Cobnuts Steiner Kindergarten

Cobnuts Steiner Kindergarten 9 Gatland Lane, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8PJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12 July 2018 3 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 Outstanding 1

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This provision is good

 Staff establish positive relationships with parents and keep them fully involved in their children's learning. For example, they share children's achievements daily.  Children develop good skills to help prepare them for their next stage of learning. For instance, they are independent and confident to choose their own play.  Staff get to know children's individual personalities exceptionally well. They establish outstanding relationships with them. Children have extremely positive levels of well- being and self-worth. Children have an excellent sense of belonging.  The manager and staff effectively review their practice together. For instance, they evaluate the activities daily and discuss how well children are motivated to learn.  Children have good opportunities to gain an understanding of other people's similarities and differences, such as learning songs in different languages and trying foods from

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This provision is good

around the world, such as stuffed fig leaves, which are a traditional delicacy of Greece.  Children have good opportunities to explore their imagination and bring their ideas alive. For instance, they use materials to create 'houses' and go fishing at the 'lake'.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The manager and staff do not make the most of opportunities to build on their partnerships with other early years professionals even further.  Staff miss some opportunities to help children gain more extensive mathematical skills as they play, to support their future learning further.

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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 even further on the partnerships with other early years settings that children attend, to strengthen the consistency of their shared care and learning experiences  extend children's opportunities to learn more-complicated mathematical skills as they play, more consistently.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed staff interacting with the children.  The inspector viewed the indoor and outdoor environments.  The inspector looked at written documentation, including a sample of policies and procedures, risk assessments and staff training records.  The inspector spoke with children, parents and staff, and took their views into consideration.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The highly qualified team works well together. The manager closely monitors the consistency and quality of care and teaching that staff provide children. For example, she observes staff interact with children daily and provides them with helpful advice to support their practice. The manager holds individual meetings with staff to highlight any training needs. All staff are keen to build on their knowledge and skills even further and keep up to date with new ideas. Staff attend a good range of beneficial training. For instance, they learned about the different ways to support children to develop their communication skills using signs and print. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a good knowledge 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 advice and raise any concerns. Children learn how to keep safe. For example, they participate in

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

challenging activities, such as climbing trees, with good levels of maturity.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

The manager and staff closely monitor children's individual and specific group progress. This enables them to highlight quickly any gaps in their development. Staff provide good individual support to help children catch up in their learning promptly. Children are very confident to communicate. For example, staff ask highly thought-provoking questions and children are keen to think about their answer and share their ideas with confidence. Staff build on children's interests well. For instance, they act out their favourite book and bring the fairy tale alive, including building bridges like those in the story.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff are inspirational role models. Children are exceptionally polite and their behaviour is impeccable. All children have outstanding opportunities to challenge their physical skills. For example, they negotiate more-complicated equipment, such as tyre swings. Children have exceptional opportunities to develop their understanding of healthy eating. For instance, they discuss the benefits of different food groups on their bodies, such as carbohydrates. Children show incredibly good levels of kindness and empathy. They ensure that all children can enjoy their game and they listen to each other intently.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in relation to their starting points. Children learn about the natural world. For instance, they enjoy finding bugs and looking at them closely. Children have good opportunities to explore and give meaning to marks they make in interesting ways, such as using sticks in soil. Children learn good life skills. For example, they enjoy helping to wash up and take some responsibility for cleaning their toys.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY313859 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1070715 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 3 - 4 Total number of places 15 Number of children on roll 15 Name of registered person Maidstone Steiner Kindergarten Initiative Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 3 October 2014 Telephone number 01622 205914

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reference number

Cobnuts Steiner Kindergarten registered in 2005. It is located in Maidstone, Kent. The setting is open Monday to Thursday from 9.15am to 1pm, term time only. The provider receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. The setting employs four members of staff, three of whom hold relevant early years qualifications at level 4 and above. This includes one member of staff who has an early years qualification at level 5 and one member of staff who has 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

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

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