The Montessori, Tunbridge Wells

Little Kingdom Nursery and Creche Level 8, Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2SS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 July 2016 26 January 2016

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3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Sometimes activities planned for babies and toddlers do not meet their individual needs.  The arrangements in place to support children whose home language is not English are not implemented as well for younger children as they are for older children.  Procedures for self-evaluation and staff supervision are not yet good enough to help senior leaders drive and sustain improvements.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are kind and caring towards the children, helping them to feel settled and secure. There are positive relationships throughout the nursery, which foster children’s social skills.  There have been significant improvements to the educational programmes in the pre- school room. Staff assess older children’s progress accurately and provide interesting activities which challenge children and help them to develop skills for their future learning.  The team has developed strong partnerships with parents and other agencies, which support continuity in children’s care and learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 ensure that staff working with babies and toddlers focus on the relevant early stages in children’s development and provide age appropriate activities and resources 31/08/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that staff provide opportunities for younger children to develop and use their home language in their play. 31/08/2016

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Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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Due Date

 develop more effective arrangements for self-evaluation in order to accurately identify priorities for improvement and sustain good quality and standards across all areas of the nursery  improve the arrangements for staff supervision in order to provide targeted support, coaching and training for staff and promote the interests of all children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the owner and held a meeting with the management team.  The inspector spoke to parents, staff and children during the inspection to consider their views.  The inspector sampled planning and assessment records and a range of other documents.  The inspector observed the safety arrangements and information relating to safeguarding.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The provider ensures that child protection policies and robust risk assessments are followed at all times. Supervision and training arrangements are in place. However, they are not effective enough to ensure continuity in the quality of teaching. There are arrangements in place to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery and the provider has made many significant improvements following Ofsted inspections and visits. However, some weaknesses have not been identified and addressed to ensure good quality across all areas. Nevertheless, during the inspection, the management team expressed enthusiasm to bring about further change and address the concerns raised.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching within the nursery is variable. Staff working with older children know each child's individual stage of development extremely well. The improvements in the teaching for this age group have had a positive impact on the opportunities for children to learn and develop skills in readiness for starting school. There are good arrangements in place to enable older children who are learning English as an additional language to make progress with their communication and language skills. However, those working with younger children are less confident in knowing what the children's home language is and how they can support these children throughout the daily routine. The support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff and children share positive relationships, which support children's emotional well- being. Staff balance support for children who need it with giving other children time and space to learn in their own way. Staff are positive role models and children behave well as they learn to share and take turns. Parents are very complimentary about how well staff know their children and how confident children become as a result of the support from staff.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Older children are confident and friendly. Staff give them time to think through a range of possible answers and solutions as they explore and investigate. This good support means the children are motivated to have a go at solving problems, concentrate and persevere. However, some staff in the baby room occasionally limit babies’ enthusiasm for learning. For example, they insist that babies paint with sponges when they are enthusiastic to explore the texture of paint on their fingers. Consequently, there are times when babies become frustrated or lose interest in activities. This means they do not make the best possible progress in their learning and development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461586 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1051923 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 0 - 4 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 59 Name of registered person Little Kingdom Nursery and Creche Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 26 January 2016 Telephone number 01892531021

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reference number

Little Kingdom Nursery and Creche registered in 2013. It operates from a self-contained area on level eight of the Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery owner employs eight members of staff, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2 and 3. The nursery owner receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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