PRE-SCHOOL IN ST HELENS RATED ‘OUTSTANDING’ IN ALL AREAS ACCORDING TO OFSTED

An Isle of Wight preschool has been highly praised by Ofsted, being marked ‘Oustanding’ in all areas, following an inspection in October. Children are incredibly kind and demonstrate impeccable behaviour at the pre-school at St Helens, which adjoins the Primary School on Broomlands Close. Support for children with special educational needs is excellent and the manager ensures children’s learning and development needs are clearly understood and met, the government’s education watchdog said. A recently published report from Ofsted said the children arrive happy and are ready to explore the remarkable environment that staff provide. Interactions between staff and children are excellent, with staff asking questions that ignite children’s curiosity through interesting and meaningful conversations. Teaching is of a consistently high quality where staff have a clear understanding of how children learn, Ofsted found. A culture of safeguarding runs through the preschool, inspectors said, where the highest priority is on children’s safety and well-being. The curriculum is highly ambitious and expertly embedded, with a language-rich environment that helps children develop an extensive vocabulary. Children spend lots of time outdoors in the fresh air as staff utilise every space to provide inspirational learning opportunities and there is a real hive of activity as children engage in meaningful learning. Inspectors said the manager is extremely passionate and she has a clear ambition to identify and prioritise improvements. She implements numerous initiatives, the watchdog said, that are worthy of sharing with other preschools and nurseries. There were no areas of improvement highlighted in the report. St Helens Primary School was also visited by Ofsted in October and has been graded as ‘Good’, with one area highlighted as ‘Outstanding’.