Coxheath Preschool

Coxheath Pre-School Stockett Lane, Coxheath, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 4PT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24 September 2015 30 September 2014

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires Improvement

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 Children thoroughly enjoy their morning at pre-school. They arrive happily and form close relationships with the staff that look after them. Staff are very sensitive in supporting each child's personal needs.  The quality of teaching is consistently good. Staff know the children well and they plan a good range of fun, stimulating activities both inside and outside. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning.  The pre-school is led by a strong and dedicated supervisor. The staff team is stable and consistent and all staff benefit from regular training and professional development opportunities. This has led to significant improvements over the last year in the way in which children's progress is monitored.  Children develop positive attitudes towards learning. They listen well and are interested in finding things out and trying things for themselves. As a result, they develop

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This provision is good

important skills which help them to be ready for starting school.  Good attention is paid towards keeping children safe. Staff are well-trained and have a good knowledge of what to do if they are concerned about a child's health or welfare.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff recognise that further improvements can be made to the outside area to extend the range of learning opportunities available to the children.  The management committee does not play a full and active part in evaluating the quality of the pre-school and helping staff to make continual improvements.

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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

 continue to develop the use of the outside area to extend children's learning  develop the role of the management committee to enable them to play a closer role in driving the pre-school's on-going improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching both inside and outside.  The inspector talked to staff about how they plan for children's individual learning needs and how they monitor their progress.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the pre-school supervisor to assess the support for children's learning.  The inspector looked a range of documentation, including training files, staff suitability checks, and records of children's progress.  The inspector talked to the children and asked them what they liked doing at pre- school.  The inspector gathered the views of parents available on the day of inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Good partnerships with other agencies, such as health visitors and speech and language therapists, mean children get extra help with their learning and this helps them to make good or better progress. Parents are very happy with the quality of the pre-school. They praise the work of the staff and confirm how much their children enjoy attending. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that staff are checked thoroughly before they work with children. Regular team meetings, supervision and training events mean staff continually update their skills and improve the quality of their practice. They seek advice from external agencies and respond to findings from quality assurance checks. This approach has led to many improvements since the last inspection.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

There is a busy and purposeful atmosphere within the pre-school and all children are thoroughly engaged in their learning. Staff play alongside children and clearly understand how to support and enrich their learning. For example, when children play in the role play 'veterinary surgery', staff help children to remember times they have been to a doctor and what action has been taken to make them feel better. During games and creative activities, staff successfully extend children's understanding of colour, shape, size and number. Good promotion of children's language and communication skills mean children develop a wide vocabulary and are confident to engage in conversations and ask questions. A wide range of books, pictures and notices around the pre-school, both inside and outside, help to support children's awareness of literacy, printed words and signs.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children gain good levels of independence throughout the pre-school routine, such as putting their coats and shoes on and choosing when to have their snack. Staff provide relevant activities which interest children and help them to concentrate for longer periods. For example, children spend extended periods of time building intricate models, showing perseverance and determination and this is actively supported by staff. Children make friends easily and play well together. Older children show care and concern for the younger or newer children and help them to settle into the pre-school routine. Close relationships with the village school mean children benefit from frequent visits in the summer term and this helps them to settle very quickly when they start at school.

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Outcomes for children are good

Staff have worked hard to thoroughly review the ways in which children's progress is tracked and monitored. New systems now mean that all staff can measure children's progress easily and quickly identify if any child needs additional support. Detailed information is used to plan activities which interest all children and challenge them appropriately. Good use is made of funding to provide high quality resources and development opportunities for staff to ensure they meet children's individual learning needs well.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127128 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1006085 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 25 Name of provider Coxheath Pre-School Group Committee Date of previous inspection 30 September 2014 Telephone number 01622 745662

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Setting details

Coxheath Pre-School has been registered since 1991. It operates in conjunction with the Coxheath Rising Fives Pre-School which is registered and inspected separately. The same committee and staff team run both groups. Both groups operate from premises in Coxheath, a small village on the outskirts of Maidstone in Kent. The pre-school is located in the village hall and is registered on the Early Years Register. It is open term time only, five mornings a week from 9am until 12 noon. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are learning English as an additional language. A team of seven staff work with the children. Of these, five 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

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Setting details

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