Scamps Pre-School

Conkers, autumn stories and water experiments give Scamps Pre-School its character in October 2022: everyday objects became opportunities to count, create and investigate. Based at East Worthing Community Centre, the setting has capacity for 20 children.

Ofsted rated Scamps Good at its 18 October 2022 inspection. Children attending then were aged two to three; the strongest practical examples centred on conversation, books and outdoor play.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and personal development into the same day. In October 2022, children explored natural materials gathered with their parents, linking experiences at home with activities at preschool.

Books prompted making as well as listening. That October, an autumn story led to figures made from leaves, with pine cones used as arms; counting conkers and matching them to numerals brought early number work into hands-on exploration. These were concrete ways to connect language, imagination and number.

Shared reading in October 2022 included factual books alongside stories. Children discussed illustrations and connected them with things they already knew, then began using unfamiliar vocabulary from their reading. A book could therefore lead into conversation as well as a making activity. The connection mattered: children had something concrete to talk about, rather than simply listening to an adult read.

Conversation also grew out of children's own interests that October. At snacktime, children talked about fruit growing in their gardens, and practitioners responded with enthusiasm. Natural objects collected with parents supplied another link between home and preschool. Both examples gave children a reason to contribute their own experiences to the day.

Outdoor play happened daily in October 2022. Tricycles, music and a water butt gave children different ways to move and experiment. There was a clear teaching limitation, too: during a guttering activity, staff adjusted the equipment before children had enough time to work out why the water and toy ducks were not moving.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities skilful, including Makaton sign language to help children with speech delay communicate.

In October 2022, staff tracked children's development and sought advice from the local authority and external professionals when learning gaps emerged. Parents learnt a new Makaton sign each week, giving them a practical way to continue communication support at home.

Safeguarding practice in October 2022 included checks on the spaces children used inside and outside. Staff understood how to raise concerns about a child's welfare and how to report concerns involving a colleague to the appropriate agencies. Recruitment checks were also part of the arrangements. These details concern the adults' responsibilities and daily procedures, alongside the inspection's dated judgement about their effectiveness.

Team discussions in October 2022 gave practitioners opportunities to review their work and propose changes. One example concerned finding further ways to involve parents and keep them informed about their children's experiences. Staff could share what had gone well as well as identify improvements. For families, that is a useful aspect of the inspection-era picture: communication with parents was something the team discussed as part of developing its practice.

Health routines were tangible that October: children practised tooth cleaning on a model and used torches to explore the mouth. Handwashing after using the toilet also gave them opportunities to manage everyday care themselves.

The address is East Worthing Community Centre, Pages Lane, East Worthing, BN11 2NQ.

In October 2022, opening hours were 9am to 3pm on weekdays during term time. Optional lunch club ran until 1pm each weekday, while optional breakfast club started at 8.30am from Tuesday to Friday. At that date, Scamps received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four.

• Independent problem-solving. In October 2022, adults sometimes stepped in too soon during children's experiments. On a visit, ask how practitioners now give children time to test their own solutions.
• Term-time routine. The October 2022 timetable combined weekday daytime opening with optional breakfast and lunch clubs. Families needing care around a working day should establish which current attendance pattern fits their routine.

Scamps will appeal to families who value learning through familiar materials, shared books and outdoor activity. Its October 2022 term-time routine included daytime attendance and optional breakfast and lunch clubs. The teaching question is specific: how well do adults balance helpful support with space for children to solve problems themselves?