Milstead Pre-School

Milstead Pre-School Milstead Village Hall, Rawling Street, Milstead, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 0RX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29 November 2017 15 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 positive relationships with children. For example, they visit them at home before they start and get to know them in their familiar surroundings. Children have positive well-being and develop a good sense of belonging.  Parents are kept well informed and are fully involved in their children's learning. For example, staff invite parents into regular workshops, such as learning the importance of early reading.  Children have good opportunities to develop their early writing skills to help support their future learning. For instance, they confidently 'write' orders in the pretend cafe.  There are good opportunities for children to develop challenging physical skills. For example, they learn different ways to move as they participate in yoga activities.  Children have good opportunities to explore and investigate. They participate in regular experiments, such as exploring what happens to raisins in different liquids to make

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This provision is good

them 'dance'.  The manager and staff closely monitor children's individual and specific group progress. This helps them to highlight any gaps in children's development. Staff provide good individual support to help children quickly close them and make good progress.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always make the most out of opportunities to encourage children to be consistently more independent to support their future learning.  Staff miss opportunities to extend children's understanding of mathematics to prepare them further for their eventual move to school.

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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

 build upon children's opportunities to have a consistently independent role in their learning to extend their skills even further  develop and extend children's understanding of mathematics as they play to help prepare them more extensively for their eventual move to school.

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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 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 a manager.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The managers and staff work together to evaluate their practice effectively. For example, they have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss their performance and highlight any training needs to improve their practice. Staff have daily discussions to evaluate the day's events. They discuss how well activities engage children to learn to help ensure that they continue to keep children interested in their play. The managers closely monitor the care and learning opportunities that staff provide children. For example, they observe staff teach children and provide them with helpful advice to support their future practice. They use the feedback to support their action plans. Staff establish good links with other early years professionals to help provide children with a consistent approach to their learning. For example, they share activity ideas with specialists, such as speech and language therapists. Safeguarding is effective. The managers and staff have a good understanding

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

of the safeguarding and child protection procedures to follow, to help protect children's safety and welfare. This includes knowing whom to contact to seek additional advice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff skilfully support children to prepare for their eventual move to school. For example, children learn complex skills as they recognise simple words and letters with confidence. Staff effectively build on children's interests. For instance, children were excited by a book about space. Staff encouraged them to act out the story as they 'swirled' in their rocket to the moon and did 'star jumps' just like the twinkling stars they saw on their 'journey'. Children were excited to bring their story alive. They communicate well, for example, staff ask them thought-provoking questions to extend their thinking and speaking skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are positive role models. Children are polite and behave well. They develop good social skills and build meaningful friendships. For example, they help each other to complete tasks as they enjoy playing together. Children develop a good understanding of healthy eating. For instance, they discuss the benefits of food groups on their bodies, such as calcium being good for teeth and bones. Children learn respect for and an understanding of other people in the wider world. They learn about festivals traditional to other countries, such as the Chinese kite festival. Children learn good levels of kindness and empathy. They enjoy regularly visiting the alpacas and elderly neighbours in the community.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, make good progress in relation to their starting points. Children develop positive attributes to support their future learning and learn quite complex skills. They are keen to develop their knowledge, such as when they explore how magnets work.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY305618 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1070670 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 20 Number of children on roll 9 Name of registered person Milstead Pre-School Partnership

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 15 October 2014 Telephone number 07799513488

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reference number

Milstead Pre-School registered in 2005. It is located in Milstead in Sittingbourne, Kent. The pre-school is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8.45am until 3pm and Thursday from 8.45am until 12.15pm, term time only. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The pre-school employs five members of staff, three of whom hold a relevant early years qualification at level 3.

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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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