Caterpillars Preschool

Caterpillars Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2849851 Address: Coldean Primary School, 12 Kenwards, BRIGHTON, BN1 9EN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 14/07/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: CATERPILLARS PRESCHOOL (COLDEAN) 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 Expected standard

Children generally make steady progress through the curriculum from their individual starting points. They successfully build their communication and language skills across the pre-school. Children who face barriers to learning typically achieve well. For example, children who begin with limited speech steadily gain confidence. They progress from using single signs or words to communicating with increasing independence. Children use their growing speech to get across what they need well. For instance, they confidently explain problems to staff, such as when they cannot get to resources during outdoor play.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are suitably prepared for the next stage of their education. They build foundational knowledge and skills by actively participating in daily storytelling and singing sessions. Children build confidence in using early mathematical language during their play. They learn the essential personal care habits and routines required to help them settle into future educational settings. However, inconsistencies in staff teaching practice mean a few children occasionally miss chances to achieve even more.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders generally establish a positive environment with commonly understood expectations for behaviour. Children build warm and trusting relationships with staff across the pre- school. They learn to play collaboratively and share equipment happily during indoor and outdoor play. They learn to follow rules and listen to staff instructions well. Staff support children well to develop positive social skills, encouraging them to treat others with kindness and respect. Children use a specialised self-registration system to share how their emotions change throughout the day.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality by keeping a close record of daily attendance patterns. They maintain a secure understanding of individual family circumstances to sympathetically help parents overcome specific challenges. Leaders work closely with parents to overcome these barriers and help families establish healthy daily routines. This targeted work helps all families, including those in receipt of additional funding, form good habits for future learning. Staff carefully consider children's individual needs, family circumstances and developmental stages when supporting them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

For example, staff actively sit with children during activities to model positive interactions and talk through disagreements. They use explicit praise to reinforce positive choices. Typically, staff help children to manage their own feelings and understand their emotions safely. However, staff do not always acknowledge or address shouting or silly behaviours with identical consistency across the entire team.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing across the pre-school. Key persons generally establish secure and responsive attachments with children to help them feel safe. Staff use their secure knowledge of individual children to support their emotional security effectively. Children learn about personal safety and healthy habits through planned daily activities. For example, staff teach children about the importance of good oral health routines. They also guide children to understand how to keep themselves safe, including online and on the road during community outings.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff carefully manage physical care routines to support children's health and safety. For example, staff check sleeping children every 10 minutes to ensure safe sleeping arrangements. They launder bedding on site daily to maintain high hygiene standards across the pre-school. Staff manage individual dietary needs safely by using distinct colour- coded mats for children with allergies. They follow safer eating guidelines by cutting food up appropriately to prevent choking risks.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders are in the process of ensuring that all practice and policy is rigorously reviewed. However, some newer initiatives require further time to become fully established across the team. Staff are beginning to implement these recently updated systems, but the overall execution is not yet completely embedded. Consequently, these routines are not yet fully supporting children to consistently make their own healthy choices.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders generally maintain a secure understanding of the quality of education across the pre-school. They do this to ensure that all areas of learning are included across the curriculum. Staff link weekly observations directly to the early years foundation stage requirements. Leaders monitor these links carefully to check on children's development. Staff use initial check-ups to assess what children know and can do to plan their next learning steps. They successfully prioritise children's communication, language, physical and personal development across all age groups. Staff use helpful visual aids and sign language to adapt learning effectively for children who face barriers to learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff deliver effective teaching through creative and engaging methods. For example, staff successfully follow children's interests to introduce new ideas during outdoor play. Leaders focus closely on improving staff teaching skills, particularly within mathematics. They introduce clear mathematical words during play and snack routines. For example, children count out pieces of fruit together and use simple shape names. Typically, leaders ensure the curriculum is taught well across the team. However, it is not taught consistently well or to the same high standard across the team. Staff interactions are occasionally reactive rather than proactive.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders generally identify children's individual needs accurately. They use parent forms and initial assessments to spot emerging developmental delays. Staff reduce barriers to learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through tailored support plans and targeted communication strategies. For example, staff use sign language for key words during daily routines to help children express themselves.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use early years pupil premium and disability access funding effectively for eligible children. This targeted funding generally helps secure equal learning opportunities and tailored interventions for these specific individuals. Leaders and staff monitor progress through half-termly reviews. They continuously assess the impact of learning plans to update monthly next steps for children facing barriers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff are trained to continuously assess, plan and review children's needs. Leaders collaborate well with external professionals, including local inclusion services and health visitors, to obtain specialist guidance. Partnerships with families are typically effective in sharing home learning targets to support children's development. Leaders maintain clear processes to support children known to social care services, though none currently attend. However, leaders do not yet ensure staff fully embed practices and routines across the team to swiftly and consistently identify and address barriers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the pre-school's unique community context. They maintain high expectations for children's development and manage effective safer recruitment processes. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and workload by maintaining an approachable open-door policy and being involved on the ground daily. Staff complete regular professional development, including annual safeguarding updates, to understand their roles. Leaders make decisions in the best interests of children, maintaining purposeful links with local authority teams and inclusion services. This collaborative work helps leaders successfully secure additional funding and targeted support plans for children who face barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders actively seek and implement specialist guidance from external agencies to keep learning accessible for all children. For example, they work closely with local inclusion support services and child development centres to obtain detailed observations and expert reports. Leaders use this professional advice to create tailored support plans that successfully reduce individual barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders maintain a clear oversight of the pre-school's strengths and hold ambitious plans for ongoing improvement. However, leaders are still on the journey toward achieving these goals rather than having fully realised them on the ground. Leaders support the team to work on daily practice becoming completely consistent and fully embedded across all staff.

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

Children arrive happy and settle quickly into this welcoming, free-flow pre-school. They are supported gently by staff at drop-off to ensure they feel safe. Children form warm and secure bonds with caring staff. They explore the indoor space and outdoor garden with confidence. Children move freely between the inside and outside areas during the day. They choose from a variety of well-resourced activities. Children experience a clear sense of belonging. They learn to play collaboratively alongside their friends. Children feel safe because staff are attentive to their personal needs and backgrounds. They display high levels of emotional security throughout the day.

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

Children benefit from familiar daily routines that promote their personal care. They wash their hands with increasing independence before mealtimes. Children receive helpful support in the bathroom as staff talk through the hygiene steps. They enjoy the community feel of eating together at snack time. Children learn to use open cups and practise their table manners. They confidently ask for more food if they want more. Children generally respond well to guidance from staff. They learn how to share resources and show kindness to one another. Children are given gentle reminders by staff if they are off-task. They quickly return to their play when reminded.

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

Children show clear enjoyment of learning at the pre-school. They make steady progress from their individual starting points. Children actively participate in group sessions, such as singing times. They follow staff instructions and build their communication skills. Children listen carefully and watch the actions of staff during group activities. They naturally encounter early mathematical ideas throughout the day. Children become confident

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Address:

Coldean Primary School 12 Kenwards BRIGHTON BN1 9EN

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: CATERPILLARS PRESCHOOL (COLDEAN) LTD communicators by using words or sign language. They are helped by this to express their choices and needs to staff. Children develop the foundational habits necessary for their future education. They show confidence in their ability to achieve their next steps.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to ensure that all children swiftly and consistently have barriers identified and strategies to enhance opportunities are consistently implemented. Leaders should continue to support all staff to raise the quality of teaching, interactions and behaviour management even further, so this is consistently embedded and fully promotes children's best possible progress.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers and engaged with 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 provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that the provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development, and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Register(s): EYR, CCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:45 - 17:00

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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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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