Churchwood Forest School CIC

Churchwood Forest School CIC

Unique reference number (URN): 2750442 Address: Churchwood Valley, Wembury, Plymouth, PL9 0DZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/09/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Churchwood Forest School CIC

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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 create an environment that is inclusive and welcoming. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviours. They embed routines that help all children, particularly those children new to the setting, build familiarity in the environment. Staff model positive interactions and build secure bonds with children. Children are respectful and thoughtful towards each other, and they treat each other with care and consideration. For example, when children new to the setting lack confidence to sit near the firepit, other children quietly encourage them and make space for them to sit on the bench.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff are consistent in their expectations of behaviours and model the excitement of playing and exploring in nature, and children follow their example. Children learn to care for the environment as well as for each other. They learn about trees growing on the site and signs that they are healthy and thriving. Children enjoy monitoring and caring for the forest around them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff teach children to recognise and manage their feelings and behaviours. They adjust activities and their interactions to meet the needs of all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and this helps all learners to engage and thrive. For example, they support children's empathy to flourish, and children are supportive of each other and mindful of their feelings. Older children adapt their play on rope nets when younger children join them so that they feel happy and included and have the confidence to join in with games.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders prioritise attendance. They are swift to follow up on any unexpected absence and conduct a welfare check.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff know children and their families well and are responsive. There is a genuine community, and children show a real sense of belonging. All children are happy and clearly feel safe, secure and well cared for by staff. All staff know children's interests and barriers to learning, and interactions are systematically and skilfully adapted to meet the individual needs of children. Staff make a demonstrable difference to children's experiences and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Each interaction that children receive is highly impactful and promotes engagement, self- belief and wellbeing. Staff are consistent in their management of behaviour, their support of children's communication skills and their management of the forest environment.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff work well with parents to reduce barriers to learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and adapt support to ensure that all children can access and enjoy the forest setting. Leaders build effective relationships with families and provide a pre-play session for children before they attend camp, to help both children and parents develop confidence in the provision and support staff to best meet children's interests and needs.

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Expected standard

Leaders monitor the engagement and need levels of children and proactively source funding to enable children needing stability and consistency to access the setting on a regular basis, helping their wellbeing and a sense of belonging to grow.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders help children's wellbeing to grow. Children's physical skills develop as they enjoy climbing rope nets, balancing on trails and carrying large branches to construct dens. Children have ownership of their day and have many opportunities to choose their activities. Children wanting quiet, reflective play spaces can access these, children wishing to be creative and join in with forest crafts can do so and children needing to be highly physical in their play can also do this.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children develop social skills and a real sense of community. Older children enjoy caring for and supporting younger ones, and all children encourage and praise each other's efforts. Staff build bonds with children that help their self-confidence, perseverance and resilience to develop.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff teach children skills and knowledge for engaging in potentially risky play. For example, children know that they are free to explore the environment but must not venture past red ribbons indicating a boundary.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff supervise children well as they eat, and promote safer eating expectations such as remaining seated while eating and walking around the outside of the firepit when the need to move arises. During snack time, staff place themselves well to monitor children's eating and support children's needs. Children thoroughly enjoy pancakes warmed on the firepit for snack. This is a daily offering. However, staff do not provide a wide enough range of foods for children to learn to experience and appreciate the importance of a balanced diet.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have robust procedures for evaluating and improving the quality of provision. For example, they have significantly improved procedures and resources to promote children's healthy lifestyles.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff wellbeing is high. Staff supervisions are purposeful. Leaders celebrate staff's expertise and interests and encourage them to take ownership of activities and share new craft ideas for children to enjoy. Leaders ensure that staff complete an induction day at the start of a season. This builds consistency in the experiences and interactions children receive. Staff are taught to 'read the forest' and how to support children to enjoy and respect time in nature in equal measure. Staff complete forest school training, and all staff members know how to teach fire safety and promote safer risky play through shared expectations.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff engage with parents successfully. They work with them sensitively to learn how best to settle children into the setting and to meet children's needs highly effectively. Leaders identify children's emerging or changing needs extremely well during their time at the setting. They are ambitious in their endeavours to provide a unique environment in which all children can thrive. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those that may face barriers to their learning. Leaders gather some information from parents and carers about their children before they start and during their time at the setting. Staff make necessary adaptations to support children well. However, leaders do not consistently seek information on children's welfare backgrounds at the point of registration. This means that leaders may not be alert to any previous or current involvement with other agencies.

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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

Children are happy, safe and excited to attend. Staff welcome children warmly, and children show confidence and independence. Children separate well from parents and carers. All staff know the children well and use this knowledge to provide a transition process that is responsive and meets children's individual needs. Children clearly feel safe, secure and cared for. Children follow well-established routines on arrival. They enjoy following the forest trail down to camp, and highlight changes in the environment since they attended last. Young children eagerly show friends beech nuts that have fallen from trees and tell each other to listen to the birdsong they can hear. On arrival to camp, children place their lunch boxes in the shaded shed and select a space at the firepit circle for morning briefing. Children new to the setting are supported well to build familiarity in the environment. Children show kindness and consideration as they keenly show new members around the

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

camp. Children show knowledge of camp safety rules and delight in supporting new friends to learn strategies for keeping themselves safe, such as never going past red ribbons and always walking around the outside of the firepit.

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

All activities take place in nature, and children show a real sense of belonging as they play in the forest environment. Older children enjoy helping staff light the firepit for snack time and younger children enjoy forest crafts as they create bird feeders and place them in trees for birds. Staff support children's wellbeing to bloom. They interact frequently with children, and this promotes high levels of engagement for all children. Children develop balance, core strength and coordination as they climb trees, balance on logs and build dens. Children follow safety measures such as standing in the middle of the net when jumping on it and ensuring friends are not near the edge. Younger children receive support and encouragement to climb and build perseverance, and they beam with pride at their achievements as they successfully climb onto rope nets.

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

Staff monitor attendance and promote the importance of attending booked sessions with parents. When children are absent, staff quickly contact parents to check on the health and wellbeing of children.

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Next steps

Leaders should teach children about the importance of developing knowledge of the benefits of eating a broad, balanced diet.

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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

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Address:

Churchwood Valley Wembury Plymouth PL9 0DZ

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Churchwood Forest School CIC

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 10:00 - 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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4 to 12

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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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

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

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