Hellingly Preschool

Hellingly Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2766024 Address: Hellingly Hall, North Street, Hellingly, Hailsham, BN27 4DS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 21/12/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Access Connect 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 Exceptional

Children's levels of achievement are extremely impressive, and many children reach levels way above those considered typical for their age. The infinite range of skills, knowledge and personal attributes children achieve prepares them exceedingly well for success as they move on in their education.

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Achievement Exceptional

Children become extremely active, curious learners and absorb new information easily. They demonstrate enhanced levels of knowledge for their age. For instance, children recall a volcano experiment with great clarity, and use words such as 'lava' and 'eruption' correctly as they describe what happened and why. Children retain this information with accurate clarity. This is illustrated when children visit volcanoes in other countries with their families and accurately recall to parents what they have learned at pre-school. This precise retention of knowledge provides children with an immensely secure foundation for their future learning.

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Achievement Exceptional

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who need professional help to support their speech and language, make impressive levels of progress. Gaps in their learning close rapidly.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Exceptional

Children become exceptionally confident, competent learners. They attend regularly and develop a real thirst for learning. All children approach activities with relish and enthusiasm. Their anticipation is palpable, and they demonstrate excellent dispositions to learn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Exceptional

Leaders and staff have the highest expectations of every child. They role model kindness, respect and tolerance, and children replicate these values consistently in their own interactions. All children, including younger children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning, play together harmoniously and respectfully. The pre-school offers an exceptionally positive learning environment where every child is able to flourish and feel unique.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Exceptional

Children form extremely close attachments to the staff and look to their key person when they need some additional emotional support. Personalised strategies are used for every child. Key persons know their children intuitively and know exactly how to intervene and offer some emotional reassurance. This means children receive the help they need instantly.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Exceptional

Children reflect an exceptional level of maturity and empathy for their age. They talk about topics with genuine interest and recall favourite activities, such as when they visited the church to hear the organist play. Every child feels confident to learn and participates fully in the exciting programme of learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Exceptional

Staff demonstrate genuine compassion and dedication towards every child. The caring, extremely trusting relationships they form support children's emotional wellbeing exceedingly well. Key persons offer comfort and reassurance as they plan exclusively for each child's needs. Parents commend the staff for the exceptional lengths they go to, to enable their children to settle quickly at pre-school. They note the surge in confidence children gain once they feel secure.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Exceptional

The inspirational level of support for children's wellbeing has a transformational impact on how quickly children learn. Children who were initially shy approach activities with significant confidence and become leaders in their play. Children with individual health needs benefit greatly from the wealth of learning opportunities as leaders have made this possible for them. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities flourish in their learning. Leaders know exactly what they need and provide for their wellbeing exceedingly well.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Exceptional

Children develop an impressive understanding of how to stay healthy. They have extensive opportunities to be outside, and there is an abundance of opportunities for children to be physically active with the carefully chosen, extensive range of resources available. Children's levels of progress in their large-muscle skills are far in excess of what is typical for their age.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Exceptional

Children consistently learn about healthy routines. When talking about oral health, children talk knowledgeably about what cavities are and how these can be avoided. Children become 'food explorers' during snack time and are highly motivated to try an inspiring range of new foods and textures. Children excitedly recall how mango chutney and the home- made sushi are their favourites.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

Teaching is meticulously adapted to make sure every child reaches their full potential, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to their learning. Leaders have successfully created a curriculum that naturally embraces children's curiosity. The attention to detail in the planning of resources, activities and learning opportunities is commendable.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

The teaching of mathematics is especially noteworthy. Staff empower children to confidently use numbers as they play. For example, when 2-year-olds make cakes in the role-play kitchen, they correctly turn the timer on the oven to 15. They confidently tell staff that 15 comes after 14 and before 16, demonstrating exceptional number knowledge for their age.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

Staff deliver an extraordinary range of learning experiences that every child benefits from greatly. For instance, leaders arranged for a helicopter to land on the neighbouring field, knowing this would capture children's interests, generate their language and conversation, and spark their awe and wonder.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

Staff know instinctively when to interact with children as they engage in play and how to extend learning in a meaningful way. Precise, targeted interactions are commonplace and fully support the leaders' aims to equip children with the confidence and skills they need to become independent learners.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

Funding is used in a transformational way to meet the needs of children and families who are known to be more vulnerable. Leaders use funding to provide an extensive level of specialist training for staff to help them support individual children. Additional staff are employed so that the ratio of adults to children is extremely higher than what is generally expected.

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Inclusion Exceptional

The unique qualities of each child and family are actively celebrated in this exceptionally caring, nurturing setting. Leaders and staff use their exemplary levels of professional expertise to meticulously assess how to support every child's care and learning needs as soon as they join. A full programme of personalised support is instigated instantly. This level of precision and extreme accuracy in assessment means that gaps in children's development, or potential barriers to their future success, are identified and planned for from the start.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Leaders and staff have a transformational impact on the lives and outcomes of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to their learning. Every child, including those with SEND, makes exemplary levels of progress. Staff use innovative teaching strategies to make sure every child is enabled to reach levels that are higher than those once considered possible.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Leaders use an abundance of highly successful training and professional development opportunities to equip staff with the skills and knowledge they need to support every child. For instance, staff are fully trained in using alternative forms of communication to support children who may not be able to use spoken language. Leaders make sure staff have the specialist skills they need to support children with additional health needs, so that these children can be fully integrated into the setting and access the full curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

Leadership is groundbreaking. The needs of every child always have the highest priority. Parents are unanimous in their commendation for the staff team and the transformational impact it has on their children's achievements and attitudes to learning. The dedicated leaders meticulously assess children's needs when they first start and instigate extensive care and learning plans from the outset. This contributes towards the transformational impact they have on individual children's learning.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

Other professionals are highly respectful of the leadership team and all it does to make sure every child succeeds. The leadership team's skills have been used to transform the outcomes of children attending other settings through a programme of ongoing leadership support programmes. The far-reaching impact of this is noteworthy. Leaders have exceptional levels of practice, expertise and professionalism. They are positive drivers for change and have an exceedingly positive influence on others who work with children. Leaders recognise the phenomenal impact the provision has on young children, and the positive difference they and their staff make to children's future success in learning. They continually strive for excellence in all areas. Social events for parents are exceptionally well attended and adapted highly sensitively to meet the needs of all families.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

Leaders work directly with children and play a full and active part in how successfully the sessions run. They are especially insightful in how they review practice and continually strive for ongoing excellence. Leaders support staff exceedingly well. They offer a comprehensive programme of professional development for every staff member. Staff report exceptionally positively on how immensely valued and supported they feel in their role.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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

This is an inspirational pre-school where children consistently benefit from exemplary levels of care and teaching. Every child is welcomed, and the impact on their learning is transformational. Any potential barriers to their learning are immediately identified, and meticulous plans are put in place to address them.

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

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, form the strongest of friendships. Groups of children, including 2-year-olds, work things out together. They listen attentively to others, share their creative ideas and respect their friends' unique qualities. Younger children gain much from observing the kind and respectful behaviour of their older friends, and these actions are replicated in the younger children's play.

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

Children learn to clearly understand and respect differences between people in their local community and in the wider world. They are sensitive around the needs of children who may need some additional support. The levels of maturity and understanding shown by all children are remarkable. For instance, they learn about disability through everyday routines. They are highly tolerant about changes and adaptations some people may need and fully understand that everyone is different, but equally special and important.

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

Children attend regularly. Those who have previously found it hard to settle in other settings flourish and make the greatest strides in their learning. Children arrive with enormous levels of enthusiasm and anticipation ready for the day ahead.

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

Children spend their time fully engrossed in a remarkable range of activities that very successfully capture and maintain their interests. For example, children delight in creating their own storybooks. They complete their books with pride and say excitedly, 'I'm an author and an illustrator!', using complex terminology they know and understand. Staff display their books beautifully, and children are proud to share their stories with their friends. This significant boost in confidence has an inspirational impact on children's learning and their future potential to succeed. Activities of this extremely high quality are routine throughout the setting.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, those responsible for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, 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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Address:

Hellingly Hall North Street, Hellingly Hailsham BN27 4DS

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 16:00

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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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