Mr Noah's Nursery School

Mr Noah's Nursery School Congregational Church, Iden Green, Benenden, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4HA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 October 2017 27 March 2015

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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 Outstanding 1

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This provision is good

 Children flourish in an extremely loving and caring environment. They form excellent relationships with staff who consistently model kindness and respect as they work together.  Parents highly value the excellent care and support children receive. They know how well their children are doing and how they can support them in making progress at home.  The director is highly knowledgeable about ways children learn and develop. Alongside feedback from staff, parents and children, he has an accurate understanding of the quality of the nursery. Improvements are measurable and sustainable.  Staff make good use of accurate assessments of children's progress to plan for children's next steps in learning. They create a well-planned, stimulating and engaging environment based on what they know children can do and their interests.  Children make good progress from their individual starting points. They successfully

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This provision is good

build on their skills so that they are well prepared for their future learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Occasionally, staff miss opportunities to further extend children's learning while they are playing and exploring the environment.  Although the director has a very good understanding of the progress of individual children, a system for tracking the progress of all groups of children in the nursery is not fully embedded.

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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

 develop teaching techniques further, to extend children's learning as they play and explore the nursery environment  extend the monitoring of the progress made by groups of children, so that the director clearly knows how well all groups of children are progressing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and children's play indoors and outdoors, including at the nursery woodland.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery director.  The inspector spoke with children, all staff and parents, and took account of their views.  The inspector conducted a shared observation with the manager.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including children's records of progress, self-evaluation and development plans, complaints, recruitment records and parent questionnaires.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Safeguarding is effective. All staff know how to keep children safe and are confident in knowing what actions to take if a child's welfare is at risk. Regular meetings and innovative training help ensure staff reflect on their teaching and develop their professional knowledge. For instance, they have recently attended training on supporting children's creativity and self-regulation. Staff have good links with other professionals. This helps all children, including those who have special educational needs or those learning English as an additional language, receive timely support to reduce any gaps in their learning and development.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Children learn in a calm and nurturing environment with staff who know them well. They have rich and varied resources to support their play and interests, such as when they use different fabrics to make blankets for the doll's house beds. Staff positively encourage them to try things out and 'have a go'. For example, children are thrilled to see what happens when they dip a paintbrush into the water tray. Wonderful storytelling, using props and music, helps capture children's imaginations and develop their own language and communication skills. Staff support children's mathematical skills well using naturally occurring opportunities. For example, children learn about adding numbers together as they first count the boys, then the girls and then the total amount of children in a group.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children demonstrate significantly high levels of self-control, well-being and good behaviour. They learn to be kind to each other and to care about other living things, such as the nursery animals. Children have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They display extraordinary levels of self-confidence to manage risks and challenges, such as when they swing on the rope swing. Children learn about being healthy and they eat vegetables they have grown themselves. The staff provide many opportunities for them to visit the local area, such as the courts to play tennis, and the woods. Children excitedly explore the woodland where they make dens, climb trees and discover the delights of raking autumn leaves from a stream. Although the nursery follows a Christian ethos, children learn about others' faiths and cultures. They play and listen to stories, and they learn to respect others' similarities and differences.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children are happy and inquisitive, and have a genuine love of learning. For example, they laugh with joy as they play a memory game. They competently draw and write their names, and tell stories about their lives and experiences. Children sing with gusto and accurately clap out rhythms. They spontaneously count and use numbers in their play. They are becoming independent and capable learners, ready for when they go to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 127394 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1089349 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 3 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person Mr Noah's Nursery School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 27 March 2015 Telephone number 01580 240642

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reference number

Mr Noah's Nursery School registered in 1995. It operates in the Congregational Church premises in the village of Iden Green, near Benenden. The nursery teaches children based upon Froebelian and Christian philosophies. The nursery is open from 9am to 4pm every day. It is closed for two weeks at Christmas and Easter, and for the month of August. The nursery receives funding for children aged two, three and four years. There are six staff, two of whom hold early years qualifications from level 2 to 3. The director holds early years professional status and qualified teacher 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

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