Highways at Hamstreet Kindergarten

Highways at Hamstreet Kindergarten Ham Street Primary Academy, Hamstreet, Ashford, Kent, TN26 2EA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22 January 2016 11 May 2009

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The management team uses highly effective systems for monitoring and evaluating practices that involve staff, parents and children. The high standards for improvement ensure that all staff receive the right training and individual support to provide a highly stimulating and welcoming environment in which children make excellent progress.  There are nurturing and close relationships between all children, staff and parents. Adults work very closely together as they share high-quality information to support children's interests and needs. The consistency of care between home and the kindergarten is significant and completely encourages children to feel secure.  Staff are highly skilled in supporting children's learning and development. Exciting and stimulating resources and activities enable all children to be highly absorbed and fully engaged in their play. The excellent teaching helps children to become skilled and

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This provision is outstanding

ready for the next stage in their learning.  Children display significantly high levels of good behaviour. Staff reinforce positive behaviours, such as using specific praise to encourage children to make good choices. Children treat each other, their teachers and the environment with respect.  An inspirational partnership with the school positively impacts on children's learning and development. Children move confidently between the school and kindergarten, for example, as they share the exciting and highly stimulating environments.

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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 extend and share the excellent knowledge and professional skills of staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with parents and carers, and sampled parent questionnaires.  The inspector observed activities in the rooms and garden.  The inspector viewed a range of documentation, including policies and children's records.  The inspector spoke with members of staff, and held meetings with the manager and committee representative.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. Management and staff have an extremely good knowledge of possible concerns and of the procedures to follow if there are concerns about children's welfare. Leaders work exceptionally well together to promote practices that highly motivate all children to learn. With an extensive knowledge of how children learn, they lead the well-qualified staff who put children's welfare and development at the heart of their practice. To maintain the high quality of their provision, they accurately identify development areas, such as improving shared knowledge and skills. Management and staff complete precise and extremely thorough monitoring of children's progress to address any learning gaps rapidly. For example, they recently improved the teaching of mathematics. There are excellent relationships with other early years professionals to help promote effective care and outcomes for children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Teaching is highly effective and based on an excellent knowledge of the needs and interests of children. Staff plan rich and challenging experiences that extend learning opportunities for children. They give children time and space to discover things for themselves and have fun. For example, the garden is inspirational and children enjoy the freedom and challenges it provides, whatever the weather. Parents highly value the opportunities that staff create for them to actively support and engage with their children's learning. For example, they add comments and upload photographs from home onto their children's personal profiles. Staff make use of this information when setting realistic targets for children, who make excellent progress from their starting points. The extremely well-prepared individual plans enable all children to meet, and in some cases exceed, their own learning targets, including children with special educational needs.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

The extremely attentive and nurturing staff help ensure children feel valued and safe. They are highly positive role models who encourage children to develop emotional security. For example, children effectively and appropriately control their own feelings and behaviour towards others. Children have excellent opportunities to develop their physical skills, such as in the outdoor area and during regular trips to the woods. Staff promote children's physical well-being with nourishing home-cooked meals and very healthy snacks.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children make excellent progress in their learning and development from their starting points. They become very independent and enthusiastic learners. They are exceptionally confident and emotionally secure, with skills to support their learning in school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127250 Local authority Kent Inspection number 825404 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Highways At Hamstreet Date of previous inspection 11 May 2009 Telephone number 01233 732 915

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Setting details

Highways at Hamstreet Kindergarten registered in 2001 and is managed by a committee. It operates from a building within the grounds of Hamstreet Primary School in Hamstreet, Ashford, Kent, and links with the school are established. The kindergarten operates Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3.30pm, during school term time only. It receives funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years. The kindergarten provider employs nine staff members; of these, eight have relevant early years qualifications. This includes two staff with level 6 qualifications and one member of staff with Qualified Teacher Status.

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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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