Hordle Walhampton Pre-Prep

Inspection report for early years provisionEY291447

Unique Reference Number

19 May 2008

Inspection date

Clare Moore

Inspector

HordleWalhamptonSchool,Walhampton,Lymington,Hampshire,SO415ZG

Setting Address

01590679112

Telephone number

PREPREP@HORDLEWALHAMPTON.CO.UK

E-mail

Elizabeth Morris

Registered person

Nursery Education

Type of inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the CareStandards Act 2000

ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the qualityof childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under PartXAChildrenAct1989asintroducedbytheCareStandardsAct2000and,wherenurseryeducationis provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during theinspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes forchildren set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care andchildminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the

Curriculum guidance for thefoundation stage.

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofstedhas received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is soundInadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet

Are you ready for your inspection?

which is available from Ofsted's website:

www.ofsted.gov.uk.

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Hordle Walhampton School is an independent preparatory school for boys and girls, whichopened in 1997 when Hordle House and Walhampton School merged. The school is located onthe outskirts of Lymington in Hampshire. Three and four-year-olds attend the Pre-PrepDepartment which is housed in its own purpose-built building within the school grounds.Children also have access to an outside play area and benefit from the use of the PrepDepartment indoor and outdoor facilities.There are 13 members of staff who regularly work with children in receipt of nursery educationfunding. Of these three of the staff members are qualified teachers, 10 hold appropriate earlyyearsqualificationsandonememberofstaffisworkingtowardsaqualification.Therearethreeothermembersofstaffwhoprovidespecialistsupportformusic,physicaleducationandchildrenwithlearningdifficultiesand/ordisabilities.Thesettingisopenfrom08.15to15.30onweekdaysfor 34 weeks each year.At present, there is a total of 82 children, aged between two and five years on roll. Of these58 receive nursery education funding. The children are accommodated in two nursery classes,two kindergarten and two reception classes. The school welcomes children with learningdifficulties and/or disabilities, and also children who speak English as an additional language.

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the CareStandards Act 2000

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROVISIONHelping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding.The quality of the teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff are dynamic and stronglymotivated. They demonstrate their expertise through their knowledge of individual childrenand the learning experiences they provide. For example in a magnetic fishing activity theyincorporate multiple learning outcomes together with tailoring the challenges to meet theneeds of all the children. They enthuse the children by praising them warmly for theirachievements.Children'sideasarevaluedandtheyareinvolvedinfindingsolutionstoproblemssuchaswheretopostupthenameswhenadeskisturnedroundsothatthecardsarenolongerdisplayed. Children are given time to finish their activities so that they are prepared for thewholegroupdiscussiontimesormealtimeswhichhelpsthemtofocus.Staffregularlycompleteobservations to monitor children's progress and use the information to plan the next steps of learning.Children enjoy the time they spend in the setting. They are fascinated by the growing beansand show great pride in their achievement and skill when they set out an imaginary picnic orconstruct brightly coloured cars using a variety of materials. They demonstrate enthusiasm forlearning and a thirst for knowledge. They are confident to ask questions and develop strongrelationships with each other and the staff. They show a sense of belonging as they use theirpersonal drawers for their belongings and take turns to set the mats out, take the register tothe office and open the door.Children develop very good language skills through sharing information and experiences atcircle time, singing songs and listening to stories. They share books containing factualinformation, for example finding out about starfish in the themes about the sea and sea-shore.They are absorbed as they explore language using the telephone in the role play area, andbecome aware of other languages when they are joined by children who have knowledge of thespokenwordfromothercountries.Theyexpandtheirvocabularyastheyhandlethereptilesor the starfish and describe how they feel, for example rough, smooth, cold and knobbly. Theystart to recognise letters and the sounds they make as they link these together and spot lettersthat make the same or similar sounds. All the children are encouraged to make marks and labeltheir own work and many of the older children are able to write their names clearly.Children show exceptional mathematical knowledge as they make geometric shapes, namingtheresults.Manyareabletoconstructcomplicatedthreedimensionalshapessuchasapyramidand a cuboid. They explore length and height as they see how tall a sunflower is compared tothe children and how manychildren are equivalentin lengthwhen it is cut down. They considernumber throughout daily routines counting the children present and calculating how manythere would be if there was one more child. They use number rhymes and cooking activities tofurther underpin their knowledge of number, weight and problem solving.Children are fascinated as they find out about the life cycles of frogs and quails. They take partin monitoring the incubator and are captivated as they hear and see the chicks hatch. Theyexperience at first hand and handle a variety of reptiles when a visitor brings a collection tothe school, many of them overcoming their hesitationand developing confidence. Children usecomputersdemonstratingtheirskillwiththemouseandtheheadphonesinthelisteningcentrewhich helps to underpin their learning in other areas. They also have opportunities to use the

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the CareStandards Act 2000