“Children confidently enter the pre-school, where they are welcomed by friendly staff… They settle quickly and feel safe,” inspectors said after visiting Furrough Cross Pre-School in Torquay, judging it to be meeting the expected standard across all areas.
The childcare setting, based at Furrough Cross Church on Babbacombe Road, Torquay, cares for children aged two to four and has 29 places. Registered in April 2014, it operates Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm and is overseen by registered person Ann Wallace Close.
Ofsted found that safeguarding standards are met, meaning “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”.
Inspectors judged achievement to be at the expected standard, noting that “typically, children make progress across the curriculum, particularly in communication and language. They confidently share their ideas with staff and peers.”
The report highlights how, after listening to the story of Christmas, “children explain how they carefully glue shredded paper onto their paper ‘manger’ to represent hay for the baby Jesus. Children also talk about Mary and Joseph and show an increasing understanding of story structure.” It adds: “Gaps in all children’s learning are steadily closing, in particular for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who can participate fully and achieve success at their own level”.
Children are said to develop independence in preparation for school, selecting equipment thoughtfully and using it “with increasing dexterity”. Inspectors observed that they “demonstrate perseverance and concentration, for example, when colouring carefully within the lines. Their social communication is evident as they politely ask friends for different coloured pens. Children respond positively to praise, showing pride in their achievements”.
Behaviour and attitudes were also found to meet the expected standard. “Children behave well. In the main, they quickly learn to follow instructions and understand the expectations of the setting,” the report states. Staff are praised for tailoring expectations to children’s ages and stages of development, with younger children “gently supported to use their ‘listening ears’ during story time”, while older children are encouraged “to take greater responsibility for leading and modelling positive behaviour”.
On welfare and wellbeing, inspectors found that “typically, care practices are effective. Staff ensure they meet children’s personal needs and support their understanding of these routines.” They note that children who need a nap “rest in a comfortable space, where staff frequently check on them. When they wake, staff offer a cuddle until they are ready to play”.
The curriculum was judged to be of high quality overall. “Overall, the curriculum is of high quality and supports all children to make expected progress in their learning and development,” inspectors wrote. Leaders have worked with local schools to improve aspects of physical development, “particularly to enhance children’s small-muscle development and hand strength”.
The report notes that while mathematics is generally promoted well, “at times, they do not extend children’s mathematical knowledge to further their understanding around numbers and shapes.” It also states that during free-play sessions, “staff do not consistently differentiate their teaching to help extend all children’s learning, to help them consistently achieve as much as they can”. Leaders have been advised to address these points as next steps.
Inclusion is described as a strength. Leaders are said to create “an environment where every child feels valued and supported”, making effective use of funding, including employing additional staff for one-to-one support. Staff “make thoughtful adjustments to the physical environment” and work closely with external professionals to ensure children receive “timely interventions and the right level of support”.
Partnerships with parents are also celebrated. “Parents report how much their children enjoy attending and value the nurturing adults who work with them,” the report states, adding that parents comment on “the effective strategies that help children settle quickly and which support learning at home, such as sharing books”.
Overall, leaders were found to have “an accurate view of the quality of their provision for children. They know the strengths of their provision and identify priorities for improvement,” with staff described as having “high levels of wellbeing and morale”.
