Little Acorns Kindergarten

Little Acorns Kindergarten Wharf Road, Wendover, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP22 6HF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 June 2016 Not applicable

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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

 Children are highly engaged and have fun. They make exceptional progress in their learning and development. Staff monitor children's progress thoroughly to carefully plan for their future learning.  Staff provide excellent support for children who have special educational needs. For example, they make specific arrangements to ensure children successfully access their environment.  Self-evaluation is well targeted to help drive continuous improvement. The inspirational manager is extremely proactive in the pursuit of excellence.  Children's behaviour is remarkably good. Staff are extremely positive role models. They teach children good manners, including how to maintain friendships and to be kind and respectful. Children respond with delight when staff share their achievements.  The highly qualified staff attend training to strengthen their excellent knowledge and skills further. They are passionate about putting what they learn into practice. For

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This provision is outstanding

example, they have introduced a 'calming corner' for children to relax, and to explore their thoughts and feelings.  Parents, carers and teachers speak extremely highly of the excellent quality care and support that the children receive, including how they are highly prepared for school. They share information with staff to complement children's care and learning fully.

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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 embed all strategies to develop the arrangements to support staff's excellent practice even further, to help maintain the high levels of teaching.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the play rooms and garden.  The inspector held discussions with children, parents, staff and other professionals.  The inspector undertook a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at observation files, monitoring systems, the self-evaluation form and a selection of policies and children's records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The highly motivated manager is a superb role model and the experienced staff team shares her passion for continuous improvement. She monitors staff's excellent teaching skills, although not all identified strategies to enhance teaching practices are embedded yet. The manager and staff monitor individual and groups of children's progress thoroughly. They are very quick to identify where early intervention may be required to help children catch up in their learning. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have excellent knowledge of safeguarding procedures to protect children from harm. There are extremely comprehensive procedures for the safe recruitment of highly professional staff.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children are extremely eager to learn. For example, they engage highly in role play experiences of their choosing. Staff skilfully interact with children and ask many relevant questions to challenge their thinking skills. During the inspection, children successfully explored measurement. They talked about halves and quarters, and estimated how much water was required to fill different shaped containers. Children continually help themselves to toys and resources to extend their ideas. For example, they worked together to build a pirate ship and made a flag for it. Children learn to care for the kindergarten's pets, including 'Bella' the bearded dragon, African snails and a fish. Children receive consistently high quality teaching during all their play and activities.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff understand that children's emotional well-being is extremely important. They highly respect parents' knowledge of their children and share a wealth of information to meet children's individual needs. Children have excellent opportunities to learn about staying healthy, such as through daily routines, discussions and activities. They make very good progress in their physical skills. They learn to move imaginatively to music and confidently use apparatus. Staff carry out thorough risk assessments, including outdoors, and know how to prevent and deal with any accident effectively, to keep children safe. For instance, they use electrical equipment safely when making smoothies.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are incredibly independent and have a very strong voice, such as in helping to plan the activities. All children make excellent progress for the next stage in their learning, including school. For example, they communicate confidently, such as when speaking to friends and adults, and learn to explore letters and the sounds they make. They learn to use books, such as to locate information, and confidently recognise and write their name.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY486655 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 1011239 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 34 Number of children on roll 76 Name of registered person Little Acorns Kindergarten Charity

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01296 625 787

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reference number

Little Acorns Kindergarten registered in 1990. The setting is located in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. It provides care Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3.30pm, during term time only. There is also a breakfast club operating from 8.30am to 9am. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The provider employs 15 staff, all of whom hold relevant qualifications between level 2 and level 6.

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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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