St Aidans Nursery School

St Aidans Nursery School St. Aidens Nursery School, The Christopher Centre, The Alma, Leander Drive, GRAVESEND, Kent, DA12 4NG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 5 May 2015 19 July 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

 Children are happy, secure and confident at the setting. Staff know the children and their needs well and are able to support children's development and emotional well- being.  Children make good progress in their development as they can choose from a range of activities that promote learning through their own interests.  Staff training opportunities and qualifications have a positive impact on children. Staff are keen to develop their skills and introduce new ideas, such as basic sign language, to support children's individual learning needs.  Parents benefit from very good working partnerships with staff. They report that the staff are like an 'extended family' and they feel fully informed about their child's development.  Staff have a robust understanding of safeguarding procedures. As a result, they are able to identify any concerns and know what they need to do to keep children safe.  The manager reflects effectively on the provision and clearly identifies areas for

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This provision is good

development. This continually improves the outcomes for children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always enhance children's independence and self-awareness. Sometimes, they miss opportunities for children to attempt new tasks, such as taking their own photos and pouring their own water to drink.  Staff do not always provide a full range of resources or activities to fully enhance children's learning opportunities in the outdoor area.

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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

 strengthen children's independence and self-awareness by encouraging them to take part in tasks, such as taking their own photos and pouring out their own water to drink  extend opportunities for learning outside by developing the range of resources and activities available to children in the outdoor area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities and learning in the indoor and outdoor areas.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and staff members.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including policies, children's learning records and improvement plans.  The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

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who attend. This is good

Staff provide a good range of activities, particularly indoors. They interact well with children and are able to use a range of strategies to extend children's thinking skills. For example, when children were engaged in a threading activity, staff used different questions, suggestions and praise to encourage children to practise their counting skills and develop their colour recognition. These high-quality interactions stimulate children so they are keen to investigate and explore. For example, they discovered a snail and were excited to show it to the staff and add it to their nature table alongside their magnifying glasses, tadpoles and natural materials, such as fir cones. Many of these opportunities are enhanced with laminated resources with pictures and text, which in this case were on the topic of life cycles. Children also benefit from opportunities to experience literacy through stories, songs and adult-led letter sound sessions. This means that children develop early

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who attend. This is good

reading skills in preparation for when they go to school.

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good

The nursery is bright and welcoming. Staff implement a robust key-person system that helps children to feel confident to explore their surroundings and enjoy new experiences. Children develop healthy routines as they are encouraged to eat healthy snacks. Staff model kind, caring and respectful behaviour towards children. This helps children to learn what is expected of them and develops their social skills. Children are also familiar with how to keep themselves safe. Staff teach them how to respond in an emergency through termly fire drills and visits from emergency crews, such as the fire service. Children learn about people that help them as staff plan activities to explore the role of a police officer and lollipop patrol worker. This gives the children the chance to become familiar with these key roles that can support them within their community.

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provision is good

The manager has a good understanding of her role and responsibility. She monitors children's progress to ensure the provision continues to meet children's needs. The manager works closely with her team to identify any gaps and access any additional support for children and their families. As a result, she has developed strong partnerships with parents and other agencies. She values feedback from parental questionnaires and reports from early years professionals and uses this information to help inform improvement plans. The manager implements changes in order to continue to raise standards. Staff are also committed to developing their practice. They participate in regular staff meetings, training and supervisions to build their knowledge. Their professional development helps to increase the quality of teaching and, therefore, improve outcomes for children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127570 Local authority Kent Inspection number 840671 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 59 Name of provider St Aidans Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 19 July 2011 Telephone number 07715 337816

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Setting details

St Aidans Nursery School registered in 1965. It operates from The Christopher Centre Community Hall in Gravesend, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday, from 9am to 12 noon, for 38 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 11 members of staff who all hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery offers funded sessions for three- and four-year-olds.

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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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