St Hilary's Nursery School

St Hilary's Nursery School Senacre Community Hall, Titchfield Road,Senacre, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 8FX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15 June 2015 5 April 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

 The quality of teaching is good. The staff effectively question children about what they are doing to help them think and learn to solve problems to extend their play.  Children play in a well-equipped environment. They choose from an interesting and varied range of activities catering for their needs both indoors and outside. This means children develop good decision making skills.  Staff teach children about safe play and how to recognise hazards. For example, children take extra care as they climb on and off the trampoline and the large airplane activity equipment in the garden. Children learn to take risks as they play.  Children build good relationships with staff because they are interested in them, listen to their requests and meet their needs. Therefore, children are happy and emotionally settled.  The staff have a good understanding of their role to safeguard children. They know the reporting procedures well. Therefore, they effectively promote children's well-being.

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This provision is good

 The self-evaluation plan takes account of the views of staff, parents and children to identify changes to improve the outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not consistently share information with parents about how they help children to prepare for their move to school. Therefore, although parents know their children's levels of learning and development, they are not as clear about the skills children learn to ensure they are ready for school.

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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

 increase the range of information shared with parents about how staff prepare children for their move to school.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a variety of paperwork, including the safeguarding policy and children's progress records.  The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children indoors and outside.  The inspector and the manager carried out a short joint observation in the garden.  The inspector talked to the manager, staff, children and parents to gain their views of the setting.

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who attend. This is good

Children are proficient at recognising letters and shapes. For example, they can pick out their own name card at snack time. The staff effectively question children about different mathematical concepts. Children learn that some items are heavier or lighter than others, and the amount of water needed to fill beakers during water play. Therefore, children are able to make different mathematical comparisons. Staff are competent at observing and assessing children's abilities and identifying children's next steps. They use these effectively to inform the activity planning of each child's individual needs. Staff track children's progress to ensure all children are making good progress given their starting points and capabilities. Staff recognise that children who are due to start school need additional help to be confident about the changes. Therefore, they increase the use of games to promote team work and increase children's attention and listening skills.

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good

Children learn to lead healthy lifestyles. They engage in extensive physical activity in the garden, in all weathers. During snack times, children talk to staff about food and how it affects their bodies. Children are independent at snack time. They serve themselves from the choices of food available and pour their own drinks. They understand the need to wash their hands before a snack and after taking themselves to the toilet. This means they practice good hygiene procedures, which prepares them for their move to school. The staff rigorously clean the play areas every day to protect children from cross- contamination. They conduct good daily risk assessments of the premises and toys to ensure children are kept physically safe. This supports children's welfare and well-being.

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provision is good

The provider provides good opportunities for staff to develop their professional skills. Recent staff training in extending the outdoor provision has had a good impact on the children. Children talk more about nature as they watch the wildlife in the newly constructed natural garden area. The manager fosters good relationships with other health and education professionals; for example, speech and language professionals. They work effectively together to support those children who need additional help to make progress in their development and/or learning. Partnerships with parents are good. Those parents interviewed report that overall, they are happy with the service provided. They report they receive good information about how the setting operates. They participate in regular reviews of their children's learning and know they can discuss their children with their key person or the manager at any time.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127588 Local authority Kent Inspection number 840677 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider St Hilary's Nursery School Committee Date of previous inspection 5 April 2011 Telephone number 01622 355965

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Setting details

St Hilary's Nursery School registered in 1982. It operates from one large room in a Skills Centre, in the Senacre area of Maidstone, Kent. The nursery school is open each weekday from 8.30am to 11.30am and 12pm to 3pm for 39 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years old. The nursery school employs eight staff; of these, seven staff including the manager hold 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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