Little Acorns Pre School (Folkestone)

Little Acorns Pre School (Folkestone) Folkestone Baptist Church, Hill Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 6LY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 9 March 2015 28 April 2009

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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

 Children make good progress as a result of strong teaching and the broad range of interesting activities that promote their all-round learning and development well.  Staff make good use of the exciting outdoor area to provide challenging physical activities and to promote children's knowledge of the natural world.  The thoughtful organisation of the indoor environment and the impressive range of resources encourage children to explore and investigate. This helps them to gain independence in their learning and prepares them well for their future move to school.  Staff are sensitive to the needs of children, including those who are still settling, and provide support and encouragement. As a result, children play happily and develop good levels of confidence.  There is a strong focus on training and staff development. This, along with effective self-evaluation, results in a service that is continually improving.

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This provision is good

 Staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. They keep the premises safe and secure. Consequently, children are safeguarded effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Parents receive regular updates on their child's achievements but are not as well informed about the activities planned to help them to progress further. This does not support a fully shared approach to promoting children's learning between the pre- school and home.

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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

 offer more opportunities for parents to take an active role in promoting children's future learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed all areas of the pre-school.  The inspector observed the interaction of staff and children during a range of activities, indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the committee, the manager, staff, parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector checked a selection of documentation including some policies and procedures, and records of children's development.

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who attend. This is good

Children have fun in the stimulating environment and make good progress. Staff have a thorough knowledge of each child's abilities and provide suitably challenging activities that reflect their interests. For example, children are enthusiastic gardeners. They speak knowledgeably about planting bulbs with the roots facing down and carefully make appropriate sized holes in the soil. Children are also very creative, expressing themselves through music, arts and crafts and imaginative role play. Staff make good use of times when children are gathered into groups, such as snack time, to instigate lively conversations. This helps to promote their communication and language well. Staff speak to parents daily, sharing information about their child's experiences. They also hold regular social events for children and parents, during which all parents are able to speak to their child's key person. During these meetings staff provide clear and accurate information

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who attend. This is good

about children's achievements and outline the new learning goals they have set. However, they do not provide details of the types of activities planned to help children reach these goals to encourage their learning at home. Nonetheless, information about children's care needs is shared very well.

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good

Children respond very well to the friendly, caring support of staff. This promotes their self- esteem and gives them the confidence to become independent in their learning. Children behave very well and staff offer focussed support for individual children when necessary. For example, they know which children find it difficult to separate from their parents. They are ready with toys and books they know will distract the child and help them settle. One member of staff has specialist training to support children's speech and language. Staff also use sign language when interacting with children who are not yet confident speakers. Children enjoy nutritious snacks and engage in a lot of active play to promote their good health.

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provision is good

Leadership and management are strong and staff receive good support to promote their professional development. Regular training means that staff have up-to-date knowledge about child development and early years teaching. They use their training well to shape practice and plan educational programmes. The manager monitors children's progress effectively. She also gathers the views of the committee, staff, parents and children to plan ongoing improvements. As a result, the service is continually evolving around the needs of children and their families. Highly effective partnership working with other professionals helps staff to obtain specialist support for children when needed.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127323 Local authority Kent Inspection number 840643 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Little Acorns Pre School (Folkstone) Committee Date of previous inspection 28 April 2009 Telephone number 01303 252259

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Setting details

Little Acorns registered in 1986. It is open Monday to Friday from 9.15am to 12.15pm term time only. The pre-school employs seven staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 6. The pre-school receives funding to provide early education to 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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