The Firs Nursery

The Firs Nursery Chartham Primary School, Shalmsford Street, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7QN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 March 2015 25 September 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

 Staff ensure that children are well prepared for school, providing good experiences and varied resources to build a good foundation of learning.  The management and all staff are determined to continue to improve the practice. A high level of commitment and passion is demonstrated to provide good quality teaching and learning experiences for all children.  Staff maintain a good level of communication with parents, ensuring that they are included and are kept well informed of their children's development.  Staff have good relationships with all children. Therefore, children are happy, settled and demonstrate and a good sense of belonging.  Staff use a variety of effective communication techniques to engage all children. Staff model positive communication and language, which children respond well to.  Staff give high priority to safeguarding, meaning all children are kept safe.  Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported by well-

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This provision is good

embedded strategies, meaning that all children progress at a good rate.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always encourage children to further develop their independence skills, through being fully involved in daily routines, including meal times.  Staff do not always provide opportunities for children to develop understanding of diversity and differences in society.

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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

 enhance the range of resources and experiences for children to encourage their awareness of differences in society  review daily routines, including mealtimes, to extend opportunities for children to further develop their independence skills and participation during these times.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed the areas of the nursery that children use.  The inspector observed staff interacting with the children.  The inspector sampled written documentation, including children's progress reports, policies and procedures.  The inspector spoke to children, gathered parents' views and spoke to staff.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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who attend. This is good

Staff effectively provide a wide variety of activities to promote children's learning and development across all areas of learning. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to increase their awareness of differences in society. Staff encourage children to independently select activities. They demonstrate that they have high expectations of the children, as they provide activities that require a level of maturity, for example, using real tools. Staff provide good experiences and teach children skills they require for future learning to prepare them well for school. For example, they work as a team playing directional games, and participate in letter and number activities. Children actively use sign language and visual time lines to develop communication and language skills. Staff work well with parents providing children with consistency of care.

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good

The staff have good relationships with the children who are quick to settle and are happy throughout the day. Children are stimulated and motivated to learn. However, staff do not always fully engage children during changes in the daily routine in order for them to further develop their independence skills. Staff teach children to understand the importance of caring for others and living things. Children enjoy looking after their pre- school guinea pig, and show empathy towards each other. Staff model good behaviour and manners, meaning children behave well. Staff have established good relationships with outside agencies and other settings. For example, school teachers regularly visit to share story time.

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provision is good

Management and staff have a good knowledge of the requirements for safeguarding and the procedures to follow, meaning all children are kept safe. The pre-school is thoroughly risk assessed to ensure it is safe and secure for children. Management regularly monitor the quality of provision and make positive changes to improve learning outcomes for all children. The manager follows established procedures to ensure the suitability of staff, through vigorous checks and induction process. The manager supports staff professional development well through supervision.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127688 Local authority Kent Inspection number 840696 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 63 Name of provider The Firs Nursery Committee Date of previous inspection 25 September 2009 Telephone number 01227 731876

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Setting details

The Firs Nursery opened in 1994. It operates from premises located in the grounds of Chartham Primary School, near Canterbury. It is open each weekday from 8.45am to 3.30pm, term time only. There are 11 members of staff, including the manager, eight of whom hold relevant early years qualifications.

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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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