Fidgets Pre-School and Nursery

Fidgets Pre-School and Nursery Lamberhurst Vineyard, Lamberhurst Down, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 8ER

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/01/2013 30/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children learn and develop in an inspirational environment where they take part in activities that are fun and challenging. As a result they make excellent progress in their learning and development.  There are extremely effective systems to develop partnerships with parents, carers and outside professionals. This results in positive outcomes for all children.  Staff work very well together as a team and there are exemplary systems in place to monitor and evaluate all aspects of the provision. Staff are highly enthusiastic and very well motivated in providing the best care for children.  The inspiring and motivational management team skilfully fosters a culture of continuing professional development and excellent support for all staff.  The welcoming, bright, spacious environment offers children plenty of space and freedom to move around, whilst keeping safety as a priority. Children are encouraged to

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This provision is outstanding

make their own assessments of risk within the outdoor environment, and to become independent and motivated learners.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all four rooms and chatted to the children.  The inspector joined children on a walk around the wider countryside environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a selection of policies, children's assessment records and evidence of staff suitability and training.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and carried out joint observations of practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day and in information included in the self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

Fidgets Pre-School and Nursery at Lamberhurst Vineyard has been registered at its present site since 2008. It is run by Fidgets Ltd and operates from purpose built premises in the grounds of Lamberhurst Vineyard. There is access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The group provides full day and sessional care for children and there are currently 125 children aged from three months to five years on roll. The setting operates Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm all year round. There are 18 members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status and 14 members of staff hold qualifications from level 3 to level 6. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. The nursery is

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Information about the setting

in receipt of funding for two, three and four year olds.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 extend further the outstanding outdoor opportunities for children to learn about the natural world.

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who attend

Staff create a vibrant and highly stimulating environment for children to play and learn in. They motivate and inspire children's curiosity and learning through exceptional support and interaction during challenging activities and experiences. As a result of staff knowledge and expertise in how children learn, all children flourish and make outstanding progress in all areas of their development.

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who attend

Staff work very closely with parents and carers to share information about children's learning and development, and staff skilfully use this to plan exciting activities and experiences. Parents are fully involved in contributing to their children's assessments which helps staff to tailor planning for each child to their unique learning needs. Staff encourage children to be independent, to make choices, and to lead their own learning based on their current interests. For example, they thoroughly enjoy playing at being pirates. Staff foster children's language development very well indeed and interactions between staff and children are exemplary. Staff repeat phrases back to children to help them consolidate their vocabularies, and introduce new words frequently. They ask open ended questions to extend children's thinking skills, for example 'Which bricks could you use to make your model fly better?' and 'How could you cook that pasta so that it is soft enough

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who attend

for the baby?' Children listen attentively to stories read by staff who are lively and enthusiastic and demonstrate the joy of reading and sharing books.

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who attend

Children enjoy a wealth of exciting opportunities to engage in physical play, using climbing equipment inside, playing daily in the garden, and exploring the extensive facilities of the vineyard and surrounding countryside. Children love going for walks, spotting and counting horses, sheep and chickens, and collecting natural objects for a table display. They are delighted to collect so many fir cones, and staff support their developing mathematics skills in estimating how many they have collected, and in measuring and comparing the lengths of sticks. Staff provide enriching opportunities for children to learn about the natural world as they care for the guinea pigs, learning to handle them carefully and gently. However, extending the use of the outdoor area to help children learn even more about the natural world remains an area for further development.

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who attend

Staff provide innovative opportunities for children to engage in a variety of role play activities. Children are excited to join in with the 'Troll under the bridge' story. They walk along the bridge over the stream in the grounds of the vineyard, whispering in pretend scared voices, and giggling excitedly when they pretend the troll is under the bridge.

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who attend

Staff fully encourage and support children to be active learners; persevering with tricky things and not being afraid to give things a try. This ensures that children are fully prepared for their next stages in learning and for their transition to school. The outstanding key person system ensures that staff know all children very well indeed and can provide very effectively for their individual needs and interests.

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who attend

The robust and highly effective systems for observing what children can do, and planning for their future learning, ensures that children achieve very highly in all seven areas of learning. Staff have high aspirations for the children and work closely together and with outside agencies to support children. There is an extremely strong ethos of achievement for all children.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff have established extremely secure and warm emotional attachments with their key children, and this is evident in the caring relationships observed. Children benefit from a gradual introduction to the setting which is based around their individual needs. This careful planning helps to support and encourage them in the transition between home and nursery. Highly effective handover systems established within the nursery ensure that children move smoothly and gently onto their new rooms, when they are ready. Staff give exceptional support to children with identified needs, helping them to flourish, and to feel special and fully included in the nursery. Meticulous implementation of individual learning and development plans, medical plans and inter-agency working ensures children's needs are extremely well met.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are happy, confident, and have lots of fun. Staff are highly effective in supporting children to become independent learners and learn to manage risks for themselves. The implementation of robust health and safety policies and extensive staff knowledge and expertise ensure that children's safety is a high priority. Within a framework of thorough risk assessment staff help children make their own choices to keep themselves safe. For example, children talk about how they can stay safe on walks. They are developing excellent skills and positive attitudes to underpin their eventual move to school.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff interaction with children is exceptional. They speak with utmost courtesy to the children, modelling polite language and pleasant interactions. Children show high levels of self-control during activities and behave very well indeed. Children are kind and caring to each other, sharing toys and resources freely. They clearly love coming to the nursery because of the nurturing atmosphere and the exciting activities they take part in.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children benefit from healthy, nutritious snacks and plentiful opportunities for physical exercise every day that contributes to their good health. Meal and snack times are very sociable occasions where children and staff sit together and chat happily. Children cut up their own fruit and vegetables and learn good hygiene routines with regard to personal care. Babies' personal care needs are continually met and staff use nappy changing time as an opportunity to chat, providing lots of eye contact and positive facial expressions. This encourages and nurtures children's trust and feelings of security.

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provision

Leadership within the nursery is exemplary and the manager has the highest aspirations for quality and the ongoing development of the service. She has an excellent understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

Robust systems practised by vigilant staff ensure that the children are exceptionally well safeguarded in the nursery. There are extremely well-organised policies and systems in place to assess potential risks and to address any identified hazards. The staff team are highly qualified which is reflected in the excellent practices that are in place to keep children safe and to ensure that they receive exceptionally high quality learning experiences. Staff benefit from regular appraisals that celebrate their successes and identify opportunities for further development. As a result, staff are extremely enthusiastic, motivated, and their morale is high.

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provision

A highly effective system for regularly monitoring practice ensures the setting is always evolving and improving. The inspirational management team achieve excellence in all aspects of the provision, including sustaining the highest levels of achievement for all children. Parents have been actively involved in evaluating the setting and enjoy the opportunity to engage in the Parents' Forum. Staff build excellent working relationships with parents and they demonstrate a very good understanding of the benefits of working closely with them so that children's individual needs are met. Parents comment that they are very happy with the nursery and that their children settled well because the arrangements were so smooth and gentle. The nursery holds meetings with parents to prepare children for the transition to school, and parents appreciate how useful this is in supporting their children with the move.

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provision

Excellent recruitment practice and a thorough induction programme ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children and that they have a secure knowledge of their roles and responsibilities. Staff confidently raise any concerns that they may have about individual children's progress so that early support can be initiated. Partnership working with other professionals and agencies is very well established and used to identify children's needs and ways of meeting them.

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provision

The manager's monitoring of children's learning and development is innovative and highly effective. For example, she has set up two working parties of staff and parents that reflect on the effectiveness of different aspects of children's learning. This ensures that all children have their needs met and that staff provide them with an exceptional educational programme.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY371685 Local authority Kent Inspection number 896404 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 78 Number of children on roll 125 Name of provider Fidgets Ltd Date of previous inspection 30/06/2009 Telephone number 07731323 334

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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