CHILDREN “thrive” at a village pre-school near Thornbury which has been given the highest possible rating by Ofsted.
An inspector who visited Stepping Stones Pre-School at Elberton in June said it was ‘outstanding’ in all areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and personal development.
The pre-school operates from Elberton Village Hall and has 35 children aged from two to four on its roll, providing government-funded childcare places and also specific funding for disadvantaged children.
The regulator’s visit was its first since 2019, when the setting was rated ‘good’.
Inspector Linda Witts said: “Children thrive at the pre-school, are highly motivated to learn and make impressive progress from their individual starting points.
“All children have excellent relationships with the staff, who show genuine warmth and kindness to them.”
She said children play exceptionally well together and form strong friendships, while staff are “excellent role models, who support children to develop confident social skills, independence and impeccable behaviour”.
Said staff promote language and literacy skills through “excellent” use of books, songs and rhymes.
The inspector said: “The staff are all highly enthusiastic in their roles. They work with a passion to ensure that every child has the very best learning experiences.
“Staff have an in-depth understanding of children’s needs, interests and abilities and an excellent overview of where every child is in their learning.
“The exciting curriculum takes full account of what each child needs to learn next. Staff instinctively offer the encouragement and support the children need to foster their all-round learning.”
The inspector said staff skilfully challenge children to develop their language and thinking and mathematical awareness, including simple calculations and problem-solving.
Children “relish” outdoor play, making including building structures, playing with water and climbing trees under “vigilant supervision”.
Staff were recognised for “instinctively knowing when to be actively involved in children’s play to extend their learning, and when to stand back and let them play freely”.
The inspector said: “Parents describe the staff as ‘fantastic, friendly and highly supportive’… the provision exceeds their expectations and their children thoroughly enjoy attending.
“Parents feel extremely well informed about their children’s experiences and attribute their children’s significant progress to the support the children receive from staff.”
Manager Anna Thompson said: “We are beyond proud of our recent outstanding grading by Ofsted.
“We have a wonderful staffing team who all go above and beyond, and the inspector saw this on her visit.
“We could not be the setting we are without the support of our staff and parents as well as all the wonderful children that attend Stepping Stones.”