Steps to School

Steps to School Nursery Borough Green Primary School, School Approach, Borough Green, SEVENOAKS, Kent, TN15 8JZ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14 April 2015 Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Not applicable 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 Outstanding 1

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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 benefit from a range of stimulating and exciting resources, especially in the outdoor area. Staff use these to promote challenge and thinking, and help children to make good progress.  Staff provide rich opportunities for children to develop language skills. They use a range of strategies, such as asking questions, which encourage children to think for themselves and make their own choices.  Children are fully engaged in their learning as they follow their own interests and ideas. Staff are enthusiastic and encourage children to learn through trial and error.  Parents have a strong working partnership with staff. They report that they feel informed and involved in their child's learning.  The manager has rigorous procedures in place to safeguard children. All staff have received training on how to keep children safe. Policies are robust and consider many aspects of nursery routines, including personal care.

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This provision is good

 The manager places a strong emphasis on preparing children for their move to school. Staff are dedicated to helping children to learn key skills for school, such as self-care and early reading strategies.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always make use of daily routines to continually promote children's independence. For example, children are not always encouraged to pour their own drinks.

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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 opportunities for children to develop independence skills during daily routines, such as pouring their own drinks.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outside play areas.  The inspector looked at some children's records, including their learning assessments, and spoke to some key persons.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.  The inspector held meetings and completed joint observations with the manager of the nursery.  The inspector checked evidence of safeguarding practices, staff recruitment, ongoing professional development and self-evaluation processes.

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who attend. This is good

Staff use their knowledge of children's development to provide a wide range of stimulating activities. Children also initiate activities themselves and are skilfully supported by staff. For example, children's interest in objects that roll leads them to be competitive. Staff extend this learning by encouraging them to begin to compare and predict through playful races. These high-quality interactions enable children to acquire new skills. Staff have high expectations of children's learning and provide appropriate challenge to develop children's thinking skills. Children of all ages are keen to interact with staff and enjoy cuddles when they read stories together. Older children enjoy interactive activities and spontaneous song to enhance their play. This promotes a positive learning environment where children feel happy and secure.

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outstanding

Children and staff have excellent relationships. Staff are exemplary role models and they consistently promote very good hygiene habits, such as hand-washing, to help keep children healthy. Staff use memorable phrases to help children to learn appropriate behaviours, such as 'sharing is caring'. Parents speak freely to staff and turn to them for advice on managing children's behaviour at home. Staff encourage this two-way flow of information and use a range of effective strategies to communicate with parents and involve them in their child's learning. As a result, parents know about their child's progress and next steps in their learning. Parents feel confident that their children are safe as there are rigorous and robust measures to ensure children's well-being is always a top priority.

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provision is good

The manager consistently reflects on practice to identify areas to improve and introduces changes to benefit children. For example, she has reviewed arrangements for planning to make them more robust and enable staff to make immediate changes. This means staff can now respond to children's changing interests and any observations parents share. The manager has also strengthened the procedures to support staff and their development. Records are more detailed, and regular meetings and supervisions mean that staff work together towards shared goals. The manager responds to ideas staff bring from training and implements changes suggested by other professionals. She works closely with local school teachers so that children are a welcome extension of the school community from the outset. This means children move smoothly on to the next stage of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY357595 Local authority Kent Inspection number 828693 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 54 Number of children on roll 72 Name of provider Borough Green Primary School Governing Body Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01732 780431

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Setting details

Steps to school day nursery registered in 1990 and is situated in the village of Borough Green, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 22 staff, with over half of the staff holding appropriate 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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