Fawkham Montessori Pre- School

Fawkham Montessori Pre- School Gay Dawn Farm, Pennis Lane, Fawkham, Longfield, Kent, DA3 8LY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20 April 2018 Not applicable

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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

 The new management team is committed and passionate in continually developing the nursery to its best potential. This helps to ensure planned improvements are achieved and outcomes for children are good.  Staff provide a caring and inclusive learning environment where children feel safe and secure. Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery and engage well in a wide range of exciting activities.  Children have daily opportunities to further develop their physical skills and access fresh air as they use the naturally resourced outdoor areas.  Staff know how children learn. From their interactions with them and their observations, they accurately assess how well children are progressing.  Children behave very well. Staff give them lots of praise to acknowledge their efforts and encourage them. Staff help children develop good social skills, such as sharing and taking turns.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not consistently ensure they keep precise records on information provided by parents about their children.  Staff do not routinely ensure they are fully aware of all children's personal and development details to promote greater consistency in supporting all their individual needs.

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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

 enhance the procedures already in place to ensure information provided by parents is consistently and precisely recorded to further promote children's well-being  develop further and maintain the process to improve staff knowledge on the personal background of children other than those in their key groups.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the provider and manager about the organisation of the nursery.  The inspector observed teaching practices and the impact these have on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and they discussed the children's learning outcomes.  The inspector spoke to a few parents during the inspector and took account of their views.  The inspector sampled documentation, including children records, assessments, staff suitability checks and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The management team and staff have a good knowledge and understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children. They know whom to contact, should they have any concerns. The provider ensures there are suitable recruitment and vetting arrangements to help ensure children's welfare and safety. Management supports staff well and encourages them to attend training, for example, to help those who want to gain a relevant childcare qualification. Management also monitors staff and children's performance to check children are making progress in their learning and development. Management and staff work closely with external agencies to help ensure children receive the support they need. The self-evaluation process is under review with the new manager. Nonetheless, management and staff still reflect regularly on practices to help ensure improvements are made where needed, to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff have a good understanding of how young children learn. They record their observations and assessments to help provide a useful informative overview on what children can do and what they need to learn next. Both planned and child-led activities link closely to children's next steps in learning. Children are provided with good opportunities to be creative, explore and investigate. For example, they learn about how tadpoles develop and grow into frogs. In the larger outdoor area, they walk in the woods and collect twigs which they use to build a 'twig fence'. This promotes children's social development as well as learning how to problem solve regarding which sized twigs are best to use. Staff give good attention to supporting children's literacy development. For example, an assortment of books is available all around the play areas. Staff encourage children's writing skills in various ways, for example, with chalks, painting and pencils and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

paper, to strengthen wrists and teach them how to hold pencils correctly.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are positive role models and gently remind children of their high expectations. Staff support children to learn about boundaries and acceptable behaviour, for example, about the effect of their actions on others. Older children happily follow instructions, such as when they are building the twig fence. Children are sociable and really enjoy each other's company. Even the youngest ones show great affection for each other and love to help and chat to one another as they play or at mealtimes. Children learn about the benefits of healthy eating and enjoy a varied menu.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress in relation to their starting points. They have lots of opportunities to enjoy outdoor, physical activities and they enjoy stories, rhymes and songs, joining in when they are confident enough. Children are prepared well for further learning, such as school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY500381 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1134432 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 48 Name of registered person The Montessori Group Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01474 612040

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reference number

Fawkham Montessori Pre-School registered in 2016. It is a day nursery and opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 4.15pm all year round, with the exception of bank holidays. There are 10 employed members of staff working with the children, seven of whom are qualified. The setting is in receipt of funding for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery follows the Montessori ethos.

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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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