The Learning Tree - Sissinghurst

The Learning Tree- Sissinghurst The Learning Tree Nursery, Common Road, Sissinghurst, CRANBROOK, Kent, TN17 2BH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11 February 2015 6 December 2011

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding and possible child protection concerns with a good awareness of the procedures to follow.  Children's health benefits from being able to use the outdoor area throughout the day for play and exercise in the fresh air.  The staff support and promote children's communication and language extremely well. They ask skilful questions that encourage children to think about their answer.  Staff use an effective planning process; making use of children's interests in deciding future activities. This ensures children engage quickly and are motivated.  Partnership working with other professionals is effective and helps to ensure staff promote children's individual needs effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children are not always able to fully investigate and explore the natural world.  Staff do not always make best use of discussions with parents about children's learning and achievements at home to use in the assessment process.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 improve opportunities for children to explore and investigate the natural world  strengthen the engagement with parents to encourage them further in sharing information about children's learning and achievements at home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the provider and completed a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including children's development records, and spoke to staff.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.  The inspector checked evidence of safeguarding practices, staff recruitment, ongoing professional development and self-evaluation processes.  The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside play area.

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who attend. This is good

The staff are very knowledgeable about how children learn and how best to encourage their development. Staff engage exceptionally well with children so they encourage and motivate children to learn. They keep parents well informed of children's achievements and progress. However, staff do not routinely encourage all parents to share information about children's learning and achievements at home. All children make good progress in their learning, from their starting points. For example, they learn about mathematics as they decide how to make the number of fruits on two plates the same. Staff plan well for different group activities, such as story time, to ensure all children benefit. For example, younger children sometimes have a shorter story time to enable them to concentrate fully.

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good

The staff carry out daily risk assessment checks and minimise hazards so that the premises remain safe and secure. Children learn about keeping safe as they help staff check the outdoor area and they all practise emergency evacuations drills. Children play extremely well together, happily sharing resources and taking turns. Staff are very caring and help children settle quickly. Children gain independence that helps prepare them for school as staff encourage them to do things for themselves. They are very confident as they make decisions about their play and learning from the broad range of resources. However, children do not have free flow access to the natural world, to explore nature such as looking at bugs or by growing plants, but children do have regular access. The staff support children well at lunch time as they eat together. This helps children learn positive social skills and promotes conversations.

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provision is good

The provider and staff monitor children's individual progress well to help ensure that they make good progress. They check children's progress over time and compare different groups, such as boys and girls. This enables staff to effectively identify and address any learning gaps. The management team support staff's professional development needs well with individual supervision meetings. They encourage staff to attend training and to build on their qualifications. This has a positive impact on their practices. The provider and staff regularly discuss and evaluate the nursery practices. Together they decide areas for development that help the nursery improve and enhance children's learning. They replace and add to resources according to children's interests. For example, they have provided a wall net to encourage children's throwing skills and an electronic tablet to extend their understanding of modern technology. Parents are very complimentary about the care and

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY424358 Local authority Kent Inspection number 823082 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 25 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Anna Mary Reiss Date of previous inspection 6 December 2011 Telephone number 01580 712214

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Setting details

The Learning Tree-Sissinghurst Nursery registered in 2011. It operates from a purpose- built building in the grounds of Sissinghurst Church of England Primary School, Kent. It is open each weekday from 9am to 12 noon, and until 3pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, during school term times only. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are eight members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications, with three staff qualified to level 4 and three staff at level 3. One member of staff has Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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