Smart Start Day Nursery

Smart Start Day Nursery Smart Start Day Nursery, 22-23 Overcliffe, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 0EH

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 4 April 2018 12 March 2015

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

p.1

This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The highly experienced manager is an inspiring and dedicated leader. She works very closely with the management team to ensure her impressive drive for improvement reflects in all aspects of the nursery. They lead an enthusiastic and well-qualified staff team that works exceptionally hard to maintain the high quality of practice.  Staff maintain an exceptionally well-planned environment. They have an excellent knowledge of children's interests and abilities. Staff are highly effective at using this knowledge to provide an extremely impressive range of stimulating resources and activities, indoors and outside.  Staff support children's well-being extremely well. Staff develop exceptionally strong bonds with children from the start. They are especially sensitive and caring, and offer limitless support and encouragement.  Children are learning to become extremely confident communicators. Staff are highly

p.1

This provision is outstanding

focused on supporting children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to develop excellent communication and language skills.  Children make exceptionally high levels of progress. Staff support the individual developmental needs of children extremely well alongside the special educational needs coordinator, who is a well-skilled member of the staff team. She has a clear passion and ensures that staff give children every opportunity to develop.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

 continue to develop the already excellent programme of professional development to further include staff's reflection and evaluation of their own practice.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed interactions between the staff and children in the inside space and the outside environment.  The inspector viewed a range of developmental records and spoke to key staff about children's progression.  The inspector carried out two joint observations with the curriculum adviser.  The inspector gained feedback from parents and children and considered their views.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including the setting's policies and staff's records.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The welfare of children is at the heart of the nursery's policies and practices. Safeguarding is effective. The manager has an excellent understanding of her role in protecting children from harm. She works hard to ensure staff have an excellent understanding of the processes to follow if they had concerns. The management team is highly effective at monitoring staff's practice. It has developed a culture of ongoing training, which helps staff to develop their outstanding skills further. For example, knowledge gained from training inspired staff to create a wider range of more challenging learning opportunities for children outside. These have helped children develop a deeper understanding of how to keep themselves safe. The manager plans to extend the opportunities for staff to reflect on their own practice. The manager uses comprehensive processes to monitor the nursery procedures. She works exceptionally closely with others to evaluate what works and

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff carry out accurate and high-quality observations of children's play. They are highly skilled at recognising and celebrating children's achievements. The management team works meticulously with staff to monitor children's progress, swiftly identify and address areas where extra support may be required. Staff are exceptionally strong and enthusiastic teachers. They are highly supportive of children exploring and developing their own ideas. Staff recognise when their involvement in children's play significantly enhances their learning. For example, children use impressive skills to plan what they need to create an indoor spring garden. Showing highly effective mathematical skills, they measure pieces of wood. Staff ask extremely well-considered questions to encourage children to think about how to use real tools. Children show an excellent understanding of safety as they use saws to try to cut the wood to the relevant size.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

The staff work endlessly to ensure they embed effective two-way and regular communication with parents. Parents are fully involved in their children's care and learning. Children behave exceptionally well. Staff are excellent role models and use highly effective approaches, such as consistently promoting cooperative play and sharing to reinforce positive behaviours. Children develop an excellent understanding of how to keep healthy. Snack and mealtimes are extremely social occasions when staff talk to children about eating healthy foods and the impact this has on their bodies; for example, giving them the 'energy to run'.

p.3

Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children flourish and develop extremely confident life skills. For example, young children practise using their emerging physical skills and coordination as they use knives to cut fruit and vegetables for exciting tasting activities. Older children show well-developed skills as they use cutlery confidently at mealtimes. Children's achievements often exceed planned targets. Children develop outstanding skills to support their future learning.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY345517 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1092937 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 - 4 Total number of places 80 Number of children on roll 131 Name of registered person Smart Start Childcare Services Limited

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 12 March 2015 Telephone number 01474 332 255

p.4

reference number

Smart Start Day Nursery registered in 2007. It is in Gravesend, Kent. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.30am to 6.30pm, for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 32 staff, 29 of whom work directly with children. Of these, 26 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above. The manager and six other staff hold relevant early years qualifications at level 4 or above. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

reference number

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

p.5