The Lodge Nursery School

The Lodge Nursery School Sevenoaks United Reformed Church, St. Johns Road, SEVENOAKS, Kent TN13 3LW

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Inspection date 1 November 2018 Previous inspection date Not applicable

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Not applicable Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1 Outcomes for children Outstanding 1

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The provision is outstanding

n The dedicated management team is highly reflective and believes that all children deserve the best possible start in life. All staff have high expectations of practice and what children can achieve. n Staff have an excellent understanding of how to promote all areas of learning. They provide a rich learning environment and are highly effective at stimulating each child's imagination, enthusiasm and enjoyment. n Children form strong bonds and attachments to staff that help them to become rapidly independent. Staff respond to children's needs exceedingly well. n Children have exceptional speaking and listening skills. Staff continually model attentive listening skills when they are with the children. They provide children with ideal chances to share their thoughts and ideas. n Partnerships with parents are excellent. Families praise the excellent care, support and learning opportunities the staff provide for their children. The management team

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The provision is outstanding

reflects exceptionally carefully on its practice and the performance of the staff.

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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

n continue to enhance on the already excellent opportunities children have to play in the nursery garden.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children as they engaged together in activities. n The inspector and the manager undertook a joint observation of a teaching activity. n The inspector held discussions with the nominated person, manager and staff at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector considered the views of the parents spoken to on the day of the inspection and engaged with children at appropriate times. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is highly effective. All staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children. They are extremely vigilant to all aspects of child protection and know when and how to act, to ensure children's safety and well-being. Staff make notable use of any new knowledge from training. They use this knowledge to offer children highly appropriate support and activities that are exactly tailored to their needs. The management team has embedded excellent systems to evaluate all aspects of the provision, including the quality of teaching and learning, which leads to exceptional practice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

The nursery is a hive of purposeful activity. The staff are tireless in the way they communicate in detail with children about what they are doing, and expertly hold their attention. This extends children's vocabulary, stimulates their imaginations and encourages them to explore and investigate with great enthusiasm. Staff skilfully use sign language alongside clear speech to support young children with their communication and language development. Older children develop a love of books and listen carefully to stories, sometimes acting out part of what they have heard. They make a range of marks that increasingly resembles letters of the alphabet, and many talk in detail about the meaning of their drawings. Children learn to count and recognise numbers, match colours, and develop a wide vocabulary to describe the position of objects and to compare different sizes.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff consistently promote children's understanding of sharing, turn taking and being kind to one another. For example, they discuss the importance of being kind to others when reading a story and discussing their golden rules at the setting. Staff are excellent role models and praise each other and children for sharing their ideas throughout the story. This positively reinforces children's efforts. The care of younger children is outstanding. Staff have a very secure understanding of their role as a key person, and they nurture secure and loving relationships with younger children as soon as they start their settling-in visits. This successfully helps to develop younger children's confidence and emotional well-being. Older children develop a passion for the natural world around them. For example, they excitedly investigate and delight in exploring the rain and puddles. Children lead an extremely active and healthy

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

life at nursery. They have delicious and nutritious snacks, and lots of exciting outdoor play.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children make excellent progress in their learning and development. They explore the environment with great enthusiasm, confidence and excitement. Children develop high levels of communication skills, consistently contributing to conversations and expressing their own ideas and feelings. Children benefit from tremendous opportunities to develop the key skills needed for future learning and their eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY537191 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10080193 Type of provision Sessional day care Registers Early Years Register Day care type Childcare on non-domestic premises Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 46 Name of registered person The Lodge Nursery School Limited

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Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07999893465

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The Lodge Nursery School registered under the current provider in 2016. It operates from a church hall in Sevenoaks, Kent. The setting is open from 9am to 12.30pm each day during term time only, with a lunch club until 1pm on Thursday. There are 10 staff who work at the setting. Of these, one hold qualified teacher status, eight hold relevant qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2.

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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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procedures set out in the guidance Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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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