Smarty Tots Nursery

Smarty Tots Nursery 5 Millfield, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1EU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28 June 2017 13 February 2015

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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:

 Staff working with younger children do not organise the environment well. Children are not always able to concentrate and their learning is disrupted.  Staff do not fully support younger children to learn how to take action to keep themselves and others safe in their environment.  Self-evaluation is not fully effective in identifying all areas for improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Partnerships with parents are effective. For example, staff keep parents informed about children's activities and achievements through the use of contact books and daily exchanges of information. This helps parents to support children's learning at home.  Management and staff have a sound knowledge of the procedures to follow if they were to be worried about a child's welfare.  Staff carry out observations and assessments to monitor children's learning and development. Children make suitable progress in their learning.  The staff have effective procedures to support children and their families with the move through the nursery and on to formal education.  Children in the pre-school room are offered a range of activities to help support their interest in early writing, such as using cotton buds for making marks and tweezers to practise more precise coordination.

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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

 review and improve the organisation of the spaces used by younger children to ensure that they are able to concentrate on their chosen activities and fully engage in their learning. 21/07/2017

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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

 continue to support younger children to learn how to stay safe in their environment  make more effective use of self-evaluation to identify weaknesses in practice, in order to target areas for improvement and raise outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff's interactions with the children and spoke to them at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the owner.  The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including risk assessments, children's assessment records, and policies and procedures.  The inspector talked to the owner about the nursery and discussed plans in place to move the practice forward to improve outcomes for children.  The inspector spoke to parents and read letters of reference to gain their views about the service they receive.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. The management and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the signs and symptoms that may cause concern about a child's welfare. Staff working with younger children do not effectively organise the environment to enable younger children to play without being disrupted. For example, children who are engaged in activities on the carpet are disrupted as other children walk through their activity to use the slide. Managers monitor and track children's development and progress to help identify any gaps in learning for staff to address. Good use is made of additional funding to improve outcomes for all children. The management has forged strong links with other early years professionals to provide children with continuity of care. Managers support staff practice. For instance, they hold regular staff meetings and carry out in-house training. There is some useful evaluation of practices but this is not precise enough to

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

identify all areas where improvement is needed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The staff working with older children offer a range of challenging experiences. For example, staff organise interesting problem-solving activities, such as using numbered keys to open padlocks, to help support children's mathematical skills. However, staff who work with younger children do not effectively set out activities to enable them to concentrate without being disturbed. For example, noisy activities, such as singing action songs, take place next to staff engaged in quiet listening activities with children. Therefore, not all children are able to extend their learning and enjoyment of activities.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Staff encourage children to try new things and recognise their achievements. For example, they praise children as they use the ladder on large climbing equipment to practise their balance and physical skills. Children learn about the importance of exercise and a healthy diet. They learn to manage their emotions and to socialise with adults and other children. For example, staff teach children how to cooperate and take turns when using magnets. However, the atmosphere in the area used by younger children is sometimes a little hectic and discarded toys are not moved promptly. Staff supervise children appropriately but these practices do not help children to consider ways to keep their environment safe.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make suitable progress from their starting points. Older children seek out opportunities, such as interacting with friends in the role-play area. They learn to recognise the letters and sounds in their names, in readiness for the next stage in their learning and their eventual move to school. However, younger children are not consistently offered a learning environment to help them make the best possible progress.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY339915 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1085856 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 - 5 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 71 Name of registered person Smarty Pants Nursery School Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 13 February 2015 Telephone number 01303 850515

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reference number

Smarty Tots Nursery registered in 2006. It is situated in the centre of Folkestone, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 5pm, for 48 weeks of the year. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 15 members of staff. Of these, nine hold relevant early years qualifications at level 3 and three, including the owner, are qualified at 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

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

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