Star Day Nursery

Star Day Nursery 21 East Hill, DARTFORD DA1 1RX

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Inspection date 21 February 2019 Previous inspection date 5 January 2017

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3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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3

Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This is a provision that requires improvement

n Teaching is not consistently good enough to extend children's learning. Staff miss opportunities to further children's thinking skills and vocabulary during their play. n Staff do not consistently follow good hygiene practices to best support children's health and well-being. n At times, staff do not plan the routines effectively enough to give children sufficient time to explore and develop their concentration fully. n Staff do not give enough consideration to how they can best support children to use the outdoors more regularly to support their health and well-being. Opportunities are missed to enable children to build on their play and ideas throughout the day. n The self-evaluation process is not rigorous enough to accurately identify areas where there are weaknesses in practice and improvements are needed.

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It has the following strengths

n Staff share a wide range of information with parents to keep them informed about their child's learning and development. Parents speak highly of the staff and the setting. n Children are happy and behave well. They benefit positively from the kind ways staff care for them. n Children develop their mathematical skills. For example, they confidently count numbers as they play and can recognise different shapes and sizes.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date improve teaching to support children's thinking skills and extend their vocabulary 28/02/2019

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

ensure hygiene routines are consistently effective to support children's understanding of good health and well-being. 28/02/2019

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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 plan daily routines more effectively to enable children to continue with their activities to develop their concentration and exploration skills n organise outdoor learning experiences, particularly for those who enjoy learning outdoors, to build on their play and ideas throughout the day n refine the process of self-evaluation to more accurately identify weaknesses in practice and areas for improvement, and take action to address them.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed children taking part in a range of activities indoors and outdoors. n The inspector spoke with staff and observed their teaching. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector spoke to parents and children at appropriate times during the inspection to take account of their views. n The inspector viewed a wide range of documentation, including staff suitability checks, children's development records and attendance registers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

The manager and staff fail to ensure robust hygiene procedures are followed at all times. For example, staff do not clear away used potties quickly after children have used them. However, this does not have a significant impact on children's health and well-being. When pointed out by the inspector, the manager put procedures in place to stop this recurring in future. Safeguarding is effective. Staff recognise possible signs and symptoms that children might be at risk of harm and know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. The management team monitors and evaluates aspects of the provision, such as staff interactions with children and the progress they make. However, the quality of staff teaching is variable. The management team does not identify and address all weaknesses in the provision. For example, not all staff use good teaching skills to engage well with children and support their imagination

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

and language development. The manager supports her staff through supervisory and appraisal meetings. Team meetings help staff to reflect on their training.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not interact consistently well with children during their play to engage and motivate them to learn. Consequently, some children wander and lose interest, especially during large group activities and care routines. The manager and the special educational needs coordinator work well with parents and outside agencies to support children in the setting effectively. Staff provide parents with information about their child's progress to support a shared approach to their learning. Parents take home children's development records and have the opportunity to add their comments. Staff provide some interesting and challenging activities for children. For example, they paint bricks and blocks to print with and compare the sizes and shapes. Staff gather information about children when they first start. They make observations of children's achievements and regular assessments are carried out to track the progress of individual children.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Weaknesses in leadership and management compromise children's welfare. Nevertheless, staff support children's independence appropriately. For example, children serve their own lunch and pour drinks. Children develop secure friendships within the setting and learn about people from different backgrounds. They seek each other out to share experiences and giggle together as they play imaginatively. Staff are fair and consistent and they manage children's behaviour well. Due to staff restricting the use of the outside space, children who prefer to learn outdoors do not get sufficient time to explore and develop their physical skills.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Children do not make as much progress as they could from their starting points due to weaknesses in teaching. However, most children develop the basic skills and knowledge they need to be ready for starting school. They know and join in with the words and actions to familiar songs. They listen at group times and answer questions about the weather. Children follow instructions in games and are able to put on their coats before going outside.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY456320 Local authority Kent Inspection number 10095104 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 68 Number of children on roll 40 Name of registered person Stand Out Theatre Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 5 January 2017 Telephone number 01322836090

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reference number

Star Day Nursery registered in 2012. It is open each weekday from 7am to 7pm for most of the year, except public holidays. The nursery employs 15 members of staff, of whom 13, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 6. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education to children aged two, three and four years.

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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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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.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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If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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

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