Copythorne Pre-School

Copythorne Pre-School

Unique reference number (URN): 110114 Address: Copythorne Parish Hall, Pollards Moor Road, Copythorne, SOUTHAMPTON, SO40 2NZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 01/08/1989 Registers: EYR Registered person: Copythorne Preschool Playgroup 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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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff have very high expectations for children's behaviour. They have developed a clear and consistent approach to how rules are introduced and discussed with children. As a result, all children have and secure understanding of what is expected of them and follow the rules in place effortlessly. Older children support those who are younger to understand these too. For example, they remind them to use 'walking feet' inside.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff are knowledgeable about how to adapt the way they deliver rules to different groups of children and how to support those who are younger to understand different expectations. Staff are excellent role models and create an environment where children demonstrate care and respect for those around them. For example, children wait patiently for their turn with favourite dressing up items and kindly ask one another if they may have a turn.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children have highly positive attitudes to learning. They listen intently to stories and engage readily in the outdoor environment as they use large motor movements to make marks with chalks.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders have developed a secure approach to attendance. They work closely with all families to understand their circumstances so that they can identify any barriers to attendance. Leaders share information with parents about the benefits of regular attendance and how punctuality can support children's understanding of routines in preparation for school.

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Achievement Expected standard

All children make continued progress from their starting points and are suitably prepared for the next stage of their education. Children enjoy playing and learning outdoors. They begin to develop early reading and writing skills and explore books and chalks as they play together collaboratively. Children learn how to move their bodies and develop physical skills as they jump, run and skip around the well-organised play spaces.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children learn secure social skills, such as sharing and enjoy collaborative games that teach them about taking turns. They begin to develop independence skills as they learn to clear their cups away after snack and find their own name for self-registration. Children develop a broad vocabulary. They build confidence in social groups and engage in conversations. For example, at snack time, young children talk about the names of different fruits and vegetables and which ones are their favourite. Children's communication skills develop well.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff have a secure understanding of how to promote children's welfare and wellbeing. They build close and secure relationship with children. This means that children feel safe and secure in their environment.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff support children to develop personal skills, such as self-care and independence. For example, leaders have been working on specific changes in the routine so that children have enhanced opportunities to practice doing tasks for themselves. Where appropriate, staff make adjustments to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are younger, to help them access this learning at their individual stage of development. As a result, children learn how to be responsible for their belongings such as their lunchboxes and water bottles. Children demonstrate confidence as they learn to carry out tasks for themselves.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are beginning to learn about elements of a healthy lifestyle. Leaders have built partnerships with local professionals who attend the setting and deliver exciting sessions to children about oral hygiene and balanced diets. Staff are beginning to extend this teaching throughout their daily routine to further increase children's knowledge of different fruits and vegetables. They use mealtimes to talk to children about how strawberries grow and reflect on their experiences of growing them in the community gardens. Leaders have also begun sharing information with families about online safety and have considered how to implement this into more explicit teaching with children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Since the last inspection, leaders have focused on developing an ambitious curriculum through careful analysis of teaching in the setting. The curriculum covers the 7 areas of learning and is generally sequenced. Overall, this helps children to build on their existing skills and knowledge. Leaders previously identified weaknesses in children's personal, social and emotional development and have focussed on improving staff interactions to further increase children's understanding of the language of feelings.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff are beginning to understand the curriculum and their teaching is often of a high standard. Leaders recognise that there are are parts of the curriculum that still need strengthening. For example in some areas of learning the curriculum is not consistently well sequenced and therefore activities do not always align with what children need to know next. Leaders recognise this as an improvement priority. For example, leaders are actively increasing staff confidence of teaching and planning for mathematics.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum focuses on promoting children's communication and language. Staff recognise opportunities to extend children's vocabulary and provide them with opportunities for conversation. Alongside this, staff build on children's sense of identity and celebrate each child as an individual to develop their confidence. They set-up activities that directly link to children's current interests, such as toy cars or construction equipment.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders support staff to implement precise and effective processes that quickly identify children's individual needs. For example, staff gather information about children's stage of development when they first start, so that they can tailor educational plans individually. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported from the very beginning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff know children and their families very well. They have developed strategies to support all children. Staff have daily conversations with parents to update them on children's progress and activities during the day. Parents receive clear information with 'home learning targets' to help them understand how they can best support their children at home. Staff also collaborate with other professionals involved in children's education, such as speech and language therapists. This supports a joined-up approach for children.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders continue to strengthen their approach to inclusion. They have identified that they want to focus on supporting staff to make continued skilful adaptation of children's educational plans to further drive achievement for children with SEND.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders responsible for governance of the preschool have failed to notify Ofsted about significant changes in the leadership of the preschool. Furthermore, leaders have not provided Ofsted with the information they need to carry out the required suitability checks which is a breach of requirements. However, committee members have had their suitability verified through the preschools safer recruitment processes, such as enhanced disclosure and barring service checks and gathering references, as they work within the setting. This means there is no impact on children's safety.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have sustained a continuous focus on improvement since their last inspection. Committee members closely support staff to evaluate the settings effectiveness and align training precisely with improvement priorities. For example, staff have engaged in training to increase their understanding of the different ways in which children learn. This has strengthened staff confidence and raised the quality of teaching delivered to children. Leaders also ensure that staff engage in meaningful supervision sessions. Staff share that these are an opportunity for supportive feedback where they can also share their views about how they are getting on in their role, outlining any key training they feel would benefit them. Staff feel valued and supported.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders engage with the local community. They enrich children's experiences by engaging with the local churches and community gardens where they grow their own fruits. Leaders have also established effective partnerships with local schools to support children at times of transition.

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

Leaders and those responsible for governance have failed to notify Ofsted of significant changes to the individuals associated with the preschool. To date, this has had no impact on children as these individuals have had their suitability verified through the preschool safer recruitment processes using methods such as DBS checks and reference checks. Leaders have also taken steps to ensure all committee members now understand their roles and responsibilities.

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

Children arrive happy and settle quickly into the different activities that have been thoughtfully set-up for them. Children receive a warm and friendly greeting from staff who know them well. Together they enjoy playing with magnets and dressing up as they talk about visiting their new schools and their older siblings.

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

Children have access to resources that are stimulating and interesting. Staff have considered that some children may learn better in the outdoor environment and therefore they represent different areas of learning in the garden. Children enjoy drawing with chalks on the ground and on large black boards. They confidently express themselves through the use of colour and making different marks.

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

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment for all children. They have high expectations for children's progress and behaviour, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who may be at a disadvantage. Together, children learn to be respectful to those around them and value one another's uniqueness. Children play harmoniously with one another as they kindly take turns with their favourite dinosaur toys for example. Staff and leaders work closely with parents to help them understand the importance of regular attendance. Children therefore attend regularly and benefit from the educational experiences available to them. As a result, children are supported to thrive and develop the skills they need to prepare them for school.

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Next steps

To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the following action by the assigned date:

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Action Completion Date

ensure those responsible for governance provide Ofsted with information about committee members so 22/07/2026

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Address:

Copythorne Parish Hall Pollards Moor Road Copythorne SOUTHAMPTON SO40 2NZ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Copythorne Preschool Playgroup Committee

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday : 08:30 - 12:30,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:00

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Action Completion Date

that the appropriate suitability checks can be carried out.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke to staff, parents, children and those responsible for governance, 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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