staff's high-quality teaching, mean children build the skills and knowledge they need across all areas of the curriculum and they are prepared well for school.

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

Children form secure bonds with their key person and all staff. Staff are caring and responsive. Children show they feel safe and settled as they talk confidently to staff, involve their key person in their play, ask for help when needed and share jokes and laughter with staff. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are disadvantaged demonstrate they feel included, valued and supported as they enjoy learning alongside their peers.

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

Children consistently follow routines and play cooperatively with one another. They behave appropriately and show care and respect for the environment, resources and each other. For example, they pass scissors carefully to one another and take turns to throw sticky balls at a number board outside without adult support. Partnerships with parents are well established. Leaders share procedures and policies around regular attendance and punctuality with parents to ensure children make the most of their sessions.

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Address:

Ludwell Valley Centre Ludwell Lane EXETER EX2 5LU

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Ludwell Valley Early Childhood Centre Committee

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:30

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Next steps

Leaders should sustain their self-evaluation process to ensure continued improvement and maintain the high-quality care and education they provide. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes for all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are disadvantaged.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and children 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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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. 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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