Chestnut House Kindergarten

Inspection of Chestnut House Kindergarten 45 Mill Road, Mile End, Colchester, Essex CO4 5LE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children are happy and feel safe in this welcoming, homely setting. Staff provide a nurturing environment which values the uniqueness of each child. Parents praise the 'friendly, professional' staff and how well they know their children. They talk about the increased confidence, social skills and general strong progress of their children and how much they enjoy attending. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement and concentration. They listen intently to staff and are eager to take part in games and group activities.

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The provision is good

Children behave well and exhibit positive social skills from an early age. For instance, they know how to use timers to share resources. Older children ask staff to help them to negotiate the use of popular resources, such as capes, by using timers. Children are affectionate towards their friends and often hug them happily. Staff encourage children to persevere with difficult tasks and recognise children's continued efforts. They recognise and celebrate children's achievements gleefully. Staff plan appropriate and challenging activities to help children to move on to the next stage in their learning. Children explore a wealth of mark-making opportunities to develop their early literacy skills. They carefully hold pens, chalks and paintbrushes. Children use delicate movements to create precise marks on paper. They focus intently on their work. Babies delight in touching the sensory wall displays. Older children are proud to point out their works of art on the

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need to do better?

n Self-evaluation is effective and includes the views of parents and children. The manager works with staff to define areas for focus and to further improve learning outcomes for children. Recent requests from parents to enhance home learning ideas has resulted in the introduction of home learning bags and a book library. Children delight in choosing a book to take home each day. n The well-qualified staff are skilled in helping children to develop their speech and language skills. They tell stories with great enthusiasm and make good use of props such as puppets and small-world toys, to play sound games. This helps to keep children interested and excited. Staff introduce five new words each month, such as 'winch' and 'brave', which reflect children's interests in construction play and conversations about their feelings. n Children are provided with a wide range of healthy meals and snacks. Staff work

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need to do better?

with parents to plan a week of culturally diverse dishes every month. Staff also invite visitors to the setting, including authors, traditional dancers and police officers, to help to expand children's understanding and appreciation of the wider world. n Staff use timers to provide children with visual cues about time. They use a

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need to do better?

25 February 2020 timer effectively to let children know how long it is until tidy-up or garden time. This helps children to develop an understanding of time and supports them to respond positively to transitions in routine. n From an early age, children learn to manage their self-care needs appropriately and become more independent. Toddlers learn to wash their hands thoroughly. Children serve themselves rice, curry and vegetables using large spoons. n Staff coach children effectively through any big or overwhelming emotions. They teach children about the impact of their actions and encourage them to think of ways to make amends if they have been unkind. Staff use golden rules, including having kind hands and listening ears, to communicate clear expectations for behaviour. n Children relish spending time in the garden. They play an energetic game of 'hide the ball'. Children try hard not to peek, and focus on copying staff's actions

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need to do better?

energetically as another hides the ball. Children understand the rules and are eager to begin the search. However, some outdoor resources, such as sand, are limited. This prevents children from engaging with or exploring the materials fully. n Overall, staff have good training opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. However, supervision and support arrangements are not fully effective in identifying specific areas for individual professional development. n Staff make good use of opportunities to develop children's mathematical understanding. They model key vocabulary as children create a slope to race toy cars. Staff encourage children to make predictions and draw comparisons between the cars. Children talk about 'heavy' cars going 'faster' and how some 'lose their balance' and topple over the edge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They understand how to identify and report concerns about the welfare of a child or the behaviour of an adult. The manager ensures staff keep their knowledge up to date through regular training. When appointing new staff, the provider and the manager follow thorough recruitment processes to assure themselves that staff are suitable. They also conduct ongoing termly checks of staff's suitability by using the Disclosure and Barring Service's update service.

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should:

n review and develop further the availability of resources to help children to explore and engage with a range of materials to extend their learning n enhance supervision arrangements to precisely identify individual development

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should:

25 February 2020 needs and target support and coaching to raise practice to the highest levels.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY301874 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10127271 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 to 5 Total number of places 76 Number of children on roll 147 Name of registered person Chestnut House Kindergarten Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01206 838900 Date of previous inspection 5 January 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Chestnut House Kindergarten registered in 2005. The setting employs 32 members of childcare staff. Of these, 27 hold early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two at level 6. The setting opens from Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year- old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The manager took the inspector on a learning walk across all areas of the setting and gardens to explain how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n The inspector held a number of discussions with the manager, deputy manager and area manager. She looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of all persons working on the premises. n The deputy manager completed a joint observation and evaluation of an activity with the inspector. n The inspector spoke with staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. She also took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection and through written feedback provided.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

25 February 2020 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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