Kelso House Pre-school

Kelso House Pre-school 40 Northumberland Avenue, Margate, Kent, CT9 3BW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 April 2015 16 May 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 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 eagerly play and explore the home-like environment. Staff set out a good range of resources and toys, ensuring children are able to access them independently.  Staff use observations and assessments effectively to plan for children's next steps in their learning. This means they make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The management and staff have clear expectations, and praise children's attempts and achievements. Children behave very well, and are extremely confident and self-reliant.  The management develops strong partnerships with parents and professionals to ensure individual children's needs are met well.  The management demonstrates a good knowledge and understanding of the child protection procedures and of how to safeguard children.  Parents report that they are extremely happy with the service provided and that staff effectively meet the needs of their children.

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This provision is good

 The management and staff attend training to update their knowledge and skills, and to gain qualifications. This enables them to improve outcomes for all children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Children have fewer opportunities to see letters and numbers in the outdoor environment, to learn that words have meaning.  Staff do not consistently provide older children with sufficiently challenging activities based on their interests.

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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 outdoor area to give children more opportunity to see signs and symbols to further develop their interest in literacy  strengthen the range of experiences on offer for older children, to continually challenge and motivate them further.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playroom and the outside learning environment.  The inspector spoke to parents about their views on the service that they receive.  The inspector talked to the providers about the pre-school practices and how they drive forward improvement, and discussed their action plan.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the provider.  The inspector sampled relevant documentation including children's developmental records.

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who attend. This is good

The management and staff provide children with an exciting array of resources and activities. This supports their learning well and prepares them for school. For example, the children enjoyed exploring how to fit the tubes together to complete the marble run. Staff introduced mathematics as they counted the marbles with the children. Staff make effective use of activities to extend the children's vocabulary and support their communication and language. They encourage children to predict what will happen next at story time. The staff recite the rhyming words of the story and together they think about what other words rhyme. Staff use daily routines to begin to teach the children a range of Spanish words. They enhance the children's interest in language with the introduction of signs in different languages around the playroom. Staff encourage children to initiate their own learning and to continue their learning at home. For example, the

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who attend. This is good

children choose which book they wish to take home to share with their parents.

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outstanding

Children are extremely comfortable in the care of staff due to the well-established settling- in procedures. As a result, children's emotional well-being is excellent. Staff work extremely closely with parents to gather a wide range of information about children's likes, dislikes and care needs. As a result, staff meet children's needs very effectively. Staff teach the children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The children are eager to investigate the secure garden area to develop their physical skills. They also go on regular walks in the local community, to learn about the world around them. Consequently, children are developing an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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provision is good

The owners have a secure knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements. The management routinely reviews children's progress to ensure children make good progress. They maintain a safe and secure environment through effective daily risk assessments. The managers support and manage staff effectively through individual supervision meetings, which help to identify staff training needs. They continually evaluate their practice and set targets for improvement. They engage parents in helping to evaluate the service they provide by sending out regular questionnaires, therefore demonstrating a strong commitment to improving the quality of practice and children's learning experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127289 Local authority Kent Inspection number 840638 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 12 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Polly Mary Bates Date of previous inspection 16 May 2011 Telephone number 01843230436

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Setting details

Kelso House Pre-school registered 1993 and is located in Margate, Kent. The pre-school is open five days a week, from 9am to 3.45pm, term time only. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The staff support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. The pre-school employs four staff of whom two hold appropriate qualifications at Level 3. In addition, one of the owners holds a BA (hons) degree in early education.

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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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