St Mary's Day Nursery

St Mary's Day Nursery Siri Guru Ravidass Temple, Vicarage Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4DG

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 6 September 2017 9 April 2015

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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 Good 2

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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

 Staff do not consistently provide a sufficient level of challenge to older children to help extend their learning and ensure they make good progress.  The manager does not evaluate the progress groups of children make, to target improvements for the provision and show continual progress over time.  Staff do not consistently help support older children to practise making marks and develop early writing skills when engaged in a variety of play activities.  Older children are not given continuous sufficient opportunities to extend their mathematical skills and knowledge.  Self-evaluation is not effective in identifying all areas for improvement.

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It has the following strengths

 Partnerships with parents are strong. For example, staff keep parents informed about their children's achievements regularly and provide information to help parents support children's learning at home.  Staff are good role models. They teach children to be kind to their friends and understand the importance of sharing, such as taking turns to use the camera.  Children have daily opportunities to play outside and develop their physical skills. For example, they explore different ways of moving and negotiating space as they throw balls and ride scooters.  The manager and staff implement good safeguarding procedures that keep children safe and meet their care and well-being needs effectively. For instance, staff are deployed well throughout the day and constantly risk assess the environment and resources used.

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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

 support staff further to improve their skills and knowledge to ensure they fully extend and challenge older children's learning  improve the system for monitoring and evaluating the progress groups of children make, to identify where the provision can be strengthened to raise children's achievements  review and improve the range of opportunities offered that enable older children to make marks and extend early writing skills in all areas of their play  make the most of opportunities to develop older children's interest in mathematics to extend their learning further  strengthen the use of self-evaluation to identify weaknesses in practice, to target areas for improvement and raise outcomes for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children indoors and outdoors.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers about their views on the service they receive.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector discussed with the provider her plans for the future of the nursery.  The inspector sampled a range of documents, including safeguarding policies and procedures, and children's learning and development information.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff are aware of any signs that may cause concerns about a child's welfare and the procedures to follow to help keep children safe. The manager takes some steps to monitor and improve staff practice, such as through in- house training and supervisory meetings. However, these are not fully effective in ensuring all staff have the knowledge and skills to extend children's learning and development. The manager is working closely with staff and parents to develop the setting, although this has not yet successfully identified and addressed all weaknesses. For example, older children are not given sufficient opportunities to extend their mathematical knowledge and early writing skills in preparation for school. The manager tracks individual children's learning to help staff plan for their next stage of development. However, they do not effectively monitor the progress of specific groups to see gaps in learning. The

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

manager has sound links with other early years professionals to provide continuity of care.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff use observations and assessments to help them plan activities that interest children. For example, staff help younger children to bathe dolls and talk about the water, while older children explore the texture of dough. This helps to develop children's communication, language, and sensory experiences. However, staff working with older children do not consistently extend their learning. For example, they miss opportunities to incorporate mathematical language into activities and do not offer older children sufficient opportunities to develop their early writing skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children build strong bonds with staff and are supported throughout their time at the nursery and on to school. They learn how to lead healthy lifestyles, such as practising cleaning teeth using the large play teeth and brush. Staff work closely with parents to encourage them to provide healthy packed lunches for the children. For example, they offer written information on healthy eating. Children learn to respect and value differences between themselves and others. For instance, staff take them on walks in the community and they visit the temple on site to learn about the wider world.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Overall, children make suitable progress from their initial starting points. However, due to the variable quality of teaching, older children's learning is not extended to help them make consistent progress. Children are confident and developing their independence. For instance, younger children help to turn the pages of books at story time. Older children enjoy the responsibility of carrying out small tasks, such as pouring their drinks. Children learn to manage their self-care routines in readiness for the next stage in their learning and their eventual move to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 103727 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 1088935 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 1 - 7 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 80 Name of registered person Pauline Lorna Judd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 9 April 2015 Telephone number 01634 722272

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reference number

St Mary's Day Nursery registered in 1992. The nursery operates from the ground floor of a Hindu temple in Strood, near Rochester, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am to 6pm, for most of the year. The nursery also provides a breakfast club, after- school club and holiday playscheme. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. They employ 11 members of staff, seven of whom hold an early years qualification at level 3, one staff member holds a relevant qualification at level 2 and three members of staff have early years foundation degrees.

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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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