Chestnut Grove Kindergarten

Chestnut Grove Kindergarten 5 Pathfields Road, Clacton-on-Sea, ESSEX, CO15 3JH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/03/2013 21/09/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff keep children safe because they are vigilant and implement a good range of policies and procedures to protect children from harm.  Children have warm relationships with staff and this supports their well-being. They settle quickly and a good partnership is developed with parents to support children's learning.  Children enjoy a wide variety of stimulating activities that supports their learning and development well. Individual needs are identified and met, to ensure all children have a challenging learning experience.  Management have strong awareness of the strengths and areas for development of the provision, and have set entirely relevant goals in order to improve outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The book corner has a limited range of books and props to support children's listening and language skills.  There is scope for staff to reinforce good behaviour by using pictures of expected behaviours of children.

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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 carried out a joint observation of a group activity.  The inspector observed interaction between staff and children.  The inspector tracked the progress of several children.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents and took their views into consideration during the inspection.  The inspector had a discussion with the management team.

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Information about the setting

Chestnut Grove Kindergarten opened 2010 and is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and is privately owned. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from purpose-built premises and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 18 members of child care staff. Of these, 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications; two staff members are working towards early years qualifications.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except for one week's closure at Christmas and public bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 112 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special needs and/or disabilities.

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

 develop further the book corner so that there is a range of books of different genres, including non-fiction, fiction and poems. Encourage children's listening and language skills by, for instance, use of recorded stories for independent use and puppets to retell stories

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

 explore the use of pictures to show children expected behaviours so that group rules are reinforced effectively.

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who attend

Children make good progress in this organised setting. Staff plan carefully and ensure that the required areas of learning are covered through effective teaching and a range of stimulating activities that meet children's needs. There is a good balance between child- initiated and adult-led activities.

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who attend

Babies enjoy exploring different textures of materials and everyday items in 'treasure baskets'. They watch in amazement as feathers fly through the air as they blow air at them through straws. Babies learn to operate simple technology by pressing buttons to create effects on electronic toys. Children have delightful creative experiences as they absorb themselves in cooked spaghetti, moulding and cutting with tools. They draw recognisable pictures in trays lined with flour and experiment with making marks. Older children recognise their names on cards when they arrive and write them on their work. They enjoy practising their early writing skills as they issue 'travel tickets' during pretend play. Staff support the development of children's mathematical vocabulary by comparing heights of towers built by children. Staff follow children's lead as they choose to initiate ball games in the garden. Children observe insects with interest as they go on a 'bug hunt'

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who attend

to find out where insects live and examine their features. Overall, these activities help children to develop useful skills in preparation for school. Children show some interest in books, however their choices are restricted because the range of books is limited. There is scope develop children's listening and language skills further, for example, by independent listening to recorded stories and use of puppets in pretend play.

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who attend

Staff support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, they use sign language and pictures to aid children's communication skills. Staff liaise with community health professionals for advice and support in order to help children to learn and develop. Children who learn English as an additional language make good progress because staff learn key words in a child's home language and use a translator pen to communicate using common phrases.

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who attend

Children rise to the physical challenge of the outdoor area. They balance carefully on height-graduated stepping stones, ride on a wheeled toys, slide and climb on different apparatus. They enjoy using the digging area to plant seeds and watch them grow. Children use a range of tools competently in the digging area as they fill pots and rake the earth.

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who attend

Staff keep good records on children's progress. For instance, they carry out regular observations, which they evaluate to determine children's next steps for learning. Progress checks are completed for children aged between two- and three- years and written summaries are provided for parents. Parents share their observations of their child with staff, and staff suggest activities that parents can do at home to support their child. This provides good opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning. Parents are kept up-to-date with their child's development by attending open evenings where they review children's development folders and discuss their child's progress with staff.

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

Children settle well because they have warm relationships with staff. They approach staff with ease and engage them in their play. Activities provided by staff help children to settle readily because they are based on children's interests and abilities. Staff provide flexible routines to meet the needs of babies and this supports their well-being.

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

Overall, the environment is generally well organised and resourced. Children explore their environment independently because resources are accessible to them in low-level units. Staff help children to behave in safe ways. For example, they remind children to use their 'walking legs' when lining up at the door, and to tidy away toys from the floor when they have finished using them. Children handle tools safely as they cut bananas in preparation for snack time. They manage their personal care by washing their hands at appropriate times with staff helping younger children. Babies are changed hygienically, comfortably and privately.

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

Children bring their own packed lunches and staff provide a variety of healthy snacks and drinks for children. Staff cater for any special dietary needs of children. Children benefit from fresh air and exercise each day as they use the outdoor area to practise a range of physical skills.

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

Behaviour is good, overall. Staff use praise to encourage good behaviour, and this is reinforced by posters, which are displayed to encourage staff to 'catch each child doing something good and to praise them for this'. Staff treat the children respectfully by talking with them about why some behaviour is not acceptable, and by providing suitable alternatives. However, children can occasionally display challenging behaviour and there is scope to reinforce good behaviour, for example, by providing a visual reminder of group rules.

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

Staff have good partnerships with local teachers who visit children who are due to start school to build familiarity. The children visit local schools to get used to the school layout and staff. Children who move up into new group rooms within the setting spend time in their new environments so that get used to new routines. Children learn about difference by involvement of parents from different cultures, and fun practical activities. For instance, a parent brought in home-made onion bhajis for the children to taste in celebration of Diwali.

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provision

Staff keep children safe because they understand and implement a strong portfolio of policies and procedures related to safeguarding requirements. They carry out risk assessments on all areas, equipment and resources to protect children from harm. Staff are vetted soundly and this helps to keep children safe.

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provision

Staff are supervised effectively. This is because management have implemented a system that enables staff to support each other while managers sit in on sessions to provide additional support and supervision. This helps to identify any issues of underperformance. Coaching and training are offered to resolve any such issues. Yearly appraisals identify training needs and staff have attended a range of relevant courses. For example, staff attend a 'Building resilient toddlers' course, which led to an awareness of the importance of sleep to enable toddlers to be resilient.

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provision

Management monitor the educational programme and assessment successfully. They carry out random sampling of planning and assessment folders of children to assure quality. They perform room monitoring on a regular basis to get a good idea of daily practice of staff through observation. Management have also implemented a system that enables staff to observe each other as a staff development and quality assurance tool. The setting has an effective tracking system in place to identify gaps in children's learning so that appropriate interventions can be put into place to close any gaps.

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provision

The setting has strong links with community health professionals who offer support and advice for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The setting works closely with local schools to prepare children for school well. They have good links with parents in order to keep them informed of their child's development and staff provide opportunities for parents to be involved in learning and development. Parents expressed high levels of satisfaction with the setting and appreciate the dedication of the staff team.

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provision

The setting has good awareness of its attributes and limitations and has identified key areas for improvement of the provision. For example, it plans to install a ramp in the garden to enable disabled children to access the flower beds. Previous recommendations have been met, such as, children are now able to choose freely whether they want to play indoors or outdoors. The setting has good capacity to improve its provision and future outcomes for children.

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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 EY408264 Local authority Essex Inspection number 850899

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 100 Number of children on roll 112 Name of provider Chestnut Grove Kindergarten Ltd Date of previous inspection 21/09/2010 Telephone number 01255 429 029

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Type of provision

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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