Activeplay Nursery and Preschool

Activeplay Nursery London House, 10-14 High Street, Milton Regis, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2AB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 September 2017 7 October 2014

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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

 Staff establish secure and trusting relationships with children. These support them to settle quickly and happily into their play. Children develop a good sense of belonging at the nursery.  All children are polite and behave well. For example, older children independently resolve minor conflicts maturely as they compromise and listen to each other.  Staff build and maintain positive partnerships with parents and keep them fully involved. For example, they regularly share activity ideas, such as play dough recipes.  The managers and staff are keen to keep their skills and knowledge up to date and develop them even further. Staff attend regular training. For example, they have learned different ways to teach children mathematics effectively as they play.  Children have good opportunities to develop their imagination. For instance, they enjoy interesting role play, such as serving real ice cream in their ice cream parlour.

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This provision is good

 Children learn good early mathematics skills to support their future learning. For example, older children complete simple sums, and babies and younger children engage in simple number rhymes and songs.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not make the most of opportunities to extend and engage children's interest in early reading and their letter recognition skills even further.  Staff do not consistently encourage children to express themselves freely and develop their creative skills more consistently.

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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

 extend children's opportunities to develop their interest and skills in early reading and letter recognition to help them gain abilities to support their future learning in more extensive ways  review and improve the consistency of children's experiences to enable them to develop their creative skills even further and freely express themselves with more confidence.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interactions with children.  The inspector viewed the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector looked at written documentation, including a sample of policies and procedures, risk assessments and staff training records.  The inspector spoke to children, parents and staff, and took their views into consideration.  The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The highly qualified managers and staff evaluate their practice effectively. For example, they regularly implement new ideas and reflect on how well they engage children to learn. The managers closely monitor the quality of care and teaching staff provide children. For instance, they hold regular one-to-one performance meetings. Staff use the helpful advice to support action plans. The managers and staff closely monitor children's progress. This helps them to promptly highlight any gaps in their development and provide children with individual support to help close these swiftly. Staff liaise regularly with other early years professionals. For example, they share activity ideas with outside specialists. Safeguarding is effective. All staff, including the managers, have a good understanding of the safeguarding procedures to follow to help protect children's safety and welfare.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff effectively help children prepare for their eventual move to school. For example, children are encouraged to be independent, such as making their own play choices with confidence. Staff skilfully extend on children's interests. For example, children are keen to learn about the weather and staff encourage them to make kites to fly and explore the wind. All children develop good communication skills. For instance, older children confidently make up their own version of favourite stories to share with their friends. Babies enjoy positive interactions, such as when staff use engaging facial expressions and tones of voice.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children develop a good understanding of other people's similarities and differences and the wider world. For instance, children explore traditions of other countries, such as exploring henna patterns and saris. Children gain a good understanding of the importance of healthy eating. For example, they are keen to grow their own interesting ingredients to try at mealtimes, such as courgettes. All children have good opportunities to challenge their physical skills. For example, older children explore unusual objects, such as negotiating how to balance on large wooden reels. Babies learn about the different ways they can move and control their bodies, such as bouncing up and down during musical activities.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in relation to their individual starting points. Children gain good early writing skills. For example, they write simple words with confidence. All children, including babies, enjoy experimenting. They play with ice, and older children learn about the concept of solidifying water to make ice once it melts. Children learn about more complex concepts, such as the cycle of life. For instance, they excitedly watch tadpoles grow into frogs before setting them free into the wild.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY263294 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1070530 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 64 Name of registered person Activeplay Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 October 2014 Telephone number 01795 410811

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reference number

Activeplay Nursery registered in 2003. It is located in Sittingbourne, Kent. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6.30pm, all year round. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 15 members of staff, all of whom hold a relevant early years qualification at level 3 or above, including two members of staff who hold a level 4 qualification and two who have early years professional status.

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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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